Jane Hoffman, 93; Actress Noted for Edward Albee Plays

Jane Hoffman, 93, a Broadway and off-Broadway actress known for her work in Edward Albee plays, died July 26 in a hospital in Woodland Hills of natural causes. She had lived in Manhattan until moving to Los Angeles recently.

A native of Seattle, Hoffman earned a bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley and studied at the Actors Studio and with private coaches in New York City. She made her stage debut as a youngster with the Henry Duffy Stock Company in Seattle and her Broadway debut in the 1940 revue “ ‘Tis of Thee.”

Hoffman performed in more than 20 Broadway shows including the original casts of such classics as Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo” and Bertolt Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children.” But her most memorable roles were as the character Mommy in both Albee’s 1960 “Sandbox” and his original production of “The American Dream” in 1961.

She was a founding member of the Ensemble Studio Theater, where she directed one-act plays.

Hoffman had guest roles in such television series as “Route 66,” “The Defenders” and “Naked City” and appeared in motion pictures including “Deconstructing Harry” and “The Day of the Locust.”