Laura Hope Crews (San Francisco, December 12, 1879 - November 12, 1942 in New York City) was a character actress of movies and stage. The daughter of a stage actress and a backstage carpenter, Crews started acting at age four. Her first stage appearance was at Woodward's Garden. She stopped acting to finish school and then returned to acting in 1898.
Her most widely seen film performance was as "Aunt Pittypat" in the movie Gone with the Wind (1939).
Perhaps best remembered as Aunt Pittypat in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Interred at Cypress Lawn Cemetery, Colma, California, USA.
Her final film was an uncredited performance in Man Who Came to Dinner, The (1942).
Despite her film resume, Laura Hope Crews considered herself a theatrical actress, appearing on Broadway from 1903 in over 40 major productions, literally until the day she died. She was cast in the smash hit "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Fulton Theatre in the role of "Abby Brewster" in June, 1942. After her death that November 13th she was replaced by Patricia Collinge.
