Anne Baxter's Final Years and Tragic Death of the 'Hotel' Star at 62

The only thing Anne Baxter wanted more than anything was to be an actress, and she lived that dream until death took her to a place where being a movie star doesn't count for much.

Anne Baxter was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in her day. She had an easy way in at a time when other artists had to pay their dues.

The actress signed a 7-year deal with Twentieth Century-Fox as a 17-year-old in 1940 and got loaned out to MGM soon after. With the latter, she appeared in "20 Muse Team," and so began her career in Hollywood.

Anne Baxter (1923-1985), US actress, wearing a pink halterneck top in a studio portrait, against a blue background, circa 1945 | Photo: Getty Images

SUCCESS IN MOVIES

Baxter went to appear in some movies that saw minimum success at the box office. The '40s saw her perform in "The Great Profile," and the hit film, "Swamp Water."

The '50s saw the actress despite her impressive beginning suffer from lack of employment after leaving Twentieth Century Fox and choosing to work as a freelancer. She got about a handful of roles, and at the beginning of the '60s, she took a hiatus from movies.

Actress Anne Baxter arrives to the back lot in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Getty Images

LIVING IN THE AUSTRALIA

Baxter did not only take a break from acting, but she also moved to Australia. While she lived there, the "The Ten Commandment" star stayed on a ranch and got married to the Aussie, Randolph Grant.

She maintained an active career until '85 when she suffered a stroke while walking on Madison Avenue, New York City.

The then-couple had one daughter, Katrina, but the marriage failed, like the actress's first union with John Hodiak, with whom she shared two daughters, Melissa and Maginel.

The American actress Anne Baxter in Madrid, 1966, Madrid, Spain | Photo: Getty Images

RETURN TO MOVIES

In 70, Baxter returned to movies, having missed working as an actress. She once said in an interview,

"Acting is what I do. It is what I am. It's my permanent built-in cathedral."

The actress's return got her the role of "Eve Harrington" on "All About Eve," and she later landed the role that made her iconic, as "Victoria Cabot" in the ABC TV show, "Hotel." In between, she married David Klee in '77, but he died that same year.

Portrait of American actress Anne Baxter in the film A Ticket to Tomahawk. USA, 1950 | Photo: Getty Images

THE END OF HER LIFE

The '80s saw Baxter not only star in "Hotel," but she also appeared in "East of Eden," "Sherlock Holmes," and "Mask of Death." She maintained an active career until '85 when she suffered a stroke while walking on Madison Avenue, New York City.

The Michigan native stayed in a coma for eight days and died at the age of 62 in early December at the Lenox Hill Hospital. She was active for 45 years and loved every moment of it.

Anne Baxter in publicity portrait for the film 'Chase A Crooked Shadow', 1958 | Photo: Getty Images

Born in 1923, the "Magnificent Ambersons" star, who is the granddaughter of the world-renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, began acting at the age of 13 after her family moved to New York.

Baxter wanted nothing more than to be an actress and was not in it for fame or celebrity status. The actress's most significant desire was to give her best to her craft, and she did until she couldn't.

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