She Had A Secret
Academy-Award winning actress Sandy Dennis seemed determined to avoid a conventional Hollywood career. She was allergic to designer gowns, makeup, and spending hours at the hair salon. But film lovers just couldn’t stop watching her. Fans loved her quirkiness while her detractors seemed to think she was maybe just a little too unique. And as her career spiralled slowly downward, Dennis harbored a secret that she carried to her grave.
1. She Had A Shaky Start
Sandra Dale Dennis was born in Hastings, Nebraska, on April 27, 1937. Her mother was a secretary, and her father, whose IQ was 160, worked for the post office. With her family, Dennis called various locations in Nebraska home. During this time, she had a shaky start to a career in show business.
2. She Got The Boot
When Dennis was just three years old, she took tap dancing classes. For one performance, they dressed her up as Uncle Sam. Little Dennis spent so much time looking at herself in the mirror that they eventually had to kick her out of the class.
Dennis ended up at Lincoln High, where she had a soon-to-be famous classmate.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
3. She Left Him Speechless
Sandy Dennis went to school with talk show host Dick Cavett. They weren't in the same year, but they were in a play together. Cavett remembered Dennis as an “anonymous” student at Lincoln High. When Cavett got on stage with Dennis, her talent became immediately apparent. He said that her performance was so “moving” that he actually forgot what his lines were.
Later, at the University of Nebraska, her drama professor told her to take her talent to New York City, and she did.
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4. She Took A Big Bite
Upon her arrival in the Big Apple, Dennis immediately took a big bite. She scored a role on the soap opera Guiding Light. While it may not have been the meatier work she was looking for, it was a paying job as an actor. A determined Dennis didn't give up on doing theater.
It was a good thing, because a surprising break was coming her way.
5. She Caught The Eye Of A Legend
While working on Guiding Light, Dennis landed a part as an understudy for a Broadway play. The play was The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, but more important was the director. It was Elia Kazan, and he also made movies. If Kazan liked her, or even noticed her, she would have a chance at a role in a movie.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
6. Hollywood Left Her Out
As it turned out, Kazan did like Dennis, and he had a role for her in Splendor in the Grass. Her co-stars were none other than Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty and both of them received various nominations for their work in the film. Somehow, Sandy Dennis didn’t get any.
As it turned out, she had award-winning drama back at home.
7. She Threw Things
While she was working on Dark at the Top of the Stairs, she met Gerald S O’Loughlin, and the two started living together. When O’Loughlin accused her of spending all his hard-earned money, Dennis threw a glass of water in his face. O’Loughlin’s counteroffer was to push Dennis into the shower. O'Loughlin, who later found fame in TV’s The Rookies, remembers the interaction as “all good-natured and fun”.
You know what’s not fun? Doing almost 1,000 performances of the same play.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
8. She Was The Reason For Its Success
Dennis tried TV for a while and also went back to the theater. She got the lead role in Any Wednesday, but the word on the street was that the play was not going to be any good. In the end, it ran for an astonishing 983 performances. One critic even said that it was casting Dennis that made the play a huge success.
But this play would not be an easy time for Dennis.
Screenshot from Sweet November, Warner Bros. (1968)
9. She Played The Fool
After doing so many performances of the same show, Dennis started acting irrationally. When an audience member sneezed, she broke character and said: “God bless you”. She also started waving to patrons who decided to leave early. There was a good reason for Dennis’ eccentric behavior.
She was going through the worst year of her life.
Screenshot from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Bros. (1966)
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10. She Got In Trouble
This time was so hard for Sandy Dennis because she was splitting up with Gerald O’Loughlin and starting something new with another Irish man named Gerry Mulligan, who was a married jazz musician. Dennis had no interest or knowledge of jazz and described her boyfriend’s music as a “racket”. But her problems intensified when she discovered she was pregnant. This was a serious social taboo at the time, so she and Mulligan came up with a solution.
Fairfax Media Archives, Getty Images
11. Her Husband Was A Fake
Because of her pregnancy, Dennis and Mulligan got the crazy idea of pretending to be married. Soon a newspaper in her hometown picked up the story, and everyone started believing that the two actually were husband and wife. Somewhere between her pregnancy and her fake marriage, Dennis got the call for a career-changing film.
12. She Had Some Formidable Co-Stars
In 1966, Sandy Dennis nabbed a role in Mike Nichols’ Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Now this was going to be a wild shoot. Her co-stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, were husband and wife in real life and played a couple who is unhappily married in the film. The two were also Hollywood royalty.
Dennis soon learned that this was not going to be a classy affair. It was going to be gross.
