Film fans are mourning the passing of Anjanette Comer, whose Hollywood career spanned from the early 1960s through to her final screen role in 2026.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a death certificate indicated that Comer passed away on May 28 at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. She was reportedly battling leukemia and issues with her heart. She was 86 years old.
A ’60s Ingenue
Born in Texas, Comer made her screen debut in a 1962 episode of TV sitcom “My Three Sons.”
That led to more TV guest spots, in series including “The Donna Reed Show,” medical dramas “Dr. Kildare” and “Ben Casey,” and television westerns “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza.”
Described by THR as a “1960s ingenue,” Comer quickly catapulted to the big screen, landing a leading role opposite George Maharis in 1964 comedy “Quick Before It Melts.”
She next starred opposite Marlon Brando in 1966’s “The Appaloosa,” and then with Robert Wagner in 1967’s “Banning,” followed by starring alongside Anthony Quinn in 1968’s “The Guns of San Sebastian.”
Early Career Missteps
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, Comer would eventually become less famous for the roles she played in the 1960s than for the ones that she turned down.
Most famously, she was offered the role of Bonnie Parker opposite Warren Beatty in 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde.” Instead, the part went to Faye Dunaway, propelling her to stardom.
That same year, Comer similarly passed on the opportunity to co-star with Robert Redford in “Barefoot in the Park.” Jane Fonda ended up with that role, which proved pivotal to her future success.
In a 1981 interview with UPI, Comer explained she turned down both offers because she “had this very important relationship with a man, an actor, who didn’t want me to work in movies. At that time I was young and naive.”
During that interview, she admitted that she earned a reputation for being unpredictable, which also hurt her burgeoning career. That behavior hits its apex when she was cast in a high-profile role opposite Michael Caine in “A Funeral in Berlin” — but ultimately walked away from the film after convinced to exit by that same boyfriend.
She chalked up that behavior to her immaturity at the time, having become too successful too quickly.
“You see, I didn’t build my career slowly like most successful actresses do,” Comer explained. “After a couple of TV appearances, I became an instant movie star. I didn’t know how to handle it all emotionally.”
A Long Hollywood Career
While Comer’s Hollywood career never hit the heights of the actresses who took the roles she turned down, she maintained a steady pace of work throughout the next few decades.
Comer’s lengthy list of more than 60 screen credits included several films, such as “Lepke” (1975), “Fire Sale” (1977), “The Underneath” (1995) and “A Bird of the Air” (2011).
Comer was also a frequent TV guest star, appearing in “Columbo,” “Jake and the Fatman,” “Hotel,” “Profiler” and “The Practice,” among other series.
She was briefly married to screenwriter Robert Klane (“Weekend at Bernie’s,” “Thank God It’s Friday”), from 1976 until their divorce in 1983.
During the aforementioned 1981 interview with UPI, Comer was in the midst of staging a comeback after serveral years out of the spotlight. At the time, she remained optimistic that she would experience the stardom that had eluded her in the 1960s.
“I’m absolutely certain I will get back to the high point of my career,” she said. “I’ve done it before and I can do it again. I have to believe that so other people will believe it, too.”
