Oscar Nominee Juanita Moore Dies at 99

Variety reports that film actress Juanita Moore, who received an Academy Award nomination for her role in 1959's "Imitation of Life," died on Tuesday, December 31, 2013 at her home in Los Angeles. The news was shared by her step-grandson, actor Kirk Kahn. She was 99.

Moore began her career as a chorus girl at the Cotton Club before becoming a film extra while working in theater. She made her film debut in 1949's Pinky.

Her role in the 1959 remake of Imitation of Life as housekeeper Annie Johnson, whose daughter Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner) passes for white, won her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for the role.

Moore continued to perform in front of the camera, with a role in the movie Disney's The Kid (2000) and guest-starring roles on television shows Dragnet, Marcus Welby, M.D., ER and Judging Amy.

The actress, who was a founding member of the Cambridge Players along with thespians such as Esther Rolle, was recently honored at the Black Theater Festival in North Carolina.