Screenshot from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Bros. (1966)
13. She Participated In A Gross Competition
Taylor was, at the time, considered to be one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. But Dennis got to see the real Taylor. You see, Dennis and Taylor had an ongoing contest while making Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. They tried to see who could burp the loudest and the longest. Apparently, Dennis was always the winner.
Of course, acting alongside Taylor was no laughing matter.
Screenshot from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Bros. (1966)
14. She Held Her Own
Besides belching contests, Dennis had to deal with the fact that she was acting with some venerated professionals. She was still a bit of a newby when it came to acting. Taylor later said that Dennis was "terrifyingly professional” and, as far as acting went, Dennis “made chopped chicken out of me”.
But there was also a dark chapter while making this film.
Screenshot from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Bros. (1966)
15. She Suffered A Loss
Remember, Sandy Dennis was pregnant while making Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Sadly, while filming, she had a miscarriage. She said she would have loved the child, but stunned everyone when she added that she “never, ever wanted children”. She compared her having a child to “having an elephant”.
Dennis wasn’t good at playing the Hollywood game, even when it came to awards.
Screenshot from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Warner Bros. (1966)
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16. She Was A No-Show
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? received Academy Award nominations for every category that it was eligible for. On awards night, the acting awards went to the two women in the cast. Strangely, neither Dennis nor Taylor showed up to the ceremony. Dennis also did something strange with the statue that she won: she apparently gave it to her business manager.
Dennis’ next surprise was a visit to a foreign place.
17. She Went Behind The Iron Curtain
The US State Department submitted Dennis’ next film, Up the Down Staircase, to an unlikely destination: The Moscow Film Festival. At the time, there was Soviet propaganda suggesting that schools in the US still had segregation. So, Dennis and her film served as a defense against this accusation. Dennis took this as an opportunity to see Russia up close and personal.
But it led to her going missing.
Screenshot from Up the Down Staircase, Warner Bros. (1967)
18. She Was AWOL
While in Moscow, Sandy Dennis spent her time sightseeing and checking out the local cuisine. During the festival, it came out that she was up for the best-actress award. Just like with the Oscars, when they called her name as the first winner ever from the US, she’d already gone home.
Dennis’ acting was certainly creating a stir, but it soon came under intense scrutiny.
Screenshot from Up the Down Staircase, Warner Bros. (1967)
19. She Had Some Quirks
Soon, audiences were noticing that Dennis had her arsenal of acting quirks. Her favorites were stuttering and deep gulping. She also had eye twitches. For some audience members, these were the idiosyncrasies that made Dennis unique. Others found them annoying.
But it’s not just audiences who had a strong response.
Screenshot from Up the Down Staircase, Warner Bros. (1967)
20. She Was A Pain In The Tush
Some actors said they didn’t like working with Sandy Dennis. Some called her self-possessed, and this bothered them. Then there were her acting quirks and mannerisms. They threw some actors off, and one even called her “a golden pain in the behind”.
So, what was behind these eccentricities?
Screenshot from Thank You All Very Much, StudioCanal (1969)
21. They Were Two Peas
Before Dennis came along, the unofficial queen of Hollywood quirks was Geraldine Page. Some believe that Dennis even “out-quirked” Page. The truth is that both actors came from the Actors Studio, so it might be fair to say they picked up the quirks at acting school.
But Dennis had a lot more going on than just quirks.
Schatt, Roy, Wikimedia Commons
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22. She Was Fluid
Besides her acting mannerisms, Sandy Dennis had something else: she could cry easily on cue. While some actors use capsules of ammonia to cry, Dennis did it old school. In fact, while filming Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, she had to cry on cue 10 times in a single hour. Maybe this is why director Mark Rydell later called her an “emotionally fluid actress”.
But there was still another thing that Dennis did that attracted the wrong kind of attention.
23. She Was A Drip
All of Dennis’ waterworks led to a type of acting that one critic took issue with. Pauline Kael, who would later go on to take repeated potshots at Meryl Streep, took aim at Dennis’ acting. Kael notoriously said that Dennis “made an acting style of postnasal drip”.
Dennis wasn’t about to take these criticisms lying down.
Rollins Maxwell, Wikimedia Commons
24. She Put The Blame Elsewhere
Dennis did eventually have to respond to the critics who found her performances too quirky and mannered. She called her use of certain mannerisms “deliberate and planned”. As far as the critics went, she said “It’s their problem”.
Besides her quirky acting, there was also criticism of her looks.
Screenshot from Sweet November, Warner Bros. (1968)
25. Hollywood Picked Her Apart
It seemed that Dennis would have to work hard to be a star. Some felt she just didn’t have the right look for movie stardom. Time magazine said she was “no beauty” and took note of her “buck teeth”. Surprisingly, her parents had previously paid $3,000 to have them fixed when she was a child. This leads me to wonder what they were like before the procedure.
From her teeth, critics went south and started complaining about her body.
