Former 1930s Child Star Dies At Age 91

Former child star Deanna Durbin has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Durbin's son, Peter H. David, was quoted in the "Deanna Durbin Society" newsletter saying his mother had passed away several days ago, but he did not provide any other details about her death.

Durbin gained popularity during the Depression and was known for her "sweet soprano voice" that charmed American audiences, according to the New York Times.

The actress was born Edna Mae Durbin; her British parents moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Los Angeles when she was 2 years old, and she was discovered while still in junior high school. She made her film debut in the 1936 MGM short “Every Sunday,” with Judy Garland. Soon after, she signed a contract with Universal, changed her name to Deanna, and was cast in a series of musical comedies, reports Variety.

The Canadian-born actress was reportedly the second-highest paid actress in America in 1946, bringing in just $5,000 less than Bette Davis, with a salary of $323,477 from Universal, according to the Times. Despite her obvious popularity, Durbin would go on to retire just two years later at the age of 29, making "For The Love Of Mary" her final film. The actress had remained out of the public eye ever since.

The former child star, married Charles David, who directed her in the 1945 film "Lady on a Train," in 1951 and together they had one son, Peter. Durbin had previously been married to assistant director Vaughn Paul from 1941 to 1943, and writer-actor Felix Jackson, with whom she had a daughter, Jessica, from 1945 to 1949.

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Edith Fellows, child actress of 1930s, dies at 88 (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Edith Fellows, a child actress who was the subject of a famous 1936 custody case, has died. She was 88.

Her daughter, Kathy Fields Lander, tells the Los Angeles Times that Fellows died of natural causes Sunday at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home in Los Angeles.

Fellows' mother abandoned her as an infant, and she was raised by her grandmother, who brought her to Hollywood. She made about 50 movies in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, including the 1936 film "Pennies from Heaven." She later turned to the stage and TV.

Fellows was 13 when her mother sued for custody. Fellows testified that she wasn't "used to loving strangers" and remained with her grandmother.

Her childhood earnings were placed in trust, but most later mysteriously vanished.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

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