One of my favorite actresses was Jeanne Crain. What can you tell me about her life?
—D.K. Weese, Purgitsville, W.Va.
Crain, who was born in Barstow, Calif., made more than 60 films and gained fame during the World War II and postwar years in lightweight comedies and romances. She starred in Home in Indiana, Winged Victory, State Fair, Cheaper by the Dozen, A Letter to Three Wives, The Joker Is Wild and Pinky, which earned her an Oscar nomination in 1949 for her portrayal of a light-skinned black woman everyone thinks is white. The mother of seven died of a heart attack in 2003 at age 78.