Cara Williams' Health Condition Before Death Revealed: 'The Defiant Ones' Star was 96
Cara Williams, popularly known for her 1958 film "The Defiant Ones" and one of Hollywood's last Golden Age legends, has tragically passed away at the age of 96.
According to the New York Post, the actress died last week due to a heart attack.
Her daughter Justine Jagoda and great-nephew Richard Potter also confirmed the tragic news to Variety, saying she was a tremendous actress who's good in comedic timing, humor, and over-the-top personality.
Williams is known to make many people around her laugh and smile. "She was everything that you could wish for in a mother and more. It's a sad loss to lose a woman from this incredible era," Jagod added.
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, the actress was born Bernice Kamiat in 1952. Later in life, she moved to Hollywood to scout for bigger opportunities.
At the age of 16, 20th Century Fox signed her as an actress and has appeared in small and uncredited roles at first.
Williams didn't stop pursuing her goals until her big break in the 1958 movie "The Defiant Ones." She starred along with big stars such as Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier.
Her role in the film was the lover of Curtis' character, an escaped convict named John "Joker" Jackson.
The actress' hard work paid off as she was later nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards.
Aside from starring in movies, Williams also took the world of television by storm after appearing as Gladys in the hit CBS series "Pete and Gladys," which led her to snag an Emmy nomination.
As her name continued to blossom in Hollywood, she later had her TV show titled "The Cara Williams Show," which ran from 1964 to 1965.
Per IMBd, her other TV credits include "Knock on Any Door" (1953) with Humphrey Bogart and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
For movies, she starred in "The Girl Next Door" (1953), "The Great Diamond Robbery" (1954), "Meet Me in Las Vegas" (1956), and many more.
Regarding her personal life, Williams was married three times. She tied the knot with her first husband, Alan Gray, in 1945. They had a child together but later got separated after two years.
Her second husband was actor John Drew Barrymore; they had a son who also worked in the Hollywood scene named John Blythe, the father of Drew Barrymore.
Finally, her last husband was Asher Dann, a real estate mogul whom she married in 1964. Dann died in 2018.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, a memorial service will occur at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City, California, on December 15.
