Mimi Weddell
Encyclopedia
Marion Rogers "Mimi' Weddell (February 15, 1915 – September 24, 2009) was an American
actress. She is best known for portraying Stanford's grandmother on Sex and the City
and for being featured in a documentary film, Hats Off
, about her life and her collection of some 150 hats.
on February 15, 1915, and grew up in Massachusetts
. Following the divorce that ended her first marriage, she moved to New York City
. There she was hired by The New York Times
, working as an assistant to the paper's fashion editor. Her second marriage was to Richard Weddell in 1946, who had been working at the time as an executive with the classical recordings division of RCA Victor and later became an art dealer.
, Weddell only began her acting career in earnest once she was 65, following the death of her husband in 1981, which had left her with a stack of unpaid bills.
She first appeared in the 1980 low-budget horror film Dracula's Last Rites in the role of Mrs. Bradley and followed that in the subsequent year as Miss Mumsley in 1981's Student Bodies
, a parody of the horror genre. In 1985, she appeared in Woody Allen
's The Purple Rose of Cairo
, where she stood in line with Mia Farrow
to purchase a ticket to the film within the film. She appeared in two episodes of the police procedural
/ legal drama
Law & Order
, in the 1990 episode Subterranean Homeboy Blues and in 1997's Past Imperfect. Weddell played the role of a snoring woman in the wedding scene in the 1986 movie Heartburn
by Nora Ephron
. in The 2005 movie Hitch
starring Will Smith
and Eva Mendes
, Weddell played the role of Grandma Wellington and was seen as a diner choking on an olive. She was in a single episode of Sex and the City
, appearing in the 1998 episode The Turtle and the Hare as Stanford Blatch's grandmother. She also appeared in print and television advertisements for Burberry
, Juicy Couture
, Louis Vuitton
and Nike
.
She was voted one of "The Most Beautiful New Yorkers" by New York Magazine in 2005, with casting director Jennifer Venditti calling her "a whole package", noting that Weddell "has such elegant style and willowy posture, but she doesn't try to conceal her wrinkles and signs of aging".
Weddell had been featured in ads for numerous top fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton
. She is also known for her extensive and expensive hat collection.
documentary film
Hats Off tells Weddell's life story, following her around as she visits beauty salons, strolls around the city and her litany of auditions, exercise sessions and dance lessons. The film was produced by Michael Arlen Davis together with Directors Guild of America Award-nominated director Jyll Johnstone, a friend of Weddell's daughter, who followed Weddell for most of a decade and interviewed other actors, casting directors and family members to shine a light on her life. The film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival
and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
, as well as on Sveriges Television
in Sweden
.
Reviewer Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times said the film showed Weddell as a unique "individual", an actress in her 90s who still demonstrated a "willingness to work 14-hour days and fight for roles", building a substantial resume despite the "industry's rampant ageism".
home after a short illness on September 24, 2009. She was survived by a daughter, a son and two grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She is best known for portraying Stanford's grandmother on Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
and for being featured in a documentary film, Hats Off
Hats Off (2008 film)
Hats Off is a 2008 documentary film directed by Jyll Johnstone. It screened at the Telluride Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as on Sveriges Television in Sweden....
, about her life and her collection of some 150 hats.
Early life
She was born as Marion Rogers in Williston, North DakotaWilliston, North Dakota
-Demographics:Preliminary data from a 2010 housing study indicates that population has grown by nearly 22 percent over the past decade; the actual increase might be much higher. Williston is in western North Dakota's booming oil patch, and adequate, affordable housing has become a concern. The...
on February 15, 1915, and grew up in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Following the divorce that ended her first marriage, she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. There she was hired by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, working as an assistant to the paper's fashion editor. Her second marriage was to Richard Weddell in 1946, who had been working at the time as an executive with the classical recordings division of RCA Victor and later became an art dealer.
Acting career
According to the film Hats OffHats Off (2008 film)
Hats Off is a 2008 documentary film directed by Jyll Johnstone. It screened at the Telluride Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as on Sveriges Television in Sweden....
, Weddell only began her acting career in earnest once she was 65, following the death of her husband in 1981, which had left her with a stack of unpaid bills.
She first appeared in the 1980 low-budget horror film Dracula's Last Rites in the role of Mrs. Bradley and followed that in the subsequent year as Miss Mumsley in 1981's Student Bodies
Student Bodies
Student Bodies is a 1981 comedy film written and directed by Mickey Rose, with an uncredited Michael Ritchie co-directing. The film stars Kristen Ritter, Matthew Goldsby, and Cullen Chambers....
