Ann Blyth, film star of 1940s-50s famed for 'Mildred Pierce', dead at 98

Ann Blyth died on Wednesday at age 98 of natural causes. She earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Joan Crawford’s malicious teenage daughter in the 1945 melodrama Mildred Pierce and made more than 30 films during a screen career that ran from 1944 to 1957.

Trained as an opera singer, she moved easily between musicals, dramas and light comedy. In Mildred Pierce Blyth was just 16 and delivered a memorable performance as the status-seeking Veda, famously confronting Crawford’s character on screen. The film, directed by Michael Curtiz, was a critical and commercial success; Crawford won the Academy Award for best actress, while Blyth and co-star Eve Arden received supporting nominations.

Her momentum slowed after a broken back suffered in a toboggan accident, but Blyth continued to shine in a range of pictures: musicals such as Kismet and The Student Prince, the spectacle The Golden Horde, the comedy Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, and the drama One Minute to Zero.

ann blyth, mildred pierce, joan crawford, oscar nomination, veda, michael curtiz, eve arden, opera singer, broken back, toboggan accident