RANCHO SANTA FE — Ann Blyth, an Academy Award-nominated film actress, died on June 24, 2026, at age 98 at her home in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Her daughter, Eileen McNulty, stated that Blyth died of natural causes.

Blyth was born on August 16, 1928, in Mount Kisco, New York. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1945 film "Mildred Pierce" when she was 17 years old. Michael Curtiz directed the film, and Joan Crawford won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in it.

Her film career lasted from 1944 to 1957, during which she appeared in more than 30 movies. Her final film was "The Helen Morgan Story" in 1957, where she co-starred with Paul Newman. In that film, Blyth's singing voice was dubbed. Other film credits include "The Great Caruso" in 1951 with Mario Lanza, "The World in His Arms" in 1952 with Gregory Peck, and "Killer McCoy" with Mickey Rooney. She also appeared in "Brute Force" in 1947, "Another Part of the Forest," "Top o' the Morning" with Bing Crosby, and "Chip Off the Old Block" with Donald O'Connor. Blyth also appeared in "The Student Prince," in which Edmund Purdom acted the role and mouthed the songs after Mario Lanza withdrew from the project.

Blyth married Dr. James McNulty in 1953, and they had five children. James McNulty died in 2007. In 1954, Blyth performed the song "Secret Love" at the Academy Awards while pregnant. She had a toboggan accident in 1946, breaking her back, which led to her spending seven months in a body cast and another seven months in a wheelchair. At the time, Blyth said, "The busy, exciting world I had known faded away, and my life slowed down to little things." She added, "But even here I found myself blessed, for a new sense of prayer began to unfold to me."

Blyth began her career on Broadway, appearing in "Watch on the Rhine" at age 13. Universal Studios signed her to a contract for $175 a week after seeing her perform in Los Angeles. She trained with the San Carlo Opera Company for three years. Her television work included an appearance in a 1964 episode of "Twilight Zone" titled "Queen of the Nile," and her final television appearance was on "Murder, She Wrote" in 1985.