Gloria Stuart, 'Titanic' actress, dies at the age of 100

[Dare]

By David Hinckley
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Monday, September 27th 2010, 3:35 PM



Gloria Stuart, a blond movie bombshell of the 1930s who resurfaced a half century later as the sentimental heart of the blockbuster "Titanic," died Sunday at the age of 100.

In the 1997 James Cameron film, Stuart played the older incarnation of Kate Winslett's Rose Calvert - the character who turned the movie from a tragedy in which 1,490 people died into a bittersweet tale where a single locket showed love could endure.

"Titanic" didn't lead to a Betty White-style rebirth for Stuart's career, but it gave her a happy ending that she said she had not entirely expected.

She starred in dozens of films in the 1930s, working with top directors like John Ford and generally playing a beautiful blonde. She said at the time of "Titanic" that she spent most of those years angry and frustrated that she was not asked or allowed to play more.

She was best known for playing Claude Rains's sweetheart in "The Invisible Man," while film fans often cite "The Old Dark House" as one of her finest performances.

She left acting after World War II and turned to painting, where she adopted a primitive style reminiscent of Grandma Moses. She later developed a line of blank artists' books.

She returned to acting sporadically in later years, taking one spotlight role as Peter O'Toole's silent dance partner in "My Favorite Year."

She was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for her role in "Titanic." She remains the oldest actress nominated for an Academy Award.

She was also known in Hollywood as an early activist in the Screen Actors Guild, in part from her frustration at her own career.

She celebrated her 100th birthday July 4 at a lavish Hollywood party attended by, among others, "Titanic" director James Cameron.


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