Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward was born on February 27, 1930, in Thomasville, Georgia, to Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward and Wade Woodward. She was raised in a modest household with her older brother, Wade Jr., who would later become an architect. Her mother, Elinor, was a movie buff and often took Joanne to picture shows.
Thomasville was a small town in southern Georgia, where Joanne was born during the Great Depression. Her father was an administrator in the local school system, and the family was raised Episcopalian. Joanne's mother saw her daughter's passion for acting and was thrilled when Joanne decided to pursue it.
Joanne entered and won many Georgia beauty contests in her teens, but she saw them as a stepping stone towards her dream of becoming an actress. She enrolled in Louisiana State University, majoring in drama, and later studied acting with Sanford Meisner in New York.
Joanne's breakthrough came when she was introduced to Paul Newman by her agent. They began working together on stage and screen, and their careers took off. Joanne won the Best Actress Oscar for The Three Faces of Eve in 1957, and she married Paul in Las Vegas in 1958.
The couple had three children: Elinor Teresa Newman, Melissa Steward Newman, and Claire Olivia Newman. Joanne continued to work in theater, film, and television, and she was involved in various charities and ballet performances. In 2003, she starred in a movie with Paul on HBO.
Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward was a talented actress who had a long and successful career in Hollywood. She was born on February 27, 1930, in Thomasville, Georgia, to Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward and Wade Woodward.
