‘Mary Poppins’ Legend Glynis Johns Says Turning 100 “Doesn’t Make Any Difference”

Age is just a number and no one holds that tenet closer to their heart than Glynis Johns, one of the last stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the classical years of British cinema alike. Her resume spans 60 films, 30 plays, and 80 years of work, including an iconic role in Mary Poppins – and as of October 5, Glynis has 100 years under her belt. But it’s that last one she regards with little more than an indifferent shrug.

With a career almost as long as her vivacious life, Glynis is reflecting on a work ethic that has seen her engage in projects for as long as she can remember. It got to the point that she outpaced what her doctors recommended – and even then it took some persuading for her to slow it down. So, what does ten decades mean to Glynis Johns?

Glynis Johns would have kept working and working

It’s remarkable enough that Johns has seen a century come and go in this world. But on top of that, she kept herself busy as long as possible and even today sports the same sharp wit that served her well on the big screen.

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“I’ve been working at something ever since I was born I think,” she mused, speaking with ABC7 on her prosperous career, which began in 1923 – sure enough, the year she was born – and only ended in ’99, when she was in her late seventies; now consider, her late seventies are three decades behind her!

Her theatre performances have earned Glynis, among other accolades, a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. Some of her on-stage credits include Peter Pan and A Little Night Music. The latter would be one of her final theatrical credits. “I’ve been doing songs from the show off and on through the years. So I’ve never really been away,” she noted in ’91.

Glynis Johns directs all that energy toward enjoying a full life after turning 100

A Coffin in Egypt would be the actress’s final credit on stage, appearing in the Bay Street Theatre production in ’98. Things might have kept going at the same unstoppable momentum, “But my doctors were advising that I not work for a couple of months–that I needed to relax, take it easy, do physiotherapy for my dental problems.”

Slowing things down and focusing on relaxation wasn’t just a piece of advice for her age. For much of her life, Glynis had been plagued by severe migraines, and in ’55 she shared, “Only recently have I learned how to relax. And since I have, the migraine headaches which have plagued me for years have disappeared.”

In ’73, Glynis was rushed to the hospital for an intestinal infection. That was days before the opening night of A Little Night Music and it was anticipated Tammy Grimes would fill the lead role instead. But the big debut was delayed and after just two days, Glynis rejoined the show, to the shock of the crew and her doctors. She vowed, “I was not going to have anybody else sing my songs.”

When it came time to actually listen to her doctors, Glynis realized she had a choice to make. “More specifically,” she elaborated, “I had to make the decision about whether I wanted to come back playing another role: to hear somebody else eight performances a week, doing something that I was used to doing.”

These days, Glynis, now 100, spends her days at Belmont Village Hollywood Heights, a senior living community near the Hollywood Bowl. When asked about making it to this monumental milestone of 100 years, Glynis simply said, “It doesn’t make any difference to me. Well, I looked very good for every age.”