Elizabeth Wilson, Dustin Hoffman’s Mother in ‘The Graduate,’ Dies at 94

Elizabeth Wilson, best known for her role as Dustin Hoffman’s mother in the 1967 film The Graduate, died on Thursday at a hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. She was 94. According to a report fr...
Elizabeth Wilson, Dustin Hoffman’s Mother in ‘The Graduate,’ Dies at 94
Written by Kimberly Ripley
  • Elizabeth Wilson, best known for her role as Dustin Hoffman’s mother in the 1967 film The Graduate, died on Thursday at a hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. She was 94.

    According to a report from the Washington Post, Elizabeth Wilson starred in later years in the film Nine to Five, alongside actors Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Dabney Coleman.

    A family spokesperson confirmed Wilson’s passing.

    Last July, during an interview with the Hartford Courant, Elizabeth Wilson summed up her many years as an actress.

    “I had no desire to be a star,” she said. “I wanted to be a character actress and be able to do all kinds of parts and work on a lot of things. That was my unconscious choice. I wanted to be an undercover actress.”

    Wilson purchased a home in Branford, Connecticut back in 1988, while working at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven.

    Elizabeth Welter Wilson was born on April 4, 1921, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and made her film debut in an uncredited appearance as part of a party scene in the Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious back in 1946.

    She appeared in another of Alfred Hitchcock’s films–The Birds–in 1963, in which she played an innkeeper’s wife.

    Did you see Elizabeth Wilson when she played Benjamin Braddock’s (Dustin Hoffman’s character) mother in The Graduate? She will likely be forever remembered for that role.

    Get the WebProNews newsletter delivered to your inbox

    Get the free daily newsletter read by decision makers

    Subscribe
    Advertise with Us

    Ready to get started?

    Get our media kit