Kathryn Crosby death: Anatomy of a Murder actor and Bing Crosby’s widow dies aged 90

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.

Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.

Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond

Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

Kathryn Crosby, an actor and singer who often appeared beside her late husband Bing Crosby, has died. She was 90.

She was known for her roles in the 1958 adventure film The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and the 1959 courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder.

Variety reports that she died of natural causes at her home in Hillsborough, California on September 20.

Crosby was born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff in West Columbia, Texas on November 25, 1933. She made her uncredited screen debut as a showgirl in the Kathryn Grayson musical drama So This Is Love in 1953, and over the next couple of years made a handful of further small appearances in films including 1954’s Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window.

She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1955, the same year she landed her first credited role (under her stage name Kathryn Grant) in the film noir Cell 2455 Death Row.

Shortly after signing a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures, Crosby met her future husband while walking across the studio lot. In a 2014 interview with PBS, she recalled him calling out to her: “Hi Tex, what’s your hurry?”, adding that she didn’t know how he knew she was from Texas.

“He just found out, he was a very sneaky man. I think he knew everybody,” she said. “He invited me for a cup of tea and we had tea and I looked into his big blue eyes and about 15 minutes later, I realized I was in love.”

The couple married in 1957 after she converted to Catholicism. She was Bing Crosby’s second wife, and more than 30 years his junior.

After her marriage, she continued to be credited as Kathryn Grant in her film roles. These included The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Anatomy of a Murder along with appearances in the 1957 Jack Lemmon comedy Operation Mad Ball and the Tony Curtis drama Mister Cory the same year.

Crosby appeared several times as a guest star on her husband’s sitcom The Bing Crosby Show, which ran from 1964 to 1965. In 1969, she voiced Mama Bear alongside Bing in an animated version of Goldilocks. He died in 1977.

She is survived by her three children: Harry Lillis III, who played Bill in Friday the 13th, Mary Frances, who played Kristin Shepard on the long-running soap Dallas, and Nathaniel, who became a professional golfer.