Marian Seldes

Marian Seldes was mad for the color mauve. When you visited her apartment, the flowers were always mauve. People knew it; they wouldn’t think of sending her anything else. It seemed to give her confidence and security.

I first worked with Marian in a 2007 Terrence McNally play called Deuce, in which we played former tennis partners reunited at the U.S. Open. Whatever eccentricities she had for color preference, she was an extraordinary tour de force onstage.

She lived and breathed the theater. Elected to the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1995, she had several great successes, among them Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women. Not only was she a revered actress; she was also a teacher at Juilliard, adored by her young students.

I remember on the first night of Deuce, I gave her a mauve necklace that was amethyst. She loved it. And she wore it, and wore it, and wore it.

Lansbury is a Golden Globe– and Tony Award–winning actress