Ann Gillis

Ann Gillis, born Alma Mabel Conner on February 12, 1927, in Little Rock, Arkansas, began her journey in the film industry at a remarkably young age. By just seven years old, she made her cinematic debut as an extra in the film *Men in White* (1934). Over the next two years, she appeared uncredited in several productions until landing her first significant role in *King of Hockey* (1936). Warner Bros. saw potential in Gillis, hoping she would follow in the footsteps of child star Shirley Temple. Although she did not achieve the same level of stardom as Temple, Gillis starred in numerous films during her youth, often portraying spoiled characters. Notably, she took on more sympathetic roles as Becky Thatcher in *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer* (1938) and as the titular character in *Little Orphan Annie* (1938). Her performance in *Tom Sawyer*, particularly a scene where her character reacts in terror to a cave of bats, is often highlighted as a career standout.

After stepping back from the spotlight in 1947, she married Paul Ziebold and had two sons. Following a divorce, she remarried Scottish actor Richard Fraser and moved to New York City. Gillis made occasional television appearances in the 1950s and hosted a national broadcast of *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer* in 1959. Relocating to England in 1961, she auditioned for a role in Stanley Kubrick's *2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968), which became her final film. In 1972, she married Belgian René Van Hulst and spent many years in Belgium, where she became a talented painter and musician. Gillis returned to England in December 2014 and passed away peacefully on January 31, 2018.