, a parody of the horror genre. In 1985, she appeared in Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin, and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real...
, where she stood in line with Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, humanitarian, and fashion model.Farrow first gained wide acclaim for her role as Allison Mackenzie in the soap opera Peyton Place, and for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra...
to purchase a ticket to the film within the film. She appeared in two episodes of the police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
/ legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, in the 1990 episode Subterranean Homeboy Blues and in 1997's Past Imperfect. Weddell played the role of a snoring woman in the wedding scene in the 1986 movie Heartburn
Heartburn (film)
Heartburn is a 1986 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Nora Ephron is based on her semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, which was inspired by her tempestuous second marriage to Carl Bernstein and his affair with Margaret Jay. Rachel is a food writer at a New...
by Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, playwright, journalist, author, and blogger.She is best known for her romantic comedies and is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in...
. in The 2005 movie Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
starring Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
and Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood...
, Weddell played the role of Grandma Wellington and was seen as a diner choking on an olive. She was in a single episode of Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, appearing in the 1998 episode The Turtle and the Hare as Stanford Blatch's grandmother. She also appeared in print and television advertisements for Burberry
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
, Juicy Couture
Juicy Couture
Juicy Couture is a contemporary line of both casual and dressy apparel based in Arleta, Los Angeles, California founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1996...
, Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
and Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
.
She was voted one of "The Most Beautiful New Yorkers" by New York Magazine in 2005, with casting director Jennifer Venditti calling her "a whole package", noting that Weddell "has such elegant style and willowy posture, but she doesn't try to conceal her wrinkles and signs of aging".
Weddell had been featured in ads for numerous top fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
. She is also known for her extensive and expensive hat collection.
Hats Off
The 20082008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Hats Off tells Weddell's life story, following her around as she visits beauty salons, strolls around the city and her litany of auditions, exercise sessions and dance lessons. The film was produced by Michael Arlen Davis together with Directors Guild of America Award-nominated director Jyll Johnstone, a friend of Weddell's daughter, who followed Weddell for most of a decade and interviewed other actors, casting directors and family members to shine a light on her life. The film was screened at the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....
and the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
, as well as on Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Reviewer Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times said the film showed Weddell as a unique "individual", an actress in her 90s who still demonstrated a "willingness to work 14-hour days and fight for roles", building a substantial resume despite the "industry's rampant ageism".
Death
Mimi Weddell died at age 94 in her ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
home after a short illness on September 24, 2009. She was survived by a daughter, a son and two grandchildren.
Filmography
- 1980: Last RitesLast Rites (film)Last Rites is a 1988 thriller film written and directed by Donald P. Bellisario and starring Tom Berenger.-Synopsis:Father Michael is a New York priest with close ties to the Mafia crime syndicate -- his father is a don. The priest's brother-in-law, a mafia boss, is murdered while having sex with...
- 1981: Student BodiesStudent BodiesStudent Bodies is a 1981 comedy film written and directed by Mickey Rose, with an uncredited Michael Ritchie co-directing. The film stars Kristen Ritter, Matthew Goldsby, and Cullen Chambers....
- 1985: The Purple Rose of CairoThe Purple Rose of CairoThe Purple Rose of Cairo is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Inspired by Sherlock, Jr., Hellzapoppin, and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, it is the tale of a film character who leaves a fictional film of the same name and enters the real...
- 1987: Anna
- 1994: Go FishGo Fish (film)Go Fish is a 1994 American lesbian-themed independent drama film. Directed and co-written by Rose Troche, the film tells the story of the interrelationships of a small group of lesbian friends in Chicago...
- 1999: The Thomas Crown AffairThe Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1999 American heist film directed by John McTiernan. The film, starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo and Denis Leary, is a remake of the 1968 film of the same name....
- 2003: Marci XMarci XMarci X is a 2003 romantic comedy film, directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Paul Rudnick. It stars Lisa Kudrow as Jewish-American Princess Marci Feld, who has to take control of a hip-hop record label, as well as the controversial rapper Dr S, played by Damon Wayans.The film also featured...
- 2004: Messengers
- 2005: HitchHitch (film)Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
- 2005: A Perfect FitA Perfect FitA Perfect Fit is an American thriller starring Adrian Grenier, Leila Arcieri, Polly Draper, Victoria Rowell and written and directed by Ron Brown. The film is distributed by Warner Brothers and Polychrome Pictures.-Plot:...
- 2007: Across the UniverseAcross the Universe (film)Across the Universe is a musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original...