Though she also starred in the 1954 film Dragnet, Ann Robinson was perhaps best known to science fiction fans as Sylvia Van Buren in War of the Worlds (1953). However, the actor admitted that, at the time of filming, she had no idea what an enormous impact the film would have on the genre. “I think I was too young and inexperienced to realize we were doing such a great movie,” said Robinson during an interview with The Los Angeles Times. “I knew it after I saw it.” As time went on, Robinson’s film roles became fewer and farther between. The actor had also made a name for herself in television, appearing in episodes of Gilligan’s Island and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Years later, after Robinson had quietly slipped out of the spotlight, The War of the Worlds experienced a resurgence in popularity. “I didn’t realize until now, until I got involved with War of the Worlds again, that a lot of people thought I must have died,” said the actor. “Or wrinkled up or faded away. I have been in suspended animation for 25 years.”

Of course, fans were eager to hear Robinson’s own experiences filming The War of the Worlds.

“I was amazed to learn that people had been looking for me,” said Robinson. “One woman came up to me at the convention and said, ‘Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you all these years.’ Now people are asking me to lecture in classes, do speaking engagements, and science-fiction conventions, and TV and radio shows.”