Ann Blyth, the elegant actress best known for her gripping Oscar-nominated performance as the demon daughter of Joan Crawford’s character in the 1945 film “Mildred Pierce,” has passed away at 98.
KABC’s George Pennacchio shared the news in a Facebook post saying the star died of natural causes on Wednesday, June 25. He pointed out she would have turned 99 in less than two months.
How Many Children Did Ann Blythe Have?
Blyth was married to Los Angeles obstetrician James McNulty, who died in 2007, per Legacy.com. She leaves behind their five children Timothy, Maureen, Kathleen, Terence and Eileen. Deadline notes Blyth also had 10 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Ann Blyth Got Her Start on the Radio Before Moving On to Broadway & Film
Blyth started her career in show business by performing on the radio as a young child. She recalled her beginnings in a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying, “I was six. There were several radio programs at that time in New York that were very popular.” She shared that Beverly Sills, the soprano who earned the nickname “America’s Queen of Opera,” was on a rival show.
“Though the years whenever we would see one another, she would talk about that,” Blyth laughed before going on, “Both of us, I would say, have been very lucky.”
She says auditioned for radio after someone noticed her talent and suggested her mother take her for an interview, and stayed on one radio show for around six years, before being cast in a play. She said the casting, her first Broadway role, came as a surprise one day when she was called to the principal’s office one day at school and asked to do a reading by casting agents.
Blyth said she still remembered going home and telling her mother the “wonderful news.”
She credits Joan Crawford for helping her get her once-in-a-lifetime role in “Mildred Pierce.” Blyth told THR, “I was the lucky one because Joan Crawford did the test with me, and it made a world of difference.” She pointed out how unusual Crawford’s kind gesture was, saying, “People just didn’t do that. Not of her stature.”
Blyth then spoke to Crawford’s complicated legacy which was seriously tarnished by her daughter Christina’s allegations of physical and psychological abuse in her 1978 memoir “Mommie Dearest.” Blyth said all her experiences with Crawford were “very positive,” and added, “I think if a lot of the folks she worked with were here, they would say the same thing.”
Blyth also opened up about where she drew inspiration for her famous role as Veda Pierce. She explained much of it came from “just having a great imagination,” but also acknowledged “the training that I had and working with an incredible cast.”
Finally, she credited Michael Curtiz for being a “wonderful. skilled director.”
Was Ann Blyth in the Hostess Commercials?
Blyth became a recognizable face to television viewers of the 1970s by appearing in various ads for different Hostess brand snack cakes. “Freshness never tasted so good” was one of her memorable signature phrases in the spots.
