Ann Robinson, actress from original 'War of the Worlds,' dies at 96

Actress Ann Robinson, best known for her role in the sci-fi classic "The War of the Worlds," has died. She was 96.

Robinson, who played Sylvia Van Buren in the original film adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel, died on Sept. 26, 2025, at her home in Los Angeles, Robinson's granddaughter, Tori Bravo, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, May 17. A cause of death was not disclosed.

USA TODAY has reached out to Robinson's representatives for comment.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Robinson got her start in entertainment as a stunt performer. At 21, she scored an appearance in the 1950 Western "Frenchie," starring Joel McCrea and Shelley Winters, thanks to her childhood background as a horseback rider.

"My father started me riding when I was around 5, and I learned on an English saddle," Robinson told The Spectrum, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2016. "Years later, my mother and I were shopping one day when we pulled into a parking lot and I recognized Johnny Carpenter, a famous B-western star.

"He invited me to ride his horses and taught me how to ride Western style, how to rope – how to be a cowboy! When he made a short film about a group of blind men he taught to ride – The Blind Rhythm Riders – he put me in it."

After appearing in several minor roles in films such as "Black Midnight," "The Damned Don't Cry," "All About Eve," "Goodbye, My Fancy" and "The Cimarron Kid," Robinson was discovered by producer George Pal, who cast her opposite Gene Barry in "The War of the Worlds."

The Byron Haskin-directed film follows the apocalyptic troubles that befall the Southern California town of Linda Rosa when hordes of Martians decide to invade Earth. Nuclear physicist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Barry) and Sylvia Van Buren, niece of a pastor, are tasked with fending off the alien attackers.

In one memorable scene, Sylvia and Dr. Forrester hide from the Martians in an old farmhouse. Later, one of the aliens extends its three-fingered hand and gently touches Sylvia's shoulder from behind, triggering Robinson's now-iconic expression of terror.

"Byron Haskin, the director, had worked on earlier war films, so he knew how to photograph a battle," Robinson previously told The Spectrum. "And those flying Martian machines were just spectacular. I don't care how big your modern TV screen is. If you see this movie on the big screen in a theater, it's a completely different experience."

Released in 1953, "The War of the Worlds" grossed $2 million at the box office and earned an Academy Award for best special effects.

Following her silver-screen breakthrough, Robinson went on to appear in a number of films and TV series throughout the '50s and '60s, including "Dragnet," "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger," "Fury" "Imitation of Life" and "Days of Our Lives."

Robinson reprised her "War of the Worlds" role several times, starting with the 1988 horror-comedy satire "Midnight Movie Massacre." She also appeared in several episodes of the "War of the Worlds" TV series from 1988 to 1989.

In 2005, over 50 years after the release of "The War of The Worlds," the sci-fi icon revisited her cinematic legacy with another reprisal of Sylvia in the genre parody film "The Naked Monster." That same year, Robinson was featured in "The War of the Worlds" remake, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise.

"Steven was just so adorable. He came up behind me, squatted down and placed three fingers on my left shoulder and yelled, 'Someone take my picture!'" Robinson told The Spectrum in 2016. "Apparently, 'War of the Worlds' was one of his favorite films growing up. As for Tom, you couldn't meet a nicer young man. He was just so much fun."

Robinson added that she was treated like "royalty" during the film's production.

"My son, who was with me, told me he heard people saying, 'She's here, she's here!' after we arrived on the set," she continued. "Then, for the Ziegfeld Theater premiere, they flew me to New York first-class, put me up in a beautiful hotel overlooking Central Park and arranged for a limousine to drive my family around. I waited 60 years to get that treatment!"

Robinson's final performance was a voiceover role in the 2020 film "The Last Page of Summer."

Contributing: Nick Thomas, The Spectrum