Who is Thomas Forwood? Glynis Johns' grandson revealed how Mary Poppins actress secretly suffered strange fright despite being a star

Thomas Forwood, the grandson of the late actress Glynis Johns, who died on January 4, 2024, claimed that his grandmother struggled with "crippling stage fright" a challenge she never overcame, which "makes her career even more remarkable."

In an interview given to the Express in 2023, Thomas Forwood, a writer and director, said:

"She [Johns] came across as supremely confident, but in private she suffered quite crippling stage fright that she never really got over – only managed – so that makes her career even more remarkable.”

Glynis Johns had an illustrious acting career that spanned several decades - performing on both stage and screen. She received several accolades for her performances, including a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. Blessed with a uniquely husky singing voice, she was most famous for her musical roles in Mary Poppins and A Little Night Music.

Tragically, Glynis Johns passed away in an assisted living facility in Los Angeles due to natural causes on Thursday, January 4, just three months after her 100th birthday. She is survived by her grandson, Thomas Forwood, and her three grandchildren.

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Thomas Forwood is a Paris-based screenwriter

Thomas Forwood was born on March 25, 1974, in Wimbledon, to parents Gareth Forwood and Veronique Lecoq. His mother was a French national.

Thomas comes from a long line of actors spanning five generations. According to Dicy Trends, Thomas Forwood's father's matrilineal great-grandmother had inherited a production company from her father. Gareth Forwood was the fifth generation of actors on his mother's side.

Both of Thomas Forwood's grandparents, Anthony Forwood and Glynis Johns, were actors. His father Gareth Forwood, who passed away from cancer in 2007, was also an actor.

According to IMDb, Thomas Forwood is a writer and director known for his work in Courts mais GAY: Tome 12 (2006), Le moment venu (2006), and Crash of the Century (2005).

Thomas Forwood, aged 48, currently resides in Paris and has three children.

In a statement to the Express about his grandmother, Thomas Forwood said:

“It was strange growing up and saying to my friends, ‘Oh my grandma was in Batman’. Or seeing her in Mary Poppins. But I’m immensely proud of her."

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Glynis Johns unofficially held the role of the "world’s oldest living screen star" till her death

According to the Express, Glynis Johns unofficially held the role of the "world’s oldest living screen star" till her death. Speaking of his grandmother's decades-long career, Thomas Forwood said:

“My grandmother had the most incredible career over many decades and produced this vast body of work. There’s so much of it. I’ve only seen a fraction of it myself. But I’m immensely proud of her."

From her earliest days, Glynis Johns was embraced by the spotlight. As per The Express, she first performed as a baby on a London stage in 1923, introduced to the theater world by her grandmother when she was just a few weeks old.

Johns was born into a family of actors. Her parents were on tour in South Africa, where she was born on October 5, 1923. Her early proclivity for dancing and acting paved the way for her in Hollywood.

As per BBC, her first onscreen role was a mermaid in Miranda, making her a star in the eyes of the British. She was later nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the 1960 film The Sundowners.

She also won a Tony Award for her performance as Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical A Little Night Music. Sondheim reportedly wrote the song Send In The Clowns for Johns' unique voice.

In an interview with AP News, she said:

"I always said that Send In The Clowns was the best gift I was ever given."

But, of course, her most famous role was that of the Banks family matriarch and suffragette member, Winifred Banks, in the iconic Disney movie Mary Poppins, which won five Academy Awards in 1965.

While the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, sung by Julie Andrews who played the titular character in Mary Poppins, was the movie's fan favorite, Sister Suffragette, performed by Glynis Johns, is equally well-loved.

Johns's last acting role was in the 1999 film Superstar. Following her retirement, she moved to America for a quiet life. Speaking to the Express, her grandson Thomas Forwood said:

“She lives in a retirement home in Beverly Hills and stepped back from public life entirely a decade or so ago and now lives very quietly."

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As mentioned earlier, Johns lived in an assisted living facility in LA till her death on Thursday. According to BBC, she will reportedly be buried beside her father, actor Mervyn Johns, in the UK.