Hollywood Golden Age star Ann Blyth dies at 98

Veteran Hollywood actress Ann Blyth, best known for her Oscar-nominated role in the 1945 classic Mildred Pierce, has died at the age of 98.

Her death was announced by KABC entertainment reporter George Pennachio, who said she passed away on Wednesday, June 24, from natural causes.

Blyth, one of the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age, died just two months before her 99th birthday.

The late actress began her career as a child performer on radio in the 1930s before moving into theatre and later film.

She became widely known for playing Veda Pierce, the spoilt and ambitious daughter of Joan Crawford’s character in *Mildred Pierce*.

The Michael Curtiz-directed film became one of the defining dramas of the 1940s and earned Blyth an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Blyth was only 16 when she took on the role, which became the most famous performance of her career.

The film received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Joan Crawford won the film’s only Academy Award for her performance.

Blyth later credited Crawford with helping her secure the role after the Hollywood legend personally acted opposite her during the audition.

She once said Crawford’s decision to test with her made “a world of difference,” adding that stars of Crawford’s status rarely did such things at the time.

Beyond Mildred Pierce, Blyth also appeared in Brute Force in 1947, starring opposite Burt Lancaster in the gritty crime drama.

Born in Mount Kisco, New York, in 1927, Blyth entered entertainment at a very young age.

By the age of five, she was already performing on children’s radio programmes.

She made her Broadway debut in 1941 in Lillian Hellman’s Watch On The Rhine, a role that helped open the door to Hollywood and a contract with Universal Studios.

Blyth was also known for her strong soprano voice, which made her a favourite for Hollywood musicals in the 1950s.

Her musical credits included The Great Caruso, Kismet, Rose Marie and The Student Prince.

She later appeared in biographical films such as The Buster Keaton Story and The Helen Morgan Story.

After the poor reception of those films, Blyth stepped away from cinema and focused more on theatre and television.

She went on to appear in stage productions including The King And I, The Sound Of Music and Show Boat.

On television, she featured in popular shows such as Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote.

Blyth was married to Los Angeles obstetrician James McNulty for more than 50 years.

The couple married in 1953 and had five children: Timothy, Maureen, Kathleen, Terence and Eileen.

McNulty died in 2007 at the age of 89.

Blyth is survived by her children.