Best supporting actress

I watched Jane Darwell's last performance, in a non speaking role as the bird lady in Mary Poppins (1964), last night on Youtube, and found myself incredibly moved by a certain something in her all too brief scene. John Ford captured a similar character trait" in her portrayal of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940); a world weariness underpinned by a dignity, strength and integrity only a woman that has seen and experienced true hardship would possess. Darwell seemed never to mind being filmed in every unflattering type way. Under lit, huge shadows exaggerating her sagging face and piggy tired eyes, she always retained a certain deep humour and maternal power and thus became everyones' favourite mother,grandmother and aunt.
Alongside Fernanda Montenegro (Central do Brasil (1998) ,Patricia Clarkson (The Station Agent (2003) and Thelma Ritter (in anything) she is one of my favourite character actors.