Cora Witherspoon, a delightfully irksome and viper-tongued presence, began her five-decade-long acting career in New York in 1910, playing an elderly lady in the production of "The Concert" at the tender age of 20. Born in 1890, this brown-haired, Louisiana-born character player went on to become a generally unsympathetic audience favorite on the Broadway stage, appearing in popular shows such as "Daddy Long Legs," "Lilies of the Field," and "The Awful Truth" over the next two decades.
As she continued to hone her craft, Witherspoon began to divide her time between theater and film in the early 1930s, wreaking havoc and rattling the nerves of many a male and female star with her imperious gallery of class-conscious matrons, haranguing wives, acidulous spinsters, and aggressive busybodies. She made notable film contributions, playing cryptic socialites in the quality comedies "Libeled Lady" (1936) and "Personal Property" (1937),both starring Jean Harlow.
Witherspoon's dramatic range was equally impressive, as she played unpleasant characters in films such as "Dark Victory" (1939). She also played her patented society snoot to perfection in the Shirley Temple vehicle "Just Around the Corner" (1938). A particular standout, and the movie role she is probably best remembered for, was her untidy, henpecking wife Agatha Sousé in the comedy classic "The Bank Dick" (1940),the prime source of W.C. Fields' misery.
Although her home base was in New York City, where she continued to perform in the theater, Witherspoon made her living commuting to Hollywood in the post-war years, ending her career with brief appearances on TV. She passed away in 1957 at the age of 67 in New Mexico.
