Shirley Mills

Shirley Mills
Shirley Mills in Child Bride
Born	(1926-04-08)April 8, 1926 Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Died	March 31, 2010(2010-03-31) (aged 83) Arcadia, California, U.S.
Other names	Shirley O. Mills Shirley O'Mills
Years active	1938–1956
Spouse(s)	Mel Hanson (1977–1995; his death)

Shirley Olivia Mills (April 8, 1926 – March 31, 2010) was an American actress, best known for her roles as the youngest daughter in The Grapes of Wrath and as the title character in Child Bride. In the latter, she is shown nude in a nude swimming scene, filmed when she was about 12 years old, which became the basis for Child Bride being classified for many years as an exploitation film.

Born in Tacoma, Washington, Mills started her career as a child dancer, and later appeared in films such as Child Bride (1938) at the age of 12, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and the Shirley Temple film Young People (1940). She stopped making films in her early twenties, and went on to be a singer and a data processing salesperson. She married Mel Hanson in 1977 who died in 1995; they had no children.

Shirley Hanson died in Arcadia, California on March 31, 2010, eight days before her 84th birthday, from complications of pneumonia. She was a devout Christian.