Jennifer Grey announced that her mother Jo Wilder passed away on July 4 at the age of 94. A week earlier, Jo was diagnosed with lung cancer and “True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy.”
Jo was born as Joan Carrie Brower in Brooklyn and attended the Neighborhood Playhouse where she studied under Sanford Meisner with Steve McQueen and Peter Falk. She played Polly Peacham in the Broadway revival of Threepenny Opera (which also starred Jennifer’s future Dirty Dancing dad Jerry Orbach). After Jennifer was born, Jo returned to Broadway in the original production of She Loves Me. Jo was married to Joel Grey from 1958 until 1982. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer, her son James, and her granddaughter Stella.
