Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 1983
SEX WORKER ROLE
Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire 1992 & 1995
Emmy Nominated For Playing A Prostitute
Jessica Lange in A Streetcar Named Desire 1992 & 1995
Jessica played the role of Blanche Dubois both on Broadway and on television. Blanche, an English teacher from Laurel, Mississippi, is recovering from a nervous breakdown. She decides to travel to New Orleans to visit her sister, who is pregnant. Blanche hates her sister’s husband, Stanley, and the feeling is mutual. Stanley digs up Blanche’s past as a hooker to get her out of town. Stanley continues his investigation and uncovers additional incriminating information. Blanche did not resign from her job; rather, her firing occurred due to her involvement in sexual relations with a student. When she began working as a prostitute, most of her customers were local soldiers. This led to her expulsion from the town. Eventually, Blanche experiences another breakdown, leading to her transfer to another mental hospital. Her famous exit line is, “I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers.”
Watch clip from “A Streetcar Named Desire”
To read more about other Oscar-winning actresses playing characters working in the sex trade industry, please continue perusing Oscar Hookers