Posted on 06/26/2026 6:46:22 AM PDT by lowbridge
Ann Blyth, the actress of Hollywood’s Golden Age whose breakout came in 1945’s Mildred Pierce, has died. She was 98.
The Academy Award nominee “died peacefully of natural causes” on Wednesday, according to KABC’s George Pennacchio, who noted her passing comes two months before her 99th birthday.
Born Aug. 16, 1927 in Mount Kisko, New York, Blyth began performing on children’s radio shows at age 6, before landing her first Broadway role in Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine in 1941. While touring with the show in Los Angeles, she landed a contract with Universal Studios.
-snip
Blyth is survived by her five children, whom she shared with late husband Dr. James McNulty, as well as 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
(Excerpt) Read more at deadline.com ...
Millard!
You are in for a treat. One of my favorite movies. When you watch keep in mind Ann Blythe was only 16 years old when filming the movie but convincingly portrays a teen and a young woman. An amazing performance and she goes toe to toe with seasoned actresses Joan Crawford and Eve Arden.
She received an Oscar nomination but I think she should have won.
Thanks for the great recommendation! I just bought it in HD on Amazon Prime. Queue it up for tonight or tomorrow.
Polk salad.
Check your math.
9+38=Donald Trump 😉
Memory Eternal!
Two other roles I remember her in.
Twilight Zone: Queen of the Nile, season 5, episode 23.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734616/
One Minute to Zero, with Robert Mitchum, a Korean War movie.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044997/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_1_cdt_t_25
Fun fact about Ann’s performance in Mildred Pierce:
Ann later said that in the scene when Joan Crawford’s character slaps her, she really, really slapped her HARD!
Crawford was one mean woman!
Top-rated, memorable Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Ann Blyth was a devoted participant in the pro-life movement.
A devout Roman Catholic throughout her life, she lent her public support to right-to-life causes on several occasions.
In the 1970s and 1980s, she participated in candlelight processions and led the Rosary at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood as part of events organized by the Holy Innocents Reparation Committee to protest abortions.
Her husband, Dr. James McNulty, was an outspoken opponent of abortion in California, serving on the Board of Medical Examiners and working to enforce laws against the practice in the late 1960s. The couple’s active defense of their religious and moral values also led to them being made a Lady and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre by the Catholic Church in 1973.
Thanks Ann, you gave a gift to the world.
Thanks for finding this. She looks like my mom, and my mom named me after her :) What a good example she was in real life!
I would skipped that question, taken the hit. It is wonderful to be a physics/engineering/CS kid.
wow I did not know that about Ann Blyth! Thanks for sharing!
Re “Mildred Pierce” you wrote “You are in for a treat. One of my favorite movies.”
I just finished the movie. Wow, it was really good. I did not see that ending coming at all. Thanks for the recommendation!
The ending in the book is different. Veda and Monty go off together as do Mildred and Bert.
The movie ending is much more satisfying. The movie censors at the time would not allow such a sordid situation to be rewarded so Monty and Veda got what was coming to them!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.