Jane darwell actress: 59 Photos

She made over 200 films. Her last, Mary Poppins (1964), was made at the express request of Walt Disney; she had retired and was living at the Motion Picture Country Home and Disney came out personally to ask her to appear in the film, after which she went back into retirement.

The Bird Woman is a minor character in Mary Poppins. She is played by Jane Darwell. The Bird Woman is an elderly lady who feeds breadcrumbs to hungry pigeons, and sells bags of breadcrumbs to the citizens of London on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral.

Henry Fonda stars and Jane Darwell won a Supporting Actress Oscar as Ma Joad, the soft-spoken, determined matriarch of the clan.

The Joad clan, introduced to the world in John Steinbecks iconic novel, is looking for a better life in California. After their drought-ridden farm is seized by the bank, the family -- led by just-paroled son Tom (Henry Fonda) -- loads up a truck and heads West. On the road, beset by hardships, the Joads meet dozens of other families making the same trek and holding onto the same dream. Once in California, however, the Joads soon realize that the promised land isnt quite what they hoped.The Grapes of Wrath / Film synopsis

Background. Bert is a jack-of-all-trades who speaks with a Cockney accent. He never stays with one trade too long and adapts to current conditions. He is a long time friend of Mary Poppins, though their relationship is noted to be strictly platonic (but there are hints to suggest a more romantic interest between them).