KATHRYN CROSBY
(25 November, 1933 – 20 September, 2024)
Actress Kathryn Crosby, the second wife of Hollywood legend Bing Crosby, has passed away at the age of 90. Born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff in West Columbia, Texas, Kathryn's early years were steeped in the small-town culture of the Lone Star State. She won numerous beauty pageants as a teenager, including the coveted title of Rodeo Queen, which propelled her toward a career in Hollywood. After attending the University of Texas at Austin, she made the bold move to Los Angeles in the early 1950s, eventually signing a contract with Paramount Pictures.
She was named a Film Review rising star under her stage name, Kathryn Grant, and appeared in a variety of films throughout the 1950s. Her early roles included uncredited appearances in Rear Window, Casanova’s Big Night and as a young hopeful in My Sister Eileen. She quickly gained attention for her striking beauty and talent, leading to more substantial roles in films like The Phenix City Story (1955) and Operation Mad Ball (1957). She was particularly memorable as the damsel in distress, Princess Parisa, in the 1958 fantasy adventure The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which remains a top role. Her performance in the courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder (1959), where she starred alongside James Stewart and George C. Scott, further showcased her versatility as an actress.
After her marriage to Bing Crosby in 1957, Kathryn chose to step back from a promising acting career, prioritising her family life with Bing and their three children: Harry, Mary, and Nathaniel. The couple's whirlwind romance began when they met on the set of White Christmas in 1954. Despite a series of delays and setbacks, they married in a quiet Las Vegas ceremony. Kathryn was 23 and Bing was 54. Kathryn’s choice to put her career on hold was not a decision she made lightly. "I’m glad I married an older man," she once said in an interview, reflecting on Bing’s maturity. "His character was set, and I knew what I was getting." The decision allowed her to support Bing in his career and raise their children while still appearing in the public eye. Kathryn made numerous appearances with Bing on his beloved Christmas specials, as well as in memorable Minute Maid commercials, where the Crosby family epitomised the image of the ideal, wholesome American family.
Following Bing’s untimely death in 1977, Kathryn re-entered the public sphere, appearing on stage in productions such as Same Time, Next Year, Charley’s Aunt, and the 1996 Broadway revival of State Fair. For many years, she also hosted the Crosby National Golf Tournament, a charity event founded by Bing. Kathryn’s focus on family and charitable causes remained a consistent theme throughout her life. In 2000, she married Maurice William Sullivan, an educator and former tutor to her children. They shared a deep bond until his tragic death in a car accident in 2010. Her children—Harry, a former actor turned investment banker; Mary, an actress best known for her role as Kristin Shepard on Dallas; and Nathaniel, an accomplished golfer—survive her, along with several grandchildren. Her legacy also lives on through her fabulous memoirs, Bing and Other Things (1967), My Life With Bing (1983), and My Last Years With Bing (2002), where she provided a candid and affectionate glimpse into her life with one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures. She may have left Hollywood behind, but her legacy in film, television, and as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother lives on.
CHAD KENNERK