Anne Francis

 Anne Francis (September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011)

Francis was an actress known for her role in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956) and for having starred in the television series Honey West (1965–1966) which was the first TV series with a female detective character's name in the title. She won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the series. Francis made her film debut in This Time for Keeps (1947). She played supporting roles in the films Susan Slept Here, So Young, So Bad, and Bad Day at Black Rock; her first leading role was in Blackboard Jungle (1955). Francis found success in television and was a frequent guest star in 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s made-for-TV movies and series programs. She guest-starred on The Untouchables as the title character in "The Doreen Maney Story", and starred twice in The Twilight Zone (in "The After Hours" and in "Jess-Belle"). She also appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Francis also appeared in two episodes of the Western series The Virginian and in the episode "Incident of the Shambling Man" on the CBS western, Rawhide.

In 1965, Francis was cast as Honey West, a sexy private detective who drove a Cobra and had a pet ocelot; the character was initially introduced on the ABC series Burke's Law, and then spun off as a series. She made a guest appearance in a 1967 episode of The Fugitive. She appeared in the 1967 episode, The Saucer, in The Invaders. She guest-starred in a 1973 episode, "Murder In The Doll's House", of Barnaby Jones. At the start of the final season in 1971 of My Three Sons, Francis played bowling-alley waitress Terri Dowling, who marries character Laird Fergus McBain Douglas of Sithian Bridge, Scotland, and returned to his homeland as royalty. During the 1980-81 season of Dallas, Francis had a recurring role as Arliss Cooper, the mother of Mitch and Afton Cooper. She later played "Mama Jo" in the first few episodes of the 1984 TV-detective series Riptide. She appeared on episodes of Matlock and The Golden Girls. Anne Francis was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007. She kept her followers informed of her progress at her website. She died on January 2, 2011, aged 80, from complications due to pancreatic cancer at a retirement home in Santa Barbara, California.