Kathryn Crosby, best known for her roles in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Operation Mad Ball," passed away at her home in Hillsborough, California while surrounded by her family. She was 90 years old.
Hollywood actress Kathryn Crosby, the widow of the late Bing Crosby, has died at the age of 90 due to natural causes on Friday.
Crosby, born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff on November 25, 1933, in West Columbia, Texas, earned a degree in fine arts from the University of Texas. After graduating from college, she moved to Hollywood and launched her acting career in 1953.
Kathryn Crosby, Actress and Widow of Bing Crosby, Dies at 90
Often credited under her stage name of Kathryn Grant, Crosby starred opposite Tony Curtis in 1957's "Mister Cory" and Victor Mature in 1959's "The Big Circus." She co-starred with Richard Kiley in 1955's "The Phoenix City Story," Jack Lemmon in 1957's "Operation Mad Ball," and James Stewart in 1959's "Anatomy of a Murder."
Crosby made five movies with famed film noir director Phil Karlson, including "The Phoenix City Story," 1955's "Tight Spot," and 1957's "The Brothers Rico," the latter of which she starred opposite James Darren.
Kathryn Crosby, Actress and Widow of Bing Crosby, Dies at 90
She met Bing Crosby when he was filming "Little Boy Lost" in 1953. While working on the set of Bing's movie "White Christmas," Crosby interviewed the Academy Award winner for "Texas Girl," a weekly column that she wrote for her hometown newspaper.
The two married in 1957, when she was 23 and he was 54. They shared sons Harry and Nathaniel and daughter Mary. Following her marriage to Bing, Crosby mostly stepped away from her acting career, although she appeared frequently with Bing and their three children on his Christmas television specials and in Minute Maid orange juice commercials.
Kathryn Crosby, Actress and Widow of Bing Crosby, Dies at 90
Crosby became a registered nurse in 1963. She appeared in a 1963 episode of "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater" and guest-starred in an episode of "The Bing Crosby Show" in 1965. She authored the memoirs "Bing and Other Things" (1967), "My Life With Bing" (1983), and "My Last Years With Bing" (2002).
In the 1970s, she hosted the morning talk show "The Kathryn Crosby Show" on KPIX-TV in Northern California. Crosby was married to Bing until the Hollywood legend died of a heart attack after golfing in Spain in 1977.
Kathryn Crosby, Actress and Widow of Bing Crosby, Dies at 90
Following Bing's death, she appeared in stage productions of "Same Time, Next Year" and "Charley's Aunt." Crosby co-starred with John Davidson and Andrea McArdle in the 1996 Broadway revival of "State Fair."
From 1985 to 2001, she hosted the Crosby National golf tournament in Bermuda Run, North Carolina. She was married to Maurice Sullivan for 10 years before he died at the age of 85 in a 2010 car accident that seriously injured Crosby.
Crosby is survived by her children Harry, Mary, and Nathaniel, as well as several grandchildren. She was a beloved figure in Hollywood and beyond, leaving behind a legacy of talent and grace.
