Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier is the mother of Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward best known as Joanne Woodward. Elinor’s daughter Joanne is a retired actress. She is known for appearing as Lissy in Count Three and Pray, Dorothy Kingship in A Kiss Before Dying, Eve White/Eve Black/Jane in The Three Faces of Eve, and many others. She has also worked as a producer and director.
Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier: Bio Summary
| Name | Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier |
| Date of birth | 3 July 1903 |
| Place of birth | South Carolina, USA |
| Famous as | mother of Joanne Woodward |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | 8 September 1992 (aged 89) |
| Spouse | Wade Woodward |
| Children | Joanne Woodward and Wade Woodward, Jr. |
| Parents | Eleanor Gasque Gignilliat and James Lloyd Trimmier |
Who Was Joanne Woodward’s Mother, Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier?
Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier was born on 3 July 1903, in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA to her parents James Lloyd Trimmier and Eleanor Gasque (Gignilliat) Trimmier. She was the sister of Norman Page Trimmier Sr, 2LT John David Trimmier, and Mary Jane Trimmier Langrall. Her name, “Gignilliat Trimmier” is of Huguenot origin.
Much is unknown about her childhood and education. On her father’s side, Elinor is the granddaughter of James William Trimmier and Virginia P “Jennie” Shelton Trimmier. On her mother’s side, she is the granddaughter of John Farquhar Gignilliat and Nancy Wragg “Nan” Porcher Gignilliat. She was married to Heyward Wade Woodward Jr. also known as Wade Woodward, Jr.
Wade Jr. was vice president of the publishing company Charles Scribner’s Sons. Elinor and Wade had two children together. They had a son Heyward Wade Woodward (Wade Woodward III) and a daughter Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (Joanne Woodward). Elinor and Wade eventually got divorced for an unknown reason. Elinor was also married to Robert Miller Carter.
Elinor Trimmier Influenced Her Daughter To Be An Actress
Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier’s daughter Joanne Woodward became an actress. She has been a star since the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is one of the first film stars to have an equal presence on television and among the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema and the oldest living Best Actress Oscar-winner. Elinor played an important role in the life of her daughter Joanne.
Elinor is the one who influenced Joanne Woodward to become an actress. Elinor herself loved film. She was a film fan. She even named Joanne after one of her favorite stars, actress Joan Crawford. While Joanne was growing up, Elinor took her to the movies. Elinor was very supportive of her daughter’s decision to be an actress although her former husband Wade Woodward wasn’t too happy about it.
ALSO, READ: Wade Woodward: What Happened To Joanne Woodward’s Father?
Elinor and her daughter Joanne both reportedly loved the movie Wuthering Heights (1939). The mother and daughter attended the premiere of Gone with the Wind (1939) in Atlanta. Joanne majored in drama at Louisiana State University. She eventually began to appear in television productions and theater. She performed at Greenville’s Little Theater. She appeared in several series before her first feature film Count Three and Pray.
Joanne Woodward appeared in TV shows such as Tales of Tomorrow, Goodyear Playhouse, Danger, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, You Are There, The Web, The Ford Television Theatre, The Elgin Hour, Robert Montgomery Presents, Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Star and the Story, Omnibus, Star Tonight, and Ponds Theater. She appeared in the films A Kiss Before Dying and The Three Faces of Eve.
Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier’s daughter also appeared on TV drama shows including Philco Playhouse, The 20th Century-Fox Hour, The United States Steel Hour, General Electric Theater, Four Star Playhouse, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Kraft Theatre, The Alcoa Hour, Studio One in Hollywood, and Climax. She played roles in the films No Down Payment, The Long, Hot Summer, The Fugitive Kind, The Stripper, and A Big Hand for the Little Lady.
Joanne’s other film credits include Rachel, Rachel, They Might Be Giants, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, The Drowning Pool, The End, Harry & Son, The Glass Menagerie, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, and Philadelphia. She produced an episode of the series American Masters, co-produced the TV Movie Blind Spot, executive produced the TV Movie Our Town and the film Lucky Them.
Joanne Woodward directed the television series Family and American Playhouse. She directed off-Broadway revivals of Clifford Odets’ Golden Boy and Waiting for Lefty at the Blue Light Theater Company in New York. She received several awards and nominations for her work in the film industry. She is a recipient of an Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
ALSO, READ: Claire Olivia Newman- Truth about Paul Newman’s daughter
Elinor Trimmier Died In 1992
Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier passed away on the 8th of September 1992, at age 89, in Austell, Cobb County, Georgia, USA. The cause of her death is unknown. She was buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA. She is survived by her children, Wade Woodward III and Joanne Woodward, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and other relatives. Her ex-husband Wade Woodward died on 16 December 1976, at age 75, in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, USA.
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