Anne Francis, star of FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956), a science-fiction retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and cover model of BUFVC’s Shakespeare on Film, Television and Radio: The Researcher’s Guide (2009), died in California on the 2 January aged 80.

Francis, who made her Broadway debut at the age of 11, was the only woman in the cast of FORBIDDEN PLANET.  Filming had to be halted in the early stages when her gowns, among them a futuristic ‘mini-skirt’ designed by Helen Rose, were deemed too risqué and the studio ordered an entire new wardrobe. An obituary by John Riley, a frequent collaborator on BUFVC projects and the original manager for the TRILT resource as well a regular contributor to Viewfinder, was published by The Independent newspaper and can be read here.

For more information on Francis’ other Shakespearean incarnations browse our International Shakespeare Database.