Biography:

Anne Marie Blythe (August 16, 1927 – June 24, 2026), known professionally as Ann Blyth, was an American actress and singer. She began her career in radio as a child before transitioning to Broadway, where she appeared in Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine (1941–42). Blyth signed with Universal Studios in the 1940s and made her film debut in Chip Off the Old Block (1944), followed by a series of musical comedies. Her breakout role came in Mildred Pierce (1945), where she played the scheming Veda Pierce, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Blyth worked extensively in film throughout the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in notable films such as Brute Force (1947), The Great Caruso (1951), and The King’s Thief (1955). After transitioning to theater and television in the late 1950s, she starred in productions such as The King and I and appeared on shows like The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote. Blyth retired from acting in 1985. She was one of the last surviving stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Early life

Anne Marie Blythe (she later dropped the “e” from her first and last names) was born in Mount Kisco, New York, on August 16, 1927 or 1928[1], as some sources purport. After her father left the family, Anne, her elder sister Dorothy, and their mother moved to a walk-up apartment on East 31st Street in New York City, where her mother took up ironing.[2]

Career

Watch on the Rhine

Blyth performed on children’s radio shows in New York for six years, making her first appearance when she was five.[3][4] When she was nine, she joined the New York Children’s Opera Company.[5]

Blyth’s first acting role was on Broadway in Lillian Hellman‘s Watch on the Rhine (1941-42). She played the part of Paul Lukas‘s daughter, Babette. The play ran for 378 performances,[6] and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. After the New York run, the play went on tour, and while performing at the Biltmore Theatre Los Angeles, Blyth was offered a contract with Universal Studios.[5]

Credits: