Anne Baxter was born on May 7, 1923, in Michigan City, Indiana, to a salesman father and a mother who was the daughter of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Her family moved to New York City when she was 11, and she began her acting career at 13 in a stage production of "Seen but Not Heard", earning rave reviews from Broadway critics.
In 1937, Anne made her first trip to Hollywood, but was deemed too young for a film career, so she returned to the New York stage with her mother. Two years later, she returned to California and took a screen test, which caught the attention of Twentieth Century-Fox, signing her to a seven-year contract.
Anne's early film roles included "20 Mule Team" (1940),"The Great Profile" (1940),"Charley's Aunt" (1941),and "Swamp Water" (1941). In 1942, she played Lucy Morgan in "The Magnificent Ambersons", and in 1943, she received top billing in "The North Star", which was a critical and financial success.
Anne's breakthrough role came in 1946 when she portrayed Sophie MacDonald in "The Razor's Edge", earning her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to star in "Mother Wore Tights" (1947),"Blaze of Noon" (1947),and "All About Eve" (1950),earning her second Academy Award nomination.
In the 1950s, Anne appeared in several films, including "The Ten Commandments" (1956),where she played Queen Nefretiri opposite Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner. After that epic, job offers became fewer, and she began to freelance her talents.
Anne took a hiatus from filming from 1962 to 1966, during which time she appeared often on stage and television. She returned to film with "Season of Passion" (1959) and "Cimarron" (1960),before appearing in "Walk on the Wild Side" (1962).
Anne continued to work in television, appearing in notable roles in "East of Eden" (1981) and "Hotel" (1983),and ended her career with the TV film "Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death" (1984). She passed away on December 12, 1985, at the age of 62.
