Kitty Winn - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Katherine Tupper ("Kitty") Winn was born in Washington, D.C. As the daughter of an army officer she traveled widely during much of her childhood, including, time spent in United States, England, Germany, China, India and Japan. She is also the step-granddaughter of U.S. Army General George Marshall.

Her career has spanned a wide range of drama productions on stage, in motion pictures and on television. She studied acting at Centenary Junior College and Boston University, graduating from the latter in 1966. During her college years Winn acted in student productions at Centenary Junior College, Boston University, and Harvard College and summer stock for two summers at The Priscilla Beach Theatre south of Boston. Shortly after college she joined the company at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco where she remained for four years under the artistic direction of William Ball.

In the fall of 1970 Kitty left American Conservatory Theater to play opposite Al Pacino in the film "Panic in Needle Park" for which she won the Best Actress award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. Although she went on to do several more films, such as "The Exorcist," she always returned to her great love, the theatre.

Kitty retired in 1978 but returned to play Cordelia in "The Tragedy of King Lear" for KCET in 1983. She did not return to the stage again until 2011 when she played the lead in "The Last Romance" at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. For this performance she was nominated for a best actress award by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.