Ann Blyth, Oscar-Nominated Actress in 'Mildred Pierce,' Dies at 98

Ann Blyth, the actress and singer who earned an Academy Award nomination for playing Veda, the spoiled daughter of Joan Crawford's character in the 1945 film 'Mildred Pierce,' has died at age 98. Blyth died Wednesday of natural causes, according to KABC's George Pennacchio. Born Anne Marie Blythe on August 16, 1927, in Mount Kisco, New York, she began performing on radio at age 6 and later appeared on Broadway in 'Watch on the Rhine' (1941-42). Signed by Universal in 1943, she was cast in several musicals before landing the role of Veda. After 'Mildred Pierce,' she broke her back in a sledding accident and spent seven months in a body cast. She later starred in MGM musicals including 'The Great Caruso' (1951), 'Rose Marie' (1954), 'The Student Prince' (1954), and 'Kismet' (1955), as well as biopics 'The Buster Keaton Story' (1957) and 'The Helen Morgan Story' (1957). Blyth left film in the late 1950s but performed in nightclubs and on television, including 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Murder, She Wrote.' She married obstetrician James McNulty in 1953; they had five children and were together until his death in 2007.