Editing Teresa Wright (section)

==Acting career==
{{multiple image
<!-- Essential parameters -->
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| width     = 260
<!-- Image 1 -->
| image1    = Greer teresa pidgeon miniverpic.jpg
| alt1      =
| caption1  = Wright, [[Walter Pidgeon]] and [[Greer Garson]] in ''[[Mrs. Miniver]]'' (1942)
<!-- Image 2 -->
| image2    =Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten in Shadow of a Doubt trailer.png
| alt2      =
| caption2  = Wright and [[Joseph Cotten]] in Alfred Hitchcock's ''[[Shadow of a Doubt]]'' (1943)
<!-- Image 3 -->
| image3    =Best Years of Our Lives.jpg
| alt3      =
| caption3  = Publicity photo for ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' (1946); [[Hoagy Carmichael]] seated at piano and (standing from left) [[Fredric March]], [[Myrna Loy]], [[Dana Andrews]], and Wright
}}
In autumn 1939, Wright began a two-year appearance in the stage play ''[[Life with Father]]'', playing the role of Mary Skinner. It was there that she was discovered by [[Samuel Goldwyn]], who came to see her in the show she had been appearing in for almost a year. Goldwyn would later recall his first encounter with her backstage:

{{blockquote|Miss Wright was seated at her dressing table, and looked for all the world like a little girl experimenting with her mother's cosmetics. I had discovered in her from the first sight, you might say, an unaffected genuineness and appeal.<ref name="independent-vallance"/>}}

Goldwyn immediately hired the young actress for the role of [[Bette Davis]]' daughter in the [[1941 in film|1941 adaptation]] of [[Lillian Hellman]]'s ''[[The Little Foxes]]'', signing her to a five-year Hollywood contract with the Goldwyn Studios. Asserting her seriousness as an actress, Wright insisted her contract contain unique clauses by Hollywood standards:

{{blockquote|The aforementioned Teresa Wright shall not be required to pose for photographs in a bathing suit unless she is in the water. Neither may she be photographed running on the beach with her hair flying in the wind. Nor may she pose in any of the following situations: In shorts, playing with a cocker spaniel; digging in a garden; whipping up a meal; attired in firecrackers and holding skyrockets for the Fourth of July; looking insinuatingly at a turkey for Thanksgiving; wearing a bunny cap with long ears for Easter; twinkling on prop snow in a skiing outfit while a fan blows her scarf; assuming an athletic stance while pretending to hit something with a bow and arrow.<ref name="guardian-bergan"/>}}

In 1941, Wright was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her film début in ''[[The Little Foxes (film)|The Little Foxes]]''. The following year, she was nominated again, this time for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'', in which she played opposite [[Gary Cooper]] as the wife of [[Lou Gehrig]]. The same year, she won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] as the daughter-in-law of [[Greer Garson]]'s character in ''[[Mrs. Miniver]]''. Wright is the first of only nine actors who have been nominated in both categories in the same year.<ref name="independent-vallance"/><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39420048/the_poststandard/| title=The Star Nobody Knows| newspaper=The Post-Standard| date=March 30, 1947| location=Syracuse, New York| page=32}}</ref> Her three Academy Award nominations and one Academy Award in her first three films is unique.<ref name="latimes-oliver"/> She remains the only performer to have received Academy Award nominations for her first three films.<ref name="altfilm-soares"/>

In 1943, Wright appeared in the acclaimed [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] film ''[[Shadow of a Doubt]]'', directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]], playing a young woman who discovers her beloved uncle (played by [[Joseph Cotten]]) is a serial murderer. Hitchcock thought Wright was one of the more intelligent actors he had worked with, and through his direction, he brought out her vivacity, warmth, and youthful idealism—characteristics uncommon in Hitchcock's heroines.<ref name="guardian-bergan"/> In 1946, Wright delivered another notable performance in [[William Wyler]]'s ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'', an award-winning film about the adjustments of servicemen returning home after World War II. Critic [[James Agee]] praised her performance in ''The Nation'':

{{blockquote|This new performance of hers, entirely lacking in big scenes, tricks, or obstreperousness—one can hardly think of it as acting—seems to me one of the wisest and most beautiful pieces of work I have seen in years. If the picture had none of the hundreds of other things it has to recommend it, I could watch it a dozen times over for that personality and its mastery alone.<ref name="reel-classics-tw"/>}}

Four years later, she would appear in another story of war veterans, [[Fred Zinnemann]]'s ''[[The Men (1950 film)|The Men]]'' (1950), which starred [[Marlon Brando]] in his film debut.<ref name="guardian-bergan"/> In 1947, Wright appeared in the western ''[[Pursued]]'' opposite [[Robert Mitchum]]. The moody "Freudian western" was written by her first husband [[Niven Busch]]. The following year, she starred in ''[[Enchantment (1948 film)|Enchantment]]'', a story of two generations of lovers in parallel romances. Wright received glowing reviews for her performance. ''Newsweek'' commented: "Miss Wright, one of the screen's finest, glows as the Cinderella who captivated three men." And ''The New York Times'' concluded: "Teresa Wright plays with that breathless, bright-eyed rapture which she so remarkably commands."<ref name="independent-vallance"/>

