Ann Blyth, celebrated for her Oscar-nominated performance as Joan Crawford’s deceitful and malicious daughter in the iconic 1945 melodrama “Mildred Pierce,” passed away on Wednesday at the age of 98, according to media reports. Blyth’s remarkable career spanned across diverse genres during Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Blyth, who originally trained as an opera singer, showcased her versatility in film musicals, intense dramas, and even comedies, such as her role as a mermaid in a farce. Reports indicate she died of natural causes.
Throughout a film career that spanned from 1944 to 1957, Blyth appeared in over 30 movies. At just 16, she delivered a powerhouse performance in “Mildred Pierce,” the role that remains her most memorable. The film also provided Joan Crawford with her sole Academy Award.
In the film, Blyth held her ground brilliantly against Crawford, portraying Veda, a status-driven and murderous daughter who competes with her mother over her stepfather, played by Zachary Scott. One unforgettable scene saw Blyth’s Veda slap Crawford’s character, knocking her to the floor.
In a fit of fury, Crawford’s character warns Blyth’s Veda, “Get out before I kill you.”
The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, whose other films included the classics “Casablanca,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
“He had a great confidence in me, which in turn helped me,” Blyth told the Los Angeles Times in 2013 of Curtiz.
“She just blew everybody away,” film historian Alan Rode told the Times, referring to Blyth. “It’s certainly Joan Crawford’s movie, but she is really the spine of the movie. She is the epitome of the film noir daughter from hell. It’s just an amazing performance that stands the test of time.”
“Mildred Pierce” was a hit with the public and critics, earning an Oscar nomination as best picture. Crawford won the Oscar as best actress, while both Blyth and co-star Eve Arden were nominated as best supporting actress but did not win.
Blyth’s career momentum was stymied after “Mildred Pierce” when she suffered a broken back in a toboggan accident.
Her versatility enabled her to shine in musicals like “Kismet” (1955) and “The Student Prince” (1954), spectacles like “The Golden Horde” (1951), comedies including “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid” (1948) co-starring William Powell, and dramas like “One Minute to Zero” (1952) with Robert Mitchum.
The petite, brunette actress appeared alongside other top male stars including Burt Lancaster in “Brute Force” (1947), Mickey Rooney in “Killer McCoy” (1947), Bing Crosby in “Top o’ the Morning” (1949), Mario Lanza in “The Great Caruso” (1951), Gregory Peck in “The World in His Arms” (1952) and Paul Newman in “The Helen Morgan Story” (1957), her last movie.
She had a lovely soprano voice and performed early in her career on the operatic stage.
Blyth was a natural for film musicals, although for the songs in “The Helen Morgan Story” the studio insisted on dubbing her vocals with another singer.
She occasionally appeared in TV roles after his last film including “The Twilight Zone” in 1964 and ending with “Murder, She Wrote” in 1985.
Ann Marie Blyth was born on Aug. 16, 1928, in Mount Kisco, New York.
She trained as a singer and actress as a child. While touring as a teenager with a Broadway play in Los Angeles, she was given a screen test that led to her Hollywood career.
Blyth had five children with her husband James McNulty, who died in 2007.