Screenshot from Sweet November, Warner Bros. (1968)
26. Her Body Wasn’t Right
Added to the list of Dennis’ apparent flaws was her lack of a typical Hollywood body. One friend said that her body was like “a cup of tea—all the sugar went to the bottom”. With that in mind, some found it surprising that Dennis absolutely refused to use what some Hollywood stars—male and female—use to hide extra pounds: a girdle.
In fact, Dennis refused to use any of the typical tricks to look glamorous.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
27. She Turned Her Back On Glamour
Sandy Dennis, at least when she was off-camera, shunned Hollywood glamor. She wore neither stockings nor bras and preferred $7 dresses over haute couture. She also avoided wearing jewelry with one exception: she carried a men’s pocket watch. Dennis’ explanation for her lack of interest in fashion was that she just didn’t have time for it.
And when push came to shove, Dennis made a runner.
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28. She Kept It Real
Sometimes even on set, Dennis had a problem adjusting her looks. Back in 1962, she was appearing on a TV show, and someone on the show decided that Dennis’ chest needed to be a little bigger than what nature had provided. When they suggested some padding, Dennis went running. Not just from the padding, but from the show entirely.
It wasn’t the costumes that made her next movie a controversy.
Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images
29. She Sent Shockwaves
In 1967, Dennis made a film that sent shockwaves. The Fox, based on a novella by DH Lawrence, had its release shortly after the termination of the Motion Picture Association of America Production Code. This meant that films could now include content that was normally under a complete ban.
Dennis was about to be at the center of controversy.
30. She Earned A Top Rating
In the novel The Fox, Lawrence subtly suggests that the two lead female characters, played onscreen by Dennis and Anne Heywood, are in a lesbian relationship. For the film, the intimate relationship between the two women isn’t merely hinted at. It’s right there on the screen. These scenes of woman-on-woman love earned The Fox an R rating.
But this scandal didn’t stop with the movie.
31. A Magazine Accused Her
After Sandy Dennis appeared in the controversial film The Fox, Uncensored magazine printed a story that called her a lesbian. This magazine specialized in exposès and gossip, so it’s not clear if anyone took this accusation seriously. But remember, this was back in the 1960s, and being out was still taboo.
She let her next film set the record straight.
32. She Proved Them Wrong
Dennis’ next film seemed almost designed to disprove the rumors of her being gay. In Sweet November, Dennis plays Sara Deever, a woman who has multiple intimate partners—all of whom are men. The character dates them for one month and, when the calendar turns over, she callously moves on to the next.
Her next film would do little to still the controversy around Dennis.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
33. No One Wanted This Role
Celebrated auteur Robert Altman had a film idea he was shopping around. He approached Ingrid Bergman with the lead role, and she said the part insulted her. Then he went to Vanessa Redgrave. She also said no, but suggested asking Dennis. The word on the street was that Dennis liked a challenge.
Dennis said yes, and she walked right into controversy.
Gorupdebesanez, Wikimedia Commons
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34. She Locked Him Up
The film that Altman was shopping around was That Cold Day in the Park. The controversy here was that Dennis plays an “older woman” who picks up a teenager in the park and proceeds to imprison him in her apartment. While the subject was cutting edge, the reviews were simply cutting. The studio execs were beyond disappointed.
Suddenly, the actor who could do no wrong was faltering.
Screenshot from That Cold Day in the Park, Arrow Films (1969)
35. She Started Sliding
Following the film with Altman, Dennis’ career began to crack. While her film The Out-of-Towners with Jack Lemmon was a hit, others were failures. In 1976, she appeared in the low-budget horror film God Told Me To by infamous director Larry Cohen. Roger Ebert gave this film just one star. When she turned to political satire, the results fared no better.
36. She Took On A Political Scandal
In 1977, Sandy Dennis went political in Nasty Habits. On the surface, this looked like a movie about competing nuns in a Philadelphia Abbey. On closer inspection, it was clearly drawing parallels to Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Dennis’ character drew inspiration from John Dean, a member of the White House Counsel who tried to cover up Nixon’s wrongdoings.
But nothing could cover up Dennis’ bad performance.
Screenshot from Nasty Habits, Warner Bros. (1977)
37. She Got Singled Out
Dennis and the almost all-female cast of Nasty Habits were certainly doing their best to satirize the Watergate scandal. Sadly, Dennis came under particular scrutiny. New York Times critic Vincent Canby didn’t hold back in his harsh criticism of her work. He called her performance “show-offy” and “incompetent”.
It was time to take a break and focus on romance.
38. She Saw Him On TV
In 1980, Dennis was watching a PBS TV movie called Paul’s Case, and she became fascinated with the lead actor. She found out who the actor’s manager was and called him up. She said that this actor could be “the next big thing”. The manager agreed to introduce the actor to Dennis. It was Eric Roberts, Julia Roberts’ big brother.
