Ann Blyth, the Hollywood actress who earned an Oscar nomination at just 17 for playing Joan Crawford's troubled daughter in the classic film *Mildred Pierce*, has died at the age of 98.
Blyth died of natural causes on Wednesday at her home in Rancho Santa Fe, California, according to her daughter, Eileen McNulty. She was surrounded by family, reports AP.
One of the last surviving stars from Hollywood's golden studio era, Blyth built a successful career in films, television and musical theatre.
She appeared alongside some of the biggest names of her time, including Bing Crosby, Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Tyrone Power.
Although she stopped making movies by the late 1950s to focus on raising her five children, she remained active in television, concerts and stage productions, including ‘Show Boat’ and ‘The Sound of Music’.
Blyth began performing as a child. At 13, she landed her first major role in the Broadway production of ‘Watch on the Rhine’, starring alongside Bette Davis.
Her performance led Universal Studios to sign her to a contract, where she first appeared in a series of low-budget musicals.
Her career changed dramatically in 1945 when Warner Bros. cast her in *Mildred Pierce*. Blyth played Veda, the selfish and manipulative daughter of Joan Crawford's title character.
The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, while Crawford won the Oscar for Best Actress.
The film became a landmark of the film noir genre and established Blyth as a talented dramatic actress after she had mainly been known for light-hearted musicals.
In 1946, Blyth suffered a serious back injury in a toboggan accident. She spent seven months in a full body cast and another seven months in a wheelchair.
She later said her Roman Catholic faith helped her recover during the difficult period.
After returning to acting, she appeared in several films, including ‘Brute Force’, ‘Killer McCoy’, ‘A Woman's Vengeance’ and ‘Another Part of the Forest’, further proving her range as a dramatic performer.
Her career took another turn in the early 1950s when she returned to musicals. She starred opposite Mario Lanza in the hit film ‘The Great Caruso’ and later appeared in ‘Rose Marie’ and ‘Kismet’ with Howard Keel.
Her other notable films included *Top o' the Morning* with Bing Crosby, *The World in His Arms* with Gregory Peck and *The Buster Keaton Story*.
Her final movie was *The Helen Morgan Story* in 1957, which also starred Paul Newman.
Born in 1928 in Mount Kisco, New York, Blyth was raised in New York City by her mother after her father left the family.
She started performing on radio at the age of five and later trained with the San Carlo Opera Company.
Blyth often credited her mother for encouraging her to continue pursuing acting despite early disappointments.
Her mother died of cancer before Blyth achieved her breakthrough success in 'Mildred Pierce'.
In 1953, Blyth married Dr. James McNulty, and the couple remained together until his death in 2007. They had five children.
A memorable moment later in her career came at the 1954 Academy Awards, when she performed the song 'Secret Love' while visibly pregnant, making a rare and historic appearance on the Oscar stage.
MSH
