Anne Whitfield in 1956.Photo:CBS via Getty
CBS via Getty
Anne Whitfield, who starred in the perennial 1954 holiday classicWhite Christmas, has died, her family announced. She was 85.
Anne Whitfield on ‘Tate’ in 1960.NBCU Photo Bank
NBCU Photo Bank
Whitfield was born on Aug. 27, 1938 in Oxford, Miss., and began her showbusiness career as a child actor when she moved to Hollywood at 4 years old. By the time she was 7, Whitfield had already scored roles on popular radio shows, includingThe Phil Harris and Alice Faye ShowandOne Man’s Family.
“Just this past December during the holidays, Annie was able to watchWhite Christmaswith her family on the movie’s 70th anniversary,” Whitfield’s obituary reads.
Whitfield spent most of her career on television. She starred in episodes ofPeter Gunn,Manhunt,The Untouchables,Rawhide,The Donna Reed Show,The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,The Six Million Dollar ManandEmergency!
Anne Whitfield in 1956.CBS via Getty
In the 1970s, Whitfield left Hollywood behind and moved to Olympia, Washington. She went back to college and earned a bachelor’s in communications at Evergreen State College, and worked as a steward for Clean Water at the Department of Ecology for the State of Washington.
According to her family, Whitfield also traveled the world and became a tireless activist and community organizer, “working right up until the day she passed away.” In 2005, she moved to Burien, Washington to ruin a bed and breakfast. She spent her 85th birthday hiking with a close friend in the Italian Alps.
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source: people.com
