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 Her death, which followed a prolonged illness, was announced
by her brother, Timothy Seldes, in a statement issued through a
longtime publicist, Sam Rudy.
In a career spanning six decades, Seldes performed in film,
television and radio but was most celebrated for her theater
work, making her Broadway debut in 1948 in the Robinson Jeffers
adaptation of "Medea," directed by John Gielgud and starring
Judith Anderson in the title role.
Seldes earned five Tony nominations, winning the award her first
time out in 1967 for her supporting role in "A Delicate Balance"
by the playwright Edward Albee, with whom she had a long
association. She also appeared in productions of Albee's "The
Play About the Baby," "Tiny Alice," "Counting the Ways" and
"Three Tall Women."
She received a Tony Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 honoring
her contribution to the theater. Taking the stage to accept the
accolade, she famously placed her hand over her heart, gazed out
at the audience of stage luminaries and exited without uttering
a word.
She later explained, "They said to keep it short, so I decided I
would just say nothing."
Seldes' influence on American theater and the world of
entertainment at large extended to her work as a renowned acting
teacher at the Juilliard School, and later as an adjunct
professor at Fordham University.
Among her better-known students were such stars as Kevin Kline,
Laura Linney, William Hurt, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Reeve,
Kevin Spacey, Patti Lupone, Viola Davis and Robin Williams.
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 Born and raised in Manhattan, Seldes secured a place in the
Guinness World Records book, and in Broadway lore, for appearing
in Ira Levin's "Deathtrap" from 1978 until late 1982 without
missing a single show.
The comedy-thriller play within a play also earned Seldes a Tony
nomination in 1978, her third, following a nod for "Father's Day."
Other notable stage acting credits include "Equus," "Painting
Churches," "the Chalk Garden," and Tony-nominated turns in "Ring
Around the Moon" and a revival of "Dinner at Eight."
Her final appearance on Broadway was in the 2007 in Terrence
McNally's "Deuce."
Seldes also boasted roughly 20 feature film credits, mostly smaller
roles in the latter part of her career, and numerous guest
television appearances on shows ranging from "Gunsmoke" and "Perry
Mason" to "Murphy Brown," "Sex and the City" and "Frasier."
(Corrects spelling to Grammer in paragraph 8)
(Reporting by Alicia Powell in New York; Additional reporting and
writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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