Oscar Winning Actress Luise Ranier Dead at 104

How tragic! The good ones are always gone too soon! But seriously, I read when THE ARTIST came out that Luise Ranier, who  outlived all of the legendary stars of her era, had actually seen it at a theater at age 100! Good for her! Here’s some crazy trivia: when she was almost 90, Luise Ranier came out of retirement to play Michael Gambon’s Grandma in THE GAMBLER (1997). When George Kennedy was almost 90, he came out of retirement to play Mark Wahlberg’s Grandpa in THE GAMBLER (2014)…Coincidence?! Ms Ranier was the first actress to win back-to-back Oscars for THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (1936) and THE GOOD EARTH (1937). George Kennedy won just the one Oscar for COOL HAND LUKE in 1967.

From CNN Entertainment:

Luise Rainer, who won back-to-back Oscars in the 1930s for “The Great Ziegfeld” and “The Good Earth” only to quit Hollywood at the height of her fame, has died. She was 104. Rainer’s death was first reported by her daughter, Francesca Knittel Bowyer, on Twitter. “Mummy had the fragility of an orchid, the energy of a hummingbird, the tenacity of a hunter. She could change calm waters into a raging storm with a look and the lift of a finger,” Bowyer told CNN in an email. “My heart is a hole without her, but that hole will definitely be filled with incredible memories, sweet, salty and funny. I want her memory to linger with those who knew her and be given to those who did not.”…..

Read the rest HERE

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/30/showbiz/movies/feat-obit-luise-rainer/