Lois De Banzie, a veteran actress of the screen and the stage whose body of work includesAnnie,Sister Act, andAddams Family Values, has sadly passed away.Lois De Banziedied on April 3 in Greenbrae, California, though word of her passing was announced by her family on Monday. A cause of death was not revealed. She was 90 years old.
“Lois was proud to have made a career as an actress on stage, screen, and television,” her obituary reads. “Her most notable stage performance was inMorning’s at Seven, for which she received a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award nomination. Among her diverse screen roles were performances inAnnie,Dunston Checks In, andSudden Impact. Her wit and humor will be much missed.”
The niece of British actress Brenda De Banzie (Hobson’s Choice), De Banzie was born on June 21, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. She might be best known for her Broadway work, which includes a Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning performance in Paul Osborn’sMorning’s at Seven. Some of her other acclaimed stage performances include roles inThe Octette Bridge Club,Da, andThe Last of Mrs. Lincoln.
Meanwhile, De Banzie can also be remembered for her role asEleanor Rooseveltin the 1982 movie adaptation of the musicalAnnie. That same year, she also played an autograph hound inTootsie, following this up with a role as a judge in theDirty HarrymovieSudden Impact. Continuing to act in Hollywood through the mid 1990s, De Banzie also would appear inArachnophobia,Sister Act,Addams Family Values, andThe Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult.
In her final movie role De Banzie played Mrs. Winthrop in the 1996 comedyDunston Checks In. With a cast that also included Eric Lloyd, Jason Alexander, Gaye Dunaway, and Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens, the movie is set at an elegant hotel where one guest’s unruly orangutan checks in, much to the chagrin of the concierge. The comedy was written by John Hopkins and Bruce Graham and directed by Ken Kwapis.
De Banzie’s work as an actress also includes a variety of appearances on various TV shows. This includes parts in shows likeHome Improvement,Taxi,Cheers,Mama’s Family,Bodies of Evidence,Who’s the Boss?,Family Ties, andMatlock. De Banzie also played a maid in a recurring role on the seriesGenerations. Some of the TV movies to feature De Banzie in other roles includePerry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter,Where Are My Children?, andScandal Sheet.
Amazing Stories, theanthology TV series created by Steven Spielbergthat aired on NBC in the 1980s, also featured De Banzie in a memorable episode. In the episode, titled “Gather Ye Acorns,” De Banzie starred oppositeStar Warslegend Mark Hamill. It follows a child who becomes a hoarder after he’s visited by a troll and is told to never throw away anything. It’s certainly a bizarre story, but it made a big impact on viewers at the time.
Information on the actress’s family was not immediately made available, but we offer our condolences to de Banzie’s family and friends at this time. May sherest in peaceas her memory continues to live on through those who loved her. This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter.
