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Ann Gillis

Ann Gillis was born Alma Mabel Conner on February 12, 1927, in Little Rock, Arkansas. At age seven, she appeared in her first film, Men in White (1934), as an extra. During the next two years, she had uncredited appearances in six more films until she received her first major role in King of Hockey (1936). Warner Brothers Studios gave significant screen time to Gillis in this movie, in hopes that she would become another Shirley Temple. Although (like all child stars of the 1930s) she never achieved Temple's level of fame, for the next several years Gillis starred in many films, almost always playing a spoiled, bratty character. She had two rare sympathetic roles as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) and as the title character in Little Orphan Annie (1938). One scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer called for her to go into screaming hysterics when her character was trapped in a cave of bats, and Gillis delivered in a powerful performance that is probably the most memorable scene of her film career. As Gillis grew older, however, her career slowed down, and she left Hollywood in 1947. When she left Hollywood she married Paul Ziebold and had 2 sons. She then divorced, relocated to New York City and married Richard Fraser, a Scottish-born actor (they had a son born in 1958). During the 1950s and '60s, Gillis made sporadic television appearances, and in 1959, she hosted a national telecast presentation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Gillis and her husband moved to England in 1961, and they were living in London when they heard of a casting call for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) that called for an American actress living in the city. Gillis auditioned and got the role; it remains her final film to date.


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Born:
Feb 12, 1927 In Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
35
First Appeared:
In the movie The Great Ziegfeld 1936-04-08
Latest Project:
Movie 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968-04-02
Known For
Poster of 2001: A Space Odyssey
Poster of My Love Came Back
Poster of Beau Geste
Poster of The Singing Cowboy
Filmography
Movie 2001: A Space Odyssey Poole's Mother 1968-04-02
Series Man of the World Unknown 1962-09-29
Series The Saint Unknown 1962-10-04
Series Studio One Unknown 1948-11-07
Movie Big Town After Dark Susan Peabody LaRue 1947-12-12
Movie Janie Gets Married Paula Rainey 1946-06-22
Movie Gay Blades Helen Dowell (as Anne Gillis) 1946-01-25
Movie The Time of Their Lives Nora O'Leary 1946-08-13
Movie The Cheaters Angela Pidgeon 1945-07-15
Movie Since You Went Away Becky Anderson - Class President (uncredited) 1944-06-30
Movie In Society Gloria Winthrop 1944-08-16
Movie Janie Paula Rainey 1944-09-02
Movie A Wave, a WAC and a Marine Judy (as Anne Gillis) 1944-10-07
Movie Stage Door Canteen Ann Gillis 1943-06-24
Movie Man from Music Mountain Penny Winters 1943-10-30
Movie Bambi Adolescent Faline (voice) (uncredited) 1942-02-11
Movie Meet the Stewarts Jane Goodwin 1942-05-21
Movie Tough as They Come Frankie Taylor 1942-06-05
Movie 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge Sylvia 1942-11-20
Movie Mr. Dynamite Joey aka Abigail 1941-03-01
Movie Glamour Boy Brenda Lee 1941-12-05
Movie Edison, the Man Nancy Grey 1940-05-10
Movie All This, and Heaven Too Emily Schuyler 1940-07-05
Movie Little Men Nan 1940-11-29
Movie My Love Came Back Valerie Malette 1940-07-13
Movie Beau Geste Isobel Rivers (as a Child) 1939-07-24
Movie The Under-Pup Letty Lou 1939-08-31
Movie Little Orphan Annie Annie 1938-12-02
Movie Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus Fluerette de Cava 1938-12-02
Movie You Can't Buy Luck Peggy (uncredited) 1937-04-30
Movie The Californian Rosalia as a Child 1937-07-18
Movie The Great Ziegfeld Mary Lou as a Child (uncredited) 1936-04-08
Movie The Singing Cowboy Lou Ann Stevens 1936-05-11
Movie Postal Inspector Little Alice (uncredited) 1936-08-16
Movie King of Hockey Peggy O'Rourke 1936-12-19
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