Beautiful actress and leading lady Muriel Evans passed away on Thursday, December 26, 2000, at the age of 90 of colon cancer, in Los Angeles, California. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Evans started acting at the age of 12, working in stock theater and silent films. As a young woman, a Times entertainment writer predicted that she would “achieve the pinnacle of filmdom.” Evans did, and appeared in over 40 films during the 1930s and ’40s.
Evans was a brilliant actress and was cast in both comedic and dramatic roles. She appeared in such Westerns as The New Frontier and King of the Pecos, both with John Wayne, and Roll, Wagons Roll and Westbound Stage, both with Tex Ritter. Other Western roles had Evans working in The Roaring West, Silverspurs, Boss Rider of Gun Creek, and Law for Tombstone, all with the legendary Buck Jones. Evans retired from acting in the 1940s.