Maureen Stapleton Memorial Slated for September 18 at Circle in the Square

A memorial service celebrating the life and career of actress Maureen Stapleton, who died on March 13, will be held on Monday, September 18 at Circle in the Square (1633 Broadway at 50th Street), beginning at 1pm

Stapleton made her Broadway debut in 1946 in The Playboy of the Western World. She went on to star in such shows as The Rose Tattoo (Tony Award), Orpheus Descending, The Glass Menagerie, The Gingerbread Lady (Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Plaza Suite, and The Little Foxes.

In 1981, she won an Academy Award for her performance as Emma Goldman in Warren Beatty’s Reds; she had previously been Oscar-nominated for Lonelyhearts, Airport, and Interiors. Among her many other film credits are The Fugitive Kind, Bye Bye Birdie, Plaza Suite, and Cocoon. Her last screen appearance was in Rick McKay’s documentary Broadway: The Golden Age.

Stapleton won an Emmy Award for Among the Paths to Eden (1967), but her best-known television role was that of Bea Asher in the Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975), the TV film on which the Broadway musical Ballroom was based. She received an Emmy nomination for her performance, and was also nominated for The Gathering and Miss Rose White.

The September 18 memorial service is open to the public, but seating is limited. Doors will open at 12:30pm. In lieu of flowers, Stapleton’s family has suggested contributions to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS or The Actors’ Fund of America.

To access TheaterMania’s full obituary on Stapleton, click here.