Forbidden Planet, Honey West Star Anne Francis Dies at 80

Anne Francis, the actress best known for her roles in the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planetand the 1960s TV show Honey West, has died. She was 80.
Francis died Sunday at a Santa Barbara nursing home of complications of pancreatic cancer, her daughter, Jane Uemura, told the Los Angeles Times.

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Born as Ann Marvak in Ossining, N.Y., Francis, known for the prominent beauty mark near her mouth, rose to fame starring alongside such actors as Spencer Tracy and Paul Newman in the 1950s. Planet — a classic sci-fi spin on Shakespeare's The Tempest in which Francis played Altaira, the daughter of the space scientist played by Walter Pidgeon — was her most memorable role. (She played a love interest to a young Leslie Nielsen, who died in November.)Her other film credits include Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, Don't Go Near the Water and Funny Girl, in which she played a gal pal of Barbra Streisand's main character.

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She also starred as the titular character on the short-lived private detective series Honey West. She was nominated for an Emmy for the role, described as a female James Bond character. She also appeared on such TV series asMission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Charlie's Angels, The Golden Girls, Home Improvementand Nash Bridges. On The Twilight Zone, she memorably played a mannequin who comes to life.She is survived by two daughters and a grandson.