Cora Sue Collins, a former child actress known for her contributions to Hollywood’s “Golden Age” of cinema in the 1930s and 1940s, has died at the age of 98.
Born on April 19, 1927, in Beckley, West Virginia, Collins appeared in nearly 50 films over the course of her 13-year acting career.
The actress made her onscreen debut at the age of 5 with a role in the 1932 comedy “The Unexpected Father.” She went on to star in four other films that year: “The Strange Case of Clara Deane,” “Smilin' Through,” “Silver Dollar,” and “They Just Had to Get Married.”
Collins landed parts in nearly a dozen films the following year, famously portraying the younger version of actress Greta Garbo’s title character in the romance drama “Queen Christina.”
After landing a contract with MGM in 1934, Collins and Garbo appeared together in the 1935 film Anna Karenina, which was based on Leo Tolstoy’s 1878 novel of the same name.
The child star is also known for working alongside other cinema luminaries. They include Claudette Colbert, Irene Dunne, Merle Oberon, and Bette Davis via the films “Torch Singer” (1933), “Magnificent Obsession” (1935), “The Dark Angel” (1935), and “All This, and Heaven Too” (1940), respectively.
Some of Collins’s other standout film credits include “Keep ‘Em Rolling” (1934), “Treasure Island” (1934), “The Scarlet Letter” (1934), “Little Men” (1934), and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1938).
The actress’s death triggered an outpouring of touching tributes online.
