Every Major Actress to Play Anne Shirley on Screen, Ranked
Few literary heroines have been brought to the screen as many times — or in as many different ways — as Anne Shirley. Since Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908, L.M. Montgomery’s imaginative, red-haired orphan has inspired everything from silent films and faithful television adaptations to darker reimaginings that took some major liberties with the original story.
Over the decades, actresses including Megan Follows, Amybeth McNulty, Ella Ballentine, and even silent film star Mary Miles Minter have put their own spin on Anne. Some became synonymous with the beloved character, while others starred in adaptations that Anne fans might find questionable.
So, which Anne Shirley reigns supreme? We’re ranking the most memorable screen versions from worst to best.
7. Mary Miles Minter — Anne of Green Gables (1919)
The first screen adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s book was 1919’s Anne of Green Gables, featuring silent film superstar Mary Miles Minter. Directed by William Desmond Taylor, the story was altered to better suit 17-year-old Minter, who was a massive box-office draw at the time. L.M. Montgomery absolutely despised this version because of the many changes made to her story.
The film is also remembered for the scandal that followed. Taylor was murdered in 1922, and both Minter and her mother