Actress. She is best remembered for her voice portrayal of the diabolical fashionista Cruella de Vil in the animated feature film "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961). Born into a family of wealth and position, she was educated in private schools in Birmingham, Alabama, and Miami, Florida, until she settled in Chicago, Illinois, with her parents where her father presided as executive of a steel firm. Encouraged to pursue a career in theatrics by peers and relatives alike following praise of her effective readings at social functions, she attained her first professional acting job appearing in "The First Nighter Program". She also appeared on such radio productions as "Arnold Grimm's Daughters," "Midstream," "Women in White," "Road of Life," "Guiding Light," "Suspense," "The Whistler," "Mr. President," "Escape," "Lux Radio Theatre," "Crime Classics," and "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". After appearing in her film debut in "The Red Menace" (1949), she was personally invited to the offices of legendary director Walt Disney, who was so impressed by her velvet baritone voice and Southern charm, that he arranged for her to perform as the narrator in his classic adaptation of "Cinderella" (1950). Following this triumph, she than welcomed a new found career in film and television for the next 30 years. Often typecast as a wife, mother, old maid, businesswoman, society matron, eccentric, wealthy snob, best friend, nurse, educator, kindly neighbor, or matriarch, she flourished as a household name appearing in numerous guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Gang Busters," "Dangerous Assignment," "Schlitz Playhouse," "I Married Joan," "Adventures of the Falcon," "The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse," "The Mickey Rooney Show," "Treasury Men in Action," "You Are There," "Crossroads," "State Trooper," "Crusader," "Father Knows Best," "Four Star Playhouse," "Navy Log," "The Walter Winchell File," "Studio 57," "Death Valley Days," "The Loretta Young Show," "Border Patrol," "The Untouchables," "The Man Dawson," "Coronado 9," "The Rifleman," "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Bachelor Father," "Perry Mason," "Checkmate," "Target: The Corruptors!," "Ripcord," "Fair Exchange," "This is the Life," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Farmer's Daughter," "77 Sunset Strip," "The Twilight Zone," "Hazel," and "Morning Star". In motion pictures, she appeared in lead roles in such films as "Undercover Girl" (1950), "An Annapolis Story" (1955), "The Green-Eyed Blonde" (1957), "The Fly" (1958), "Turn the Other Cheek" (1958), "The Miracle of the Hills" (1959), "Mary Poppins" (1964), and "Cats Don't Dance" (1997). During her career, she was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, was a chairwoman on the board of the California State Democratic Committee, was a regular parishioner of the Temple Israel of Hollywood, and she was married to actor Joe Ainley from 1936 to 1965 and answering machine entrepreneur Louis Lauria from 1966 to 1994 (both unions ended in the death of her husbands and during her second marriage she mothered three stepchildren). In addition, she was designated as a Disney Legend in 1996 and in 2003 the American Film Institute recognized her posthumously for her performance of Cruella de Vil ranking that character at number 39 on their listing for "100 Years of the Greatest Heroes and Villains." A lifelong smoker, she died from complications from a stroke.