This was no ordinary meet and greet.
39. She Had An Impressive Collection
Roberts came over to Dennis’ house in Connecticut and faced something daunting: her library of 2,500 books. This impressed the actor, who was 20 years younger than Dennis. Also impressive was her collection of cats. She told Roberts she had 30 of them roaming around the huge house.
Roberts liked both books and cats, so the two became a couple.
Marianne Barcellona, Getty Images
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40. He Crashed A Car
With his love of cats and books, Roberts fit very nicely into Dennis’ life. But in the summer of 1981 there was already trouble. Roberts got into a car with one of Dennis’ dogs, a German Shepherd. Shortly after, Roberts dramatically smashed the car into a tree. The dog was fine, but Roberts was heading to the hospital.
41. She Was Forgiving
Dennis’ boyfriend, Roberts, ended up in a 72-hour coma because of the accident. The scandalous part of the incident was that Roberts was high while he was driving. Dennis didn’t say much at the time, so we can maybe assume that she forgave him. But soon Roberts would be looking for forgiveness again.
42. Like A Cat, He Strayed
Eric Roberts later called his relationship with Sandy Dennis a “little book affair”, which seems a little too playful for a relationship that lasted four years. Well, maybe Roberts wasn’t taking this relationship that seriously. He admitted to a short dalliance with another actress while Dennis was on the road with a play. Because of this, it was a big surprise when the two announced their engagement.
Actually getting to the altar would prove to be the real challenge.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
43. She Was Stubborn
Eventually, having 30 cats in the house got to Roberts, but he had a solution. He offered to open a shelter and let Dennis keep 12 of her furry friends in the house. A stubborn Dennis wasn’t ready to give up even one of her cats. Roberts had tried to play nice.
Now he was ready to up the ante.
Donaldson Collection, Getty Images
44. She Smashed Their Relationship
Roberts told Dennis that if she wouldn’t give up some of her cats, he wanted to end their engagement. Soon, Dennis was standing at the top of their massive winding staircase. She held an antique jewelry box and her engagement ring. Instead of just the ring, she threw the entire box down the stairs, and it smashed into pieces. Dennis never saw Roberts again.
But her reputation as a cougar lived on.
45. She Joined A Club
In 1982, Sandy Dennis made Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Her co-stars were Karen Black and Cher. All three actresses seemed to like the company of younger men. Black married a man 22 years younger than her, and Cher, well… you can pick between a list of young and handsome men she’s called boyfriends.
But all was not easy on this set.
Screenshot from Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Paramount Pictures (1982)
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46. She Was Perfectly Honest
Superstar and Oscar winner Cher was new to acting when she took this role. Apparently, Dennis didn’t hold back and told Cher that she had a “bad reading” on her role in the film. Cher may have been new to acting, but she knew how to handle herself. She quickly won over the respect of Dennis.
In the end, Dennis had no business giving out advice to rising star Cher. Her own career was continuing its downward spiral.
Screenshot from Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Paramount Pictures (1982)
47. She Had Her Ups And Downs
In the 1980s, Dennis’ career was on a roller coaster ride. For every high-brow film, including Another Woman by Woody Allen, there would be a schlocky horror, like 976-EVIL. She even made an appearance on TV’s The Love Boat. This was not the usual fare for an Oscar-winning actress.
But there was a glimmer of hope.
Screenshot from 976-EVIL, Sony Pictures Entertainment (1988)
48. She Suffered On The Set
In 1990, Dennis signed on to appear in the Sean Penn-directed The Indian Runner, where she plays a mother who has terminal cancer. Sadly, while making this film, Dennis actually had cancer. Viggo Mortensen, who played her son, said that knowing she was suffering made her scenes heartbreaking. Unfortunately, Penn decided he had to cut her biggest scene from the finished film.
Sadly, The Indian Runner would be her final role.
Screenshot from The Indian Runner, Amazon MGM Studios (1991), Enhanced
49. She Went Back Home
Filming The Indian Runner took Sandy Dennis back to her home state of Nebraska. Six months after the release of the film, Dennis passed from ovarian cancer back at her home in Westport, Connecticut. After her cremation, her ashes traveled back to Nebraska, where they remain today at the Lincoln Memorial Park.
Years later, her secret came out.
Nick Number, Wikimedia Commons
50. The Truth Came Out
After making the film The Fox about two women in love, some media reported that Dennis was gay outside the film as well. The taboos against this at the time were strong. Four years after we lost Dennis, her ex, Roberts, said that when it came to romance, Dennis had two desires: she liked women, and she liked younger men.
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Sources: 1, 2,` 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
