Ann Rutherford was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The daughter of a former Metropolitan Opera singer, John Rutherford, and her actress mother, Lillian Mansfield, Ann was destined for show business. Not long after her birth, her family moved to California, where she made her stage debut in 1925.

Ann appeared in many plays and on radio for the next nine years before making her first screen appearance in Waterfront Lady (1935). Ann's talent was readily apparent, and she was signed to three films in 1935: Waterfront Lady (1935), Melody Trail (1935), and The Fighting Marines (1935). By now, she was a leading lady in the fabled Westerns with two legends, John Wayne and Gene Autry.

By the time Ann was 17, she inked a deal with MGM, where she would gain the status of superstar for her portrayal of Polly Benedict in the popular Andy Hardy series with Mickey Rooney. Ann's first role as Polly was in 1938, in You're Only Young Once (1937). Three more Hardy films were produced that same year: Out West with the Hardys (1938), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), and Judge Hardy's Children (1938). Ann found time to play in other productions, too. One that is still loved today is the Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol (1938), in which she played the sweet role of the Spirit of Christmas Past.

In 1939, Ann played the role of Annie Hawks in Of Human Hearts (1938) in addition to three more Andy Hardy films. But that year also saw Ann land a role in the most popular film in film history. She played Careen O'Hara, Scarlett's little sister, in Gone with the Wind (1939). Plenty of fans of the Andy Hardy series went to see it just for Ann. The film was unquestionably a super hit. Ann then resumed making other movies.

While working for MGM, Ann, along with the other stars, was under the watchful eye of movie mogul Louis B. Mayer. The bottom line was profit, and Mayer kept performers' salaries minimized as much as possible. Most tried to get raises and failed. Even Mickey Rooney was decidedly underpaid during his glory years at MGM. But not Ann Rutherford. When she asked for a raise, she took out her bankbook and, showing him the amount it contained, told Mayer she had promised her mother a new house. Ann got her raise.

In 1942 at the age of 22, Ann appeared in her last Andy Hardy film, Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942). She then left MGM and freelanced her talent. Ann was still in demand. In 1943, she appeared in Happy Land (1943), but it was a little later in her career when she appeared in two big hits. In 1947, she played Gertrude Griswold in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Donna Elena in Adventures of Don Juan in 1948.

After that, Ann appeared in several TV programs and didn't return to the silver screen until 1972, in They Only Kill Their Masters (1972). Her last role came in 1976 in the dismal Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), whereupon she retired. Ann was approached to play the older Rose in 1998's mega hit Titanic (1997) but turned it down. She happily enjoyed her retirement being constantly deluged with fan mail and granting several interviews and appearances.

Ann Rutherford died at her Beverly Hills home on June 11, 2012 with her close friend Anne Jeffreys by her side. She was 94 years old.

Therese Ann Rutherford (2 de novembre de 1917 - 11 de juny de 2012) va ser una actriu nord-americana d'origen canadenc de cinema, ràdio i televisió.

安·卢瑟福出生于加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华。作为前大都会歌剧院歌手约翰·卢瑟福（John Rutherford）和她的女演员母亲莉莲·曼斯菲尔德（Lillian Mansfield）的女儿，安注定要进入演艺界。她出生后不久，她的家人搬到了加利福尼亚，她于 1925 年在那里首次亮相舞台。

在接下来的九年里，安出现在许多戏剧和广播中，然后在《海滨女士》（1935 年）中首次出现在银幕上。安的才华显而易见，她在 1935 年签约了三部电影：《海滨女士》（1935 年）、《旋律小径》（1935 年）和《战斗海军陆战队》（1935 年）。到现在为止，她是传说中的西部片的女主角，拥有两位传奇人物，约翰·韦恩和吉恩·奥特里。

到 17 岁时，她与米高梅签署了一项协议，在那里她将因在流行的安迪·哈迪系列中与米奇·鲁尼一起饰演波莉·本尼迪克特而获得超级巨星的地位。安的第一个角色是 1938 年的《你只年轻一次》（1937 年）。同年又制作了三部哈代电影：《与哈代一家一起西部》（1938 年）、《爱找到安迪·哈代》（1938 年）和《哈代法官的孩子》（1938 年）。安也抽出时间在其他作品中演出。查尔斯·狄更斯（Charles Dickens）的经典之作《圣诞颂歌》（1938）至今仍深受喜爱，她在剧中扮演了圣诞往事精神的甜蜜角色。

1939 年，安在《人心》（1938 年）中扮演安妮·霍克斯的角色，此外还有三部安迪·哈迪的电影。但那一年，安也在电影史上最受欢迎的电影中扮演了一个角色。她在《乱世佳人》（1939 年）中扮演斯嘉丽的妹妹卡琳·奥哈拉。安迪·哈迪（Andy Hardy）系列的很多粉丝都去看了，只是为了安。这部电影无疑是一部超级热门的电影。安随后继续制作其他电影。

在米高梅工作期间，安和其他明星一起受到电影大亨路易斯·B·梅耶尔的监视。底线是利润，梅耶尔尽可能地将表演者的工资降到最低。大多数人试图加薪，但都失败了。甚至米奇·鲁尼（Mickey Rooney）在米高梅（MGM）的辉煌岁月中也明显被低估了。但不是安·卢瑟福。当她要求加薪时，她拿出她的存折，向他展示了里面的金额，告诉梅耶尔她已经答应给母亲一栋新房子。安得到了加薪。

1942 年，22 岁的安出现在她的最后一部安迪·哈迪电影《安迪·哈迪的双重生活》（1942 年）中。然后她离开了米高梅，自由地发挥了自己的才华。安仍然很受欢迎。1943 年，她出演了《快乐之地》（1943 年），但在她的职业生涯中，她出演了两部热门歌曲。1947 年，她在《沃尔特·米蒂的秘密生活》中饰演格特鲁德·格里斯沃尔德，1948 年在《唐璜历险记》中饰演唐娜·埃琳娜。

在那之后，安出现在几个电视节目中，直到 1972 年才重返银幕，在《他们只杀死他们的主人》（1972 年）中。她的最后一个角色是在 1976 年出演了惨淡的 Won Ton Ton： The Dog Who Saved Hollywood （1976），然后她退休了。安被邀请在 1998 年的热门电影《泰坦尼克号》（1997 年）中扮演年长的罗斯，但拒绝了。她很开心地享受着退休生活，经常被粉丝的邮件淹没，并接受了几次采访和露面。

安·卢瑟福于2012年6月11日在比佛利山庄的家中去世，她的密友安妮·杰弗里斯（Anne Jeffreys）在她身边。她享年94岁。