Anne Kimbell

Anne Kimbell (born Anne Banks; June 28, 1932 – May 16, 2017) was an American actress, arts administrator, and author who worked in film, television, stage, and radio, with her most active screen career concentrated in the 1950s. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Andrew and Kathryn Banks, she relocated to Hollywood, California with her family at age three. By age four she had already secured her first radio role on The Children's Radio Workshop in Los Angeles, launching a career in radio and voice acting that preceded her screen work. She became a member of the Screen Actors Guild at twelve years old.

Kimbell's formal training included theater study in New York City under Lee Strasberg. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in women's studies from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Her earliest film appearances came in 1945, when she played the daughter of Rosalind Russell's character in Roughly Speaking and appeared as John Garfield's on-screen sister in Growing Up. She went on to co-star in Feudin' Fools in 1952 and The Bob Mathias Story. Kimbell is perhaps best known on screen for her lead role in Monster from the Ocean Floor in 1954, the first film produced by Roger Corman. She also starred in the 1958 British comedy Girls at Sea.

On the stage, Kimbell co-starred in the Broadway production of The Seven Year Itch alongside Eddie Bracken during the 1952 season, and toured in Arms and the Man with Marlon Brando. In 1956 she served as leading lady for the summer season at Denver's Elitch Theatre, where she reprised her role from The Seven Year Itch. The following year she starred in the 1957 London production of Roar Like a Dove, which was produced by actress Vivien Leigh.

Kimbell's television work included recurring roles and guest appearances on General Electric Theater, G.E. Summer Originals, Chevron Theatre, The Adventures of Kit Carson, Crossroads, and the BBC's Sunday Night Theatre.

While performing in London, Kimbell met James F. Relph, a United States Foreign Service officer, whom she later married in London. She stepped back from her film career to accompany Relph to his diplomatic postings in Switzerland, Germany, Chad, and Tunisia. During her time abroad she developed women's cultural programs in Tunisia and a school for women in Chad. The family returned to California in the early 1980s, after which Kimbell served as executive director of the Orange County Center at the University of Southern California, an institution that supports professionals seeking advanced degrees in business, education, or social work. She also founded an organization called Enterprising Woman to support female entrepreneurs.

In 1992, Kimbell traveled to Westcliffe, Colorado, intending to purchase a horse ranch. She acquired the ranch but also bought the Jones Theater in Westcliffe, which its previous owner had planned to convert into a laundromat. Committed to preserving the building as a cultural landmark in the Wet Mountain Valley, she founded the Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts and established it at the theater. Working alongside business partner Tom Stagg, she oversaw the expansion of the organization and the construction of a new Studio 2 adjoining the existing Jones Theater. She also developed the Shakespeare in the Park festival, which became an annual event in Westcliffe. Kimbell served the organization as president, producer, and ultimately artistic director until her death.

In addition to her work in the performing arts, Kimbell authored several novels, including To Catch a Spy, The Ibeji Twins, and Assignment Paris. She divided her later years between Westcliffe, Colorado, and Laguna Beach, California, and died on May 16, 2017, at the age of 84.