Gloria Stuart, 100, a glamorous blond actress who starred in 1930s horror films and musicals before reviving a long-dormant career in 1997 with her Oscar-nominated performance as the older version of Kate Winslet's character, Rose, in the box-office smash "Titanic," died Sept. 26 at her home in West Los Angeles. She had received a diagnosis of lung cancer several years ago, said her daughter Sylvia Thompson, who confirmed the death.
In the role of a 101-year-old Titanic survivor, Ms. Stuart narrated the James Cameron-directed film and served as the linchpin of its past and present-day story lines. Her effective portrayal of a feisty, headstrong character made her the oldest actress to ever be nominated for an Academy Award.
She lost to Kim Basinger in "L.A. Confidential," even as "Titanic" swept many of the awards that year, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Many profiles of Ms. Stuart suggested that her nomination was largely sentimental, but she won admiration from several prominent movie critics.
Ms. Stuart had all but abandoned acting when a casting director contacted her and asked her to audition for the part in "Titanic."
Cameron was looking for an actress whose heyday had been Hollywood's golden era, and Ms. Stuart filled the bill.
She joked later to the New York Times that she was cast because, at 87, she was one of few actresses in her age group who was "still viable, not alcoholic, rheumatic or falling down."
After the success of "Titanic," Ms. Stuart received new acting offers. Many, she said with resignation, were a variation on "sweet old ladies." She turned them all down, instead agreeing to eccentric parts such as a bag lady in the crime drama "The Million Dollar Hotel" (2000), directed by Wim Wenders.
