Former child star and depression era actress and singer Deanna Durbin dies at 91-years-old according to reports.
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.
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.
In the 21 films she made for Universal she would usually sing a few songs, some new material plus some arias from operas. The era of the original soundtrack album had not quite arrived, so she would record the same material in the studio.
In addition to Durbin's talent, the key to maintaining this success was publicity, which the studio and the press happily provided.
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.
When she retired at 29, the actress was the highest-paid woman in Hollywood -- and the world.
She is survived by two children: Jessica and Peter.
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