Anne Francis

Actress of stage, film, radio and television -- via the L.A. Times. An extremely good performer whose beauty sometimes overshadowed her dramatic talents. She started off in radio ("Let's Pretend"), and played the young Gertrude Lawrence's character in "Lady in the Dark" on Broadway. She moved into movies, and will probably be remembered best as Altaria in "Forbidden Planet."

 
However, she was memorable in supporting roles in films such as "Bad Day at Black Rock," "Battle Cry" and "Blackboard Jungle." She went on to do lots and lots of television; my dearest memory of her will be as the sexy, ironic, tough private eye in the short-lived TV series "Honey West."

Her character was an early feminist icon -- plus, she had a pet ocelot named Bruce, tear-gas earrings, a lipstick transmitter, and much, much more.