<P> Jane Darwell ( born Patti Woodard , October 15 , 1879 -- August 13 , 1967 ) was an American actress of stage , film , and television . With appearances in more than one hundred major motion pictures spanning half a century , Darwell is perhaps best - remembered for her poignant portrayal of the matriarch and leader of the Joad family in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck 's The Grapes of Wrath , for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress , and her role as the Bird Woman in Disney 's musical family film , Mary Poppins . Darwell has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . </P>
<P> Jane Darwell ( born Patti Woodard , October 15 , 1879 -- August 13 , 1967 ) was an American actress of stage , film , and television . With appearances in more than one hundred major motion pictures spanning half a century , Darwell is perhaps best - remembered for her poignant portrayal of the matriarch and leader of the Joad family in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck 's The Grapes of Wrath , for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress , and her role as the Bird Woman in Disney 's musical family film , Mary Poppins . Darwell has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . </P>
who was the bird woman in mary poppins
who was the bird woman in mary poppins
Jane Darwell
Jane Darwell