In December 1948, after rebelling against the [[studio system]] that brought her fame, Wright had a public falling out with Samuel Goldwyn, which resulted in the cancellation of Wright's contract with his studio. In a statement published in ''The New York Times'', Goldwyn cited as reasons her refusal to publicize the film ''Enchantment'', and her being "uncooperative" and refusing to "follow reasonable instructions".<ref name="reel-classics-tw"/> In her written response, Wright denied Goldwyn's charges and expressed no regret over losing her $5,000 per week contract.
{{blockquote|I would like to say that I never refused to perform the services required of me; I was unable to perform them because of ill health. I accept Mr. Goldwyn's termination of my contract without protest—in fact, with relief. The types of contracts standardized in the motion picture industry between players and producers are archaic in form and absurd in concept. I am determined never to set my name to another one ... I have worked for Mr. Goldwyn seven years because I consider him a great producer, and he has paid me well, but in the future I shall gladly work for less if by doing so I can retain my hold upon the common decencies without which the most glorified job becomes intolerable.<ref name="reel-classics-tw"/><ref name="legacy-two"/>}}

Years later, in an interview with ''The New York Post'', Wright recalled: "I was going to be [[Joan of Arc]], and all I proved was that I was an actress who would work for less money." For her next film, ''[[The Men (1950 film)|The Men]]'' (1950), instead of the $125,000 she had once commanded, she received $20,000.<ref name="nytimes-martin"/>

[[File:The Capture (1950) 1.jpg|thumb|right|Wright and [[Lew Ayres]] in ''[[The Capture (film)|The Capture]]'' (1950)]]
In the 1950s, Wright appeared in several unsuccessful films, including ''[[The Capture (film)|The Capture]]'' (1950), ''[[Something to Live For (film)|Something to Live For]]'' (1952), ''[[California Conquest]]'' (1952), ''[[The Steel Trap]]'' (1952), ''[[Count the Hours]]'' (1953), ''[[The Actress]]'' (1953) and ''[[Track of the Cat (film)|Track of the Cat]]'' (1954), opposite [[Robert Mitchum]] again.{{cn|date=September 2023}} Despite the poor box-office showing of these films, Wright was usually praised for her performances.<ref name="independent-vallance"/> Toward the end of the decade, Wright began to work more frequently in television and theatre. She received [[Emmy Award]] nominations for her performances in the ''Playhouse 90'' original television version of ''The Miracle Worker'' (1957) and in the Breck Sunday Showcase feature ''The Margaret Bourke-White Story'' (1960).{{cn|date=September 2023}} In 1955 she played Doris Walker in ''[[The 20th Century-Fox Hour]]'' remake of the 1947 movie ''[[Miracle on 34th Street]]'', opposite [[MacDonald Carey]] and [[Thomas Mitchell (actor)|Thomas Mitchell]]. In 1957, she starred on Broadway in ''[[The Dark at the Top of the Stairs]]'' by [[William Inge]]. Directed by [[Elia Kazan]], it ran for 468 performances.

On February 8, 1960, Wright was inducted to the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] with two stars: one for motion pictures at 1658 Vine Street, and one for television at 6405 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref name="walk-of-fame"/>

In the 1960s, Wright returned to the New York stage appearing in three plays: ''[[Mary, Mary (play)|Mary, Mary]]'' (1962) at the Helen Hayes Theatre in the role of Mary McKellaway, ''I Never Sang for My Father'' (1968) at the Longacre Theatre in the role of Alice, and ''Who's Happy Now?'' (1969) at the Village South Theatre in the role of Mary Hallen. During this period, she toured throughout the United States in stage productions of ''Mary, Mary'' (1962), ''[[Tchin-Tchin]]'' (1963) in the role of Pamela Pew-Picket, and ''[[The Locksmith (play)|The Locksmith]]'' (1965) in the role of Katherine Butler Hathaway. In addition to her stage work, Wright made numerous television appearances throughout the decade, including episodes for ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' (1964) on CBS, ''[[Bonanza]]'' (1964) on NBC, ''[[The Defenders (1961 TV series)|The Defenders]]'' (1964, 1965) on CBS and ''[[CBS Playhouse]]'' (1969).{{cn|date=September 2023}}
 
In 1975, Wright appeared in the Broadway revival of ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'', and in 1980, appeared in the revival of ''[[Morning's at Seven]]'', for which she won a [[Drama Desk Award]] as a member of the Outstanding Ensemble Performance. 

She appeared on ''The Love Boat'' S6 E11 "A Christmas Presence" as Sister Regina, who foils a con man's scheme to smuggle stolen gold molded as a painted creche scene. The episode aired on 12/18/1982. In 1989, she received her third Emmy Award nomination for her performance in the CBS drama series ''[[Dolphin Cove (TV series)|Dolphin Cove]]''.{{cn|date=September 2023}} She also appeared in ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' in the episode "Mr. Penroy's Vacation". Her last television role was in an episode of the CBS drama series ''[[Picket Fences]]'' in 1996.{{Citation needed |date=March 2020}}

Wright's later film appearances included a major role in ''[[Somewhere in Time (film)|Somewhere in Time]]'' (1980), the grandmother in ''[[The Good Mother (1988 film)|The Good Mother]]'' (1988) with [[Diane Keaton]], and her final role as Miss Birdie in [[John Grisham]]'s ''[[The Rainmaker (1997 film)|The Rainmaker]]'' (1997), directed by [[Francis Ford Coppola]].