Deanna Durbin, the Depression Era actress whose films included "Three Smart Girls," "Lady on a Train" and "Christmas Holiday," has died, according to the New York Times. She was 91.
Durbin had been mostly out of the public eye since performing in 1948's "For the Love of Mary," retiring to France with her third husband, "Lady on a Train" director Charles David, because, as she said, "I hated being in a goldfish bowl."
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Born Edna Mae Durbin in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Dec. 4, 1921, Durbin relocated to Southern California as a child, studying singing, Discovered by an MGM casting agent, she signed with the studio at 13, appearing shortly thereafter in a one-reel short titled "Every Sunday" with fellow 13-year-old Judy Garland. She later moved to Universal.
Initially performing child roles in which she helped adults solve their problems, Durbin matured into darker roles, playing a prostitute who fell for a killer in 1944's "Christmas Holiday."
In addition to a son, Peter, with David — who died in 1999 — Durbin had a daughter from her second marriage.