Millie Perkins had never studied acting when she was selected for the title role in the 1959 film version of 鈥淭he Diary of Anne Frank.鈥�
Perkins鈥� sensitive portrayal of the young girl who hid from the Nazis during World War II and died in the Holocaust made Perkins famous, but a major film career failed to materialize.
She played minor movie roles, but by the 1970s she had disappeared from the Hollywood scene, prompting syndicated columnist Dick Kleiner to report she had died. Perkins responded she was alive in Jacksonville, Ore.
Twice divorced, Perkins had left Hollywood, searching for a simpler life and a place to raise her two daughters. A 1977 article in People Magazine described her life in Southern Oregon, where she often spoke to local high school drama groups and gave drama-therapy lessons in her living room on Tuesday nights. She described Jacksonville as 鈥渢he most beautiful spot I鈥檝e ever been in.鈥�
Perkins eventually returned to Hollywood, where she had supporting roles in movies and television. She said her life in Jacksonville gave her the strength to make a comeback. 鈥淭he Diary of Anne Frank鈥� remains her most famous role.
Sources: Reiss, Al. "No Role Could Ever Match 'Anne Frank,' So Millie Perkins Retreated to Rural Oregon." People.com, 28 Nov. 1977, .; Works Cited: Perlee, Dave. "Millie Perkins or Imposter?" Olean Times Herald, 22 Nov. 1978.
