Gone With The Wind star Mary Anderson has died at the age of 96.

The actress, who played Maybelle Merriwether in the 1939 classic, passed away on Sunday (06Apr14) at a nursing home in Burbank, California.

She was originally cast as Scarlett O'Hara in the adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's novel, but that role eventually went to Vivien Leigh, and Anderson was relegated to the role of the leading lady's cousin.

Alabama native Anderson also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat, opposite Tallulah Bankhead and Hume Cronyn, and 1940s movies Flight Angels, Cheers for Miss Bishop, The Song of Bernadette and To Each His Own. She also portrayed President Woodrow Wilson's daughter Eleanor in 1944's Wilson.

The actress also found success on Tv in America with a recurring role on Peyton Place in 1964 and appearances on shows like Perry Mason, The Californians and My Three Sons.

She was married to Oscar-winning cinematographer Leon Shamroy until his death in 1974.