Spotlight on a Character Actress: Jessie Royce Landis

Even though I've only seen her in two films, she is definitely in that category of Thelma Ritter awesomeness (and that is saying a LOT :-D). She also played the mother of Grace Kelly and Cary Grant (at different times of course). How can ya go wrong?

Jessie Royce Landis (1904-1972)

Jessie Royce Landis, like many other actresses of her time, started as a stage actress and only progressed on to films in the 1950s. Favoured by Hitchcock, she was featured in two of his films, To Catch A Theif and North By Northwest and one of his "Hitchock Presents..." TV episodes.

Now, I couldn't find that much info on her, but I'm just going to ramble instead! In all the films I've seen, she has played either Grace Kelly's or Cary Grant's mother (didn't do badly, did she?) and in To Catch A Thief she even gets to wear super cool costumes and ask cary Grant to call her Jessie, while conversing about his being a lumberjack in Portland Oregon. I mean, could you get any more awesome than that conversation? Er, no you can't. So don't even try. You will FAIL EPICLY!!!!! So yes. Jessie Royce Landis has the nerve to scold Grace Kelly and laugh at the remark that Cary Grant is "a sensible man" therefore making her one of the best character actresses ever. I share this opinion with Millie who wrote one of my favourite posts of hers about Jessie Royce Landis, which you can read here.

Best Movies To Start With:

1. To Catch A Thief
2. North By Northwest

~Bette