She spent years ironing shirts for actors in between shows just to earn a place to sleep. At times, she couldn’t even afford a subway token and walked for miles to get to auditions. Her journey didn’t begin in front of the camera, but backstage, off-script, and well out of the spotlight.
She didn’t grow up with beauty routines or compliments about her appearance. In her household, modesty and discipline came first, and anything that hinted at vanity was quietly shut down. Makeup was off-limits, and words like “pretty” weren’t part of the family vocabulary.
Even as she pursued performance, her focus remained on the work, not how she was perceived. She would eventually become one of the most admired women in her field. She was raised in Charleston, West Virginia, in a household where modesty and discipline shaped every part of daily life.