'Titanic' Co-Star Gloria Stuart Dies At 100 (2024)

Stage and film actress Gloria Stuart has died at age 100. Stuart co-starred in Titanic as Rose Calvert, the 101-year-old survivor played by Kate Winslet as a young woman. Both earned Oscar nominations, Winslet as best actress and Stuart as supporting actress.

ARI SHAPIRO, host:

This morning, we are remembering the life of an actress whose most famous role was as a survivor.

Gloria Stuart played old Rose in the movie "Titanic." At age 87, she became the oldest woman ever nominated for an Oscar. She once told NPR about the first time she saw the script.

Ms. GLORIA STUART (Actress): So, I was turning pages like this - old Rose, old Rose, old Rose. It was a great part. Oh, I could taste it halfway through. I knew it was wonderful.

SHAPIRO: The movie was framed by old Rose's memory of a romance from her youth.

(Soundbite of movie, "Titanic")

Ms. STUART: (as Rose) Titanic was called the ship of dreams - and it was. It really was.

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

Gloria Stuart's role in "Titanic" capped a movie career that stretched back to the elaborate Busby Berkeley musicals in the 1930s. But in later years, she said her heart belonged to the theater.

Ms. STUART: I didn't want to play girl reporters, girl detectives, girl lawyers, rich girl, poor girl - those parts. They were not challenging. I had been playing Chekov and Shakespeare and Pirandello and, you know, I was very snobbish.

SHAPIRO: Gloria Stuart died on Sunday at the age of 100. Her daughter says that during her long life, her mother did not believe in illness. She paid no attention to it, and it served her well.

Copyright © 2010 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

'Titanic' Co-Star Gloria Stuart Dies At 100 (2024)

FAQs

'Titanic' Co-Star Gloria Stuart Dies At 100? ›

She was 100. Stuart died of respiratory failure Sunday night at her Los Angeles home, her daughter, Sylvia Thompson, said Monday. The actress had been diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago and had beaten breast cancer about 20 years ago, Thompson said.

What was the cause of the death of Gloria Stuart? ›

Stuart died from respiratory failure at her home in Los Angeles on September 26, 2010, at age 100. Her body was cremated.

Is the old lady in Titanic still alive? ›

She is Gloria Stuart. She died in 2010 at the age of 100 years. She was on real Titanic in 1912. She was the only survivor & traveller of the real Titanic, who was alive, when the film Titanic was released in 1996.

How old was Gloria Stuart when filming Titanic? ›

At age 86, she was aged by makeup to play Rose DeWitt Bukater at age 101 in Titanic (1997). However, Stuart did not find this a pleasant experience. She was the only cast member of Titanic (1997) who was alive at the time of the actual disaster.

Who is the real life Rose Dawson? ›

The real Rose from Titanic, Beatrice Wood, led a fascinating life that features more than a few similarities to Rose. Like Rose, Beatrice was born into a privileged family which she rejected as a young adult, leaving her home and pursuing a more independent life.

How old was the old lady in Titanic? ›

The blonde actress appeared in several films during the 1930s, before retiring from acting in 1946. Stuart resumed acting in later years and at 87 became the oldest actor ever to be nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Rose Calvert, a 101-year-old Titanic survivor.

What famous woman survived the Titanic? ›

'The Unsinkable' Molly Brown

Molly Brown. She is standing regally, holding a parasol. She's probably the most famous survivor of the Titanic and there's much more to her story than making it to land after watching the ship sink to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912.

How old was the real Rose from Titanic when she died? ›

Wood watched the movie, however, saying, “It was too late in life to be sad.” She died on March 12, 1998, at age 105.

Was Rose older than Jack? ›

Born November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles, the eternally-youthful-looking DiCaprio was 23 when "Titanic" was first released in theaters in December 1997. Winslet, on the other hand, was 22 when the film premiered. Her character Rose was 17.

How old was the youngest victim of the Titanic? ›

Sidney Leslie Goodwin (9 September 1910 – 15 April 1912) was a 19-month-old English boy who died during the sinking of the RMS Titanic. In 2008, mitochondrial DNA testing by bio-anthropologist Ryan Parr and the American Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory revealed his identity.

Who is the oldest Titanic survivor? ›

Edith died on 20 January 1997 in a Southampton nursing home at the age of 100. By her bed stood a photograph of her father in a straw boater, stiff collar and bow tie. She remains one of the longest-lived Titanic survivors. Mary Davies Wilburn holds the record, having died in 1987, at the age of 104.

Was Jack's body ever found? ›

Rose would visit his grave from time to time.

Did Rose really throw the diamond in the ocean in real life? ›

The answer is no, just like the romance between Rose and Jack, the Heart of the Sea was a jewel created for the movie, but that does not mean that it is not inspired by jewels that are real and have a lot of history behind them.

How much of the Titanic movie is true? ›

Although Titanic's main story is fictional, it used the tragedy of the Rms Titanic as its basis, and as such, it also included characters based on real-life passengers of the ship, including the Titanic's richest passenger – and here's who it was.

Is Titanic a real story with Jack and Rose? ›

The Titanic real story did not include the exact characters of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt but there was some truth behind the characters. They were inspired, to an extent, by some real-life people, though Rose's inspiration has no connection to the actual Titanic.

How many children did Gloria Stuart have? ›

Stuart was born in 1910 in Santa Monica, Calif., and began acting while in college. She soon signed with Universal Studios, which was responsible for “The Old Dark House” and many other horror classics of the 1930s. Stuart is survived by a daughter, Sylvia Vaughn Thompson, four grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

How old was Gloria Henry when she died? ›

Henry died at her home in Los Angeles, on April 3, 2021, one day after her 98th birthday.

How many people died in Gloria? ›

Hurricane Gloria
Meteorological history
Highest winds145 mph (230 km/h)
Lowest pressure919 mbar (hPa); 27.14 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities14
10 more rows

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 6681

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.