Actress Anjanette Comer, who starred opposite Marlon Brando in “The Appaloosa” and also had major roles in “The Baby” and “The Loved One,” has died at the age of 86.
According to a death certificate filed with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Comer died on May 28 at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. She battled leukemia and had heart issues, according to the entertainment news website.
Comer turned down two major roles in 1967 -- she declined to star with Robert Redford in “Barefoot in the Park,” and with Warren Beatty in “Bonnie and Clyde,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jane Fonda would play opposite Redford, while Faye Dunaway co-starred with Beatty.
Anjanette Comer, Actress in 'The Loved One' and 'The Appaloosa,' Dies at 86 https://t.co/zym9isf4kT
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 21, 2026
In a 1981 interview with United Press International, Comer said she turned down the roles because she “had this very important relationship with a man, an actor, who didn’t want me to work in movies. At that time I was young and naive.”
Comer also told the news organization that she “hated her career.”
She also conceded putting “romance ahead of career” when she chose to back out of a starring role in “Funeral in Berlin” (1966) to remain with her boyfriend on weekends. Eva Renzi took her place, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I had a reputation for being crazy because I’d walked out on ‘Funeral in Berlin,’” Comer told UPI. “And I guess I was crazy. You see, I didn’t build my career slowly like most successful actresses do. After a couple of TV appearances, I became an instant movie star. I didn’t know how to handle it all emotionally.”
According to IMDb.com, Comer was born on Aug. 7, 1939, in Dawson, Texas.
She appeared on episodes of “My Three Sons” and “The Donna Reed Show” in 1962, then was a guest star the following year on “Gunsmoke” and “Ben Casey. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy Award for her role as a prostitute in the 1963 television drama ”Arrest and Trial," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Comer’s film résumé also included “Banning” (1967), “Guns for San Sebastian (1968), “Lepke” (1975), “Fire Sale” (1977), “The Underneath” (1995) and “Bird of the Air” (2011). On television, she had guest-starring roles on “Dr. Kildare,” “Bonanza,” “The Mod Squad,” Love, American Style,” “Mannix,” “Columbo,” “Jake and the Fatman,” “The Blue Knight,” “Hotel” and “The Practice.”
Comer was married to author, screenwriter and director Robert Klane from 1976 until their 1983 divorce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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