Marian Seldes dies at 86

Veteran actress Marian Seldes has died, aged 86.

Seldes passed away at her home on Monday (06Oct14) following a long, undisclosed illness.

Her brother Timothy Seldes announced her death in a statement which reads: "It is with deep sadness that I share the news that my dear sister Marian Seldes has died. She was an extraordinary woman whose great love of the theater, teaching and acting was surpassed only by her deep love for her family."

Her impressive career spanned 60 years and she was considered a theater legend. She made her Broadway debut in 1947 in the Robinson Jeffers adaptation of Medea.

She was one of acclaimed playwright Edward Albee's go-to actresses, appearing in such plays as Tiny Alice, The Play About the Baby and Three Tall Women.

In 1967, she won her first Tony Award for her supporting role in Albee's A Delicate Balance.

Seldes was nominated for four more Tony Awards, including nods for her roles in Father's Day, Ring Round the Moon, Dinner at Eight, and Deathtrap, for which she also holds a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for her four-year run without having missed a single performance.

She last appeared on the Great White Way in 2007 for Terrence McNally's Deuce. In 2010, she received the prestigious Tony Lifetime Achievement Award.

Seldes also made her mark in many films including Truman, Mona Lisa Smile, August Rush and Leatherheads, as well as TV shows such as Murphy Brown and Sex and the City.

Seldes also served as a professor at Julliard performing arts school, having a roster of drama students including Viola Davis, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Kline, Christopher Reeve, and Robin Williams.

She is survived by daughter Katharine Claman Andres, her only child with first husband Julian Claman. Her second husband, writer/director Garson Kanin, died in 1999.