Ann Gillis

Ann Gillis was an American actress known for her roles in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Orphan Annie, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Born Alma Mabel Conner on February 12, 1927, in Little Rock, Arkansas, she began acting at a young age and became a familiar face in several films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Personal and Family Life

Gillis married Paul George Ziebold in 1947, and they had two sons before divorcing. She later married Scottish actor Richard Fraser, with whom she had another son, born in 1958. In 1991, she married Belgian René Van Hulst, who passed away in 1999. Gillis spent many years living in Belgium before moving to the UK in 2014.

Career Highlights

She started her film career at age seven, appearing in her first movie, Men in White, in 1934. Over the years, she gained recognition for playing bratty characters but also showcased her talent in sympathetic roles. Notably, her performance as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer included a memorable scene of emotional intensity, further solidifying her reputation as an actress. Gillis retired from Hollywood in 1947 and transitioned to television in New York City before relocating to London, where she later landed her final role in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Death and Legacy

Ann Gillis passed away on January 31, 2018, in East Sussex, England, at the age of 90. Following her death, Cora Sue Collins, who was her co-star in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, became the last surviving member of the film’s cast. Gillis’s contributions to film and television, especially her childhood performances, continue to resonate with audiences.

Filmography

Title Release Date Character
2001: A Space Odyssey 1968-04-02 Poole’s Mother
Bambi 1942-02-11 Adolescent Faline (voice) (uncredited)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1938-02-11 Becky Thatcher
In Society 1944-08-16 Gloria Winthrop
Mr. Dynamite 1941-03-01 Joey aka Abigail
Meet the Stewarts 1942-05-21 Jane Goodwin
The Singing Cowboy 1936-05-11 Lou Ann Stevens
Big Town After Dark 1947-12-12 Susan Peabody LaRue
Peck’s Bad Boy with the Circus 1938-12-02 Fluerette de Cava
My Love Came Back 1940-07-13 Valerie Malette
King of Hockey 1936-12-19 Peggy O’Rourke
‘Neath Brooklyn Bridge 1942-11-20 Sylvia
Man from Music Mountain 1943-10-30 Penny Winters
The Californian 1937-07-18 Rosalia as a Child
Little Men 1940-11-29 Nan
Glamour Boy 1941-12-05 Brenda Lee
Beau Geste 1939-07-24 Isobel Rivers (as a Child)
The Under-Pup 1939-08-31 Letty Lou
You Can’t Buy Luck 1937-04-30 Peggy (uncredited)
All This, and Heaven Too 1940-07-05 Emily Schuyler
Edison, the Man 1940-05-10 Nancy Grey
Stage Door Canteen 1943-06-24 Ann Gillis
Little Orphan Annie 1938-12-02 Annie
A Wave, a WAC and a Marine 1944-10-07 Judy (as Anne Gillis)
Since You Went Away 1944-06-30 Becky Anderson – Class President (uncredited)
The Cheaters 1945-07-15 Angela Pidgeon
Nice Girl? 1941-02-21 Nancy Dana
Gay Blades 1946-01-25 Helen Dowell (as Anne Gillis)
Tough as They Come 1942-06-05 Frankie Taylor
Janie 1944-09-02 Paula Rainey
The Time of Their Lives 1946-08-13 Nora O’Leary
Janie Gets Married 1946-06-22 Paula Rainey
Sweetheart of Sigma Chi 1946-11-16 Sue
Off to the Races 1937-02-05 Winnie Mae
The Great Ziegfeld 1936-04-08 Mary Lou as a Child (uncredited)
Under Your Spell 1936-11-06 Gwendolyn (uncredited)
Postal Inspector 1936-08-16 Little Alice (uncredited)