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. Ann moved to Belgium in 1972 where she met and married Belgian René Van Hulst (deceased 1999). She lived in Belgium from 1972 to 2014 and became a Belgian citizen, devoting much of her time to painting and music, she was an accomplished pianist and harpist. She moved to England, UK in December 2014 and passed away peacefully on 31/1/2018.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its...
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Bambi
as Adolescent Faline (voice) (uncredited)Bambi's tale unfolds from season to season as the young prince of the forest learns about life,...
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Beau Geste
as Isobel Rivers (as a Child)When three brothers join the Foreign Legion to escape a troubled past, they find themselves...
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Since You Went Away
as Becky Anderson - Class President (uncredited)While husband Tim is away during World War II, Anne Hilton copes with problems on the homefront....
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The Great Ziegfeld
as Mary Lou as a Child (uncredited)Lavish biography of Flo Ziegfeld, the producer who became Broadway's biggest starmaker.
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Stage Door Canteen
as Ann GillisA young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous...
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
as Becky ThatcherTom Sawyer and his pal Huckleberry Finn have great adventures on the Mississippi River,...
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All This, and Heaven Too
as Emily SchuylerWhen lovely and virtuous governess Henriette Deluzy comes to educate the children of the...
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Janie
as Paula RaineyTeenage Janie falls in love with a private from an Army base opposed by her editor father.
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Postal Inspector
as Little Alice (uncredited)Postal inspectors track down money stolen from a railroad car.
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In Society
as Gloria WinthropTwo bumbling plumbers are hired by a socialite to fix a leak. A case of mistaken identity gets...
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The Time of Their Lives
as Nora O'LearyTwo ghosts, who were mistakenly branded as traitors during the Revolutionary War, return to 20th...
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Edison, the Man
as Nancy GreyIn flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story...
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Man from Music Mountain
as Penny WintersRoy returns home to fine a range feud between the cattlemen and the sheepmen. When his friend is...
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The Under-Pup
as Letty LouA young city girl from a poor family is invited to spend the summer at a camp for girls from...
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Nice Girl?
as Nancy DanaJane is a nice girl and has had her eyes on a young man who seems more interested in his...
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'Neath Brooklyn Bridge
as SylviaThe East Side Kids find a young girl in the apartment of a man who has just been murdered....
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You Can't Buy Luck
as Peggy (uncredited)When a gambler is accused of murder, the pretty orphanage employee he loves sets out to prove...
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Tough as They Come
as Frankie TaylorThe 'Dead End Kids & Little Tough Guys' are working as collectors for a finance company,...
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The Singing Cowboy
as Lou Ann StevensA rodeo singer funds a little girl's operation with a show, on television.
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My Love Came Back
as Valerie MaletteAmelia is a gifted violinist who is in danger of quitting the Brissac Academy of Music. Julius...
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Meet the Stewarts
as Jane GoodwinA young, newlywed couple learns to make their marriage work—on a budget.
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Little Men
as NanJo March and her husband Professor Bhaer operate the Plumfield School for poor boys. When Dan, a...
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King of Hockey
as Peggy O'RourkeGamblers try to pressure a star hockey player into throwing a game.
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Glamour Boy
as Brenda LeeFormer child star Jackie Cooper headlines this sentimental behind-the-scenes comedy drama. He...
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Mr. Dynamite
as Joey aka AbigailA ball player takes his girlfriend to a carnival, only to discover a ring of saboteurs.
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Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus
as Fluerette de CavaTrouble-prone Billy Peck and his gang descend on a traveling circus that has just hit town, and...
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Big Town After Dark
as Susan Peabody LaRueA crusading newspaper reporter battles big-city gambling interests.
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Janie Gets Married
as Paula RaineyNewlywed Janie's (Joan Leslie) World War II-veteran husband (Robert Hutton) goes to work at her...
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The Cheaters
as Angela PidgeonAn eccentric wealthy family facing bankruptcy schemes to steal an inheritance, but an alcoholic...
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Gay Blades
as Helen Dowell (as Anne Gillis)New York hockey player Andy Buell is approached by Hollywood talent scout Nancy Davis to play...
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The Californian
as Rosalia as a ChildNative son returns from school in Spain to California in 1855 and finds corrupt politicians...
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Under Your Spell
as Gwendolyn (uncredited)A famous singer, bored with music and fans, goes to live in Mexico. His manager sends a woman to...
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A Wave, a WAC and a Marine
as Judy (as Anne Gillis)Henny Brown, talent scout for the Margaret Ames Film Agency in Hollywood, mistakes Broadway show...
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Off to the Races
as Winnie MaeThe Jones family's uncle George enters his trotting horse in the fair grounds race. The family...
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Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
as SueA couple of gamblers pressure the local night club owner to rig things so the local college...
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Studio One
as uncreditedAn American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...
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The Saint
as Beryl CarringtonSimon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who...
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The Saint
as WilmaSimon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who...
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Man of the World
as uncreditedMan of the World was an ATV drama series, distributed by ITC Entertainment. The show ran in the...
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