Anne Whitfield Obituary, Accident & Cause of Death: What Happened to White Christmas Actress?
Anne Whitfield, who played Susan Waverly in the 1954 musical film ‘White Christmas’, passed away on February 15, 2024, at the age of 85. She died at a hospital in Yakima, Washington, after suffering an unexpected accident while taking a walk in her neighborhood.
A Child Star in Hollywood
Anne Whitfield was born on August 27, 1938, in Oxford, Mississippi. She moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was seven years old, and soon began her acting career in radio commercials. She was a regular on several radio shows, such as ‘Our Miss Brooks’, ‘One Man’s Family’, and ‘The Baby Snooks Show’. She also performed on stage in plays like ‘The Member of the Wedding’ and ‘The Bad Seed’.
She got her big break in 1954, when she was cast as Susan Waverly, the granddaughter of Major General Tom Waverly (Dean Jagger), in ‘White Christmas’. The film, directed by Michael Curtiz, starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen as a group of entertainers who put on a show to save Waverly’s Vermont inn. The film featured the iconic song ‘White Christmas’, written by Irving Berlin, and became a huge box office hit and a holiday classic.
Whitfield later recalled that she had a wonderful time working on the film, and that Curtiz liked her and “started dragging me into every scene that took place in the lodge”. She also said that she enjoyed singing and dancing with the stars, and that Crosby was “like a grandfather” to her.
Death Date, Facts
| Birth name | Anne Whitfield |
| Birth date | August 27, 1938 |
| Birth place | Oxford, Mississippi |
| Death date | February 15, 2024 |
| Death place | Yakima, Washington |
| Death cause | Accident |
| Occupation | Actress, environmentalist, activist |
| Years active | 1945-1978 |
| Children | Julie, James, Jennifer |
| Grandchildren | Anna, Ben, Charlie, David, Emma, Finn, Grace |
| Notable film roles | Susan Waverly in ‘White Christmas’ (1954) |
| Notable TV roles | Barbara Harris in ‘Days of Our Lives’ (1965-1966) |
A Busy Actress in the 1950s and 1960s
After ‘White Christmas’, Whitfield continued to act in movies and television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Some of her film credits include ‘Juvenile Jungle’, ‘Tick, Tick, Tick’, and ‘Senior Prom’. She also appeared in many popular TV shows, such as ‘Father Knows Best’, ‘The Donna Reed Show’, ‘The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis’, ‘Rawhide’, ‘Hawaiian Eye’, ‘That Girl’, ‘Perry Mason’, ‘Adam 12’, and ‘Emergency!’. She had a recurring role on ‘Days of Our Lives’ in the mid-1960s, playing Barbara Harris.
Anne Whitfield mostly retired from acting in the 1970s, although she occasionally took some roles in later years. She said that she left Hollywood because she wanted a different life and more trees. She moved to Olympia, Washington, where she earned a degree in environmental studies from The Evergreen State College. She then worked as a steward for clean water at the Department of Ecology for the State of Washington.
Obituary, Cause of Death, Accident
Anne Whitfield, the actress who played Susan Waverly in the 1954 holiday classic White Christmas, has died at the age of 85. Her family announced that she passed away on February 15, 2024, at Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington, following an “unexpected accident while on a walk in her neighborhood”
Whitfield was born in Oxford, Mississippi, on August 27, 1938. She began her acting career at the age of four, when her mother, Frances, served as her agent and coach. She appeared in numerous radio shows, such as One Man’s Family, Our Miss Brooks, and The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show
At 15, she landed the role of Susan Waverly, the granddaughter of the general who owns the Vermont inn where Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney perform in White Christmas. The film became a box office hit and a perennial favorite during the holiday season
Whitfield also starred in several TV shows and movies, such as Juvenile Jungle, Tick, Tick, Tick, and The Six Million Dollar Man. She played Claudia Barbour in the TV adaptation of One Man’s Family, switching roles from her radio character Penny Lacey
In the 1970s, she left Hollywood and moved to Washington, where she devoted her life to promoting peace and environmental causes. She was active in women’s rights and homeless advocacy. She also loved traveling the world and taking her grandchildren to different countries
Whitfield is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Her family described her as “a powerhouse in life” and said that “her immense positive energy flows out to those who had the pleasure of knowing her”
Her fans and friends expressed their condolences and tributes on social media, remembering her as a talented and kind-hearted person. Her former co-star Rosemary Clooney’s son, Miguel Ferrer, tweeted: “Rest in peace, Anne Whitfield. You were a joy to work with and a wonderful friend to my mom. You will always be part of our White Christmas family”
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A Passionate Activist and Community Organizer
Anne Whitfield was also an activist and a community organizer, who supported various causes such as voter registration, environmental responsibility, women’s rights, and social justice. She was involved in several organizations, such as the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the American Civil Liberties Union. She also ran a bed and breakfast, and volunteered at a local food bank and a hospice.
She loved to travel and explore new places. She visited many countries, such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and India. She also hiked the Dolomite Mountains of the Italian Alps in celebration of her 85th birthday. She said that she was always curious and adventurous, and that she wanted to see the world and learn from different cultures.
She is survived by her three children, Julie, David, and Michael, and seven grandchildren, Anna, Ben, Lily, Sam, Max, Leo, and Zoe. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Mary Whitfield, and her brother, John Whitfield Jr. Her family said that she was a loving and generous mother, grandmother, and friend, who lived a full and rich life. They also said that she was able to watch ‘White Christmas’ with them on the movie’s 70th anniversary, just two months before her death.
A Beloved and Remembered Star
Whitfield’s death was mourned by many fans and colleagues, who expressed their condolences and tributes on social media. Some of them shared their favorite memories and scenes from ‘White Christmas’, and thanked her for bringing joy and warmth to their holidays. Others praised her for her talent, grace, and kindness, and for her contributions to the entertainment industry and the society.
She will always be remembered as the sweet and spunky Susan Waverly, who sang and danced with the legends of Hollywood, and who helped save her grandfather’s inn with a merry and bright show. She will also be remembered as a talented and versatile actress, who appeared in many films and TV shows, and who entertained and inspired generations of viewers. And she will also be remembered as a passionate and caring activist, who worked and fought for a better and greener world, and who lived and loved with all her heart. Anne Whitfield was a star in every sense of the word, and she will be dearly missed by all who knew and admired her.
