Ann Blyth has died at the age of 98

Yesterday we lost Ann Blyth, who died of natural causes at the age of 98.

A versatile singer and actress, Blyth brought a singular beauty, elegance, intelligence, and quiet magnetism to the screen. She could be chillingly cruel or warmly compassionate, moving effortlessly between villainesses, heroines, and romantic leads. She shone in musicals like "The Great Caruso", "Kismet", "Rose Marie", "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid", and her final film, "The Helen Morgan Story", and remains most remembered for her unforgettable, Academy Award-nominated performance as the manipulative and ungrateful daughter "Veda" opposite Joan Crawford in "Mildred Pierce".

Blyth's career began on radio at just six years old, and she continued n radio for the next six years while still in elementary school. At thirteen, she was summoned to her principal's office to audition for the original Broadway production of "Watch on the Rhine”, won the role, and while touring with the production in Los Angeles, was discovered by Universal Studios. It was the beginning of a screen career that would span more than four decades, from 1944's "Chip Off the Old Block" to a 1985 episode of "Murder, She Wrote", encompassing thirty-two films and sixteen television appearances along the way.

Blyth was one of the last living stars from Hollywood's Golden Age. With her passing, the great Hollywood Studio Era feels a little farther away, with another precious link to that extraordinary time now gone. Fortunately, the magic of cinema allows her performances to still sparkle, still move, and still remind us why audiences fell in love with her in the first place. You can read more about the life and career of Ann Blyth in my posts on "Mildred Pierce" and "Brute Force". Simply click on the film titles to open the articles.