Ann Robinson has tragically passed away aged 96.
The legendary actress became famous for being terrorized by Martians in the 1953 science fiction classic The War of the Worlds. The screen icon passed away on September 26, 2025, at her Los Angeles home, though her death has only recently been made public by her granddaughter.
She broke into Hollywood as a stunt performer and contract player at Paramount Pictures after auditioning for producer and special effects pioneer George Pal. Ann was cast as library science teacher Sylvia Van Buren in the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel War of the Worlds.
Devastated admirers flooded social media with heartfelt tributes, with one posting, “My heart is absolutely broken! She taught women the world over how to scream in terror. But seriously, her humanity brought so much to War of the Worlds. She starred in arguably one of the top two sci-fi movies in the 1950s. RIP beautiful Ann.”
Another commented, “Ms Ann Robinson, in War of the Worlds, left her mark on film history in the scene where the Martians grab her by the shoulder, didn’t she? My heartfelt condolences.”
One fan recalled, “I had the great pleasure of meeting Ann in the 1990s. She was a delight!” Meanwhile, a fourth noted, “R.I.P., and she reprised her role several times in the 1988 syndicated War of the Worlds series.”
Steven Spielberg personally invited Robinson and Barry to reprise that legendary scene in his 2005 big-screen adaptation of War of the Worlds, starring Tom Cruise, reports the Daily Star.
Looking back on her return to the spotlight in 2016, Robinson spoke to Nick Thomas on Tinseltown Talk, fondly recalling, “Steven was just so adorable.
“He came up behind me, squatted down, and placed three fingers on my left shoulder and yelled, ‘Someone take my picture!’ Apparently, War of the Worlds was one of his favourite films growing up.
“They treated me like royalty. My son, who was with me, told me he heard people saying: ‘She’s here, she’s here!’ after we arrived on the set. Then, for the Ziegfeld Theater premiere, they flew me to New York first class, put me up in a beautiful hotel overlooking Central Park, and arranged for a limousine to drive my family around. I waited 60 years to get that treatment.”
Harmon, who was recognized for her performances in daytime dramas including One Life to Live, How to Survive a Marriage, and Dallas, died on Saturday, May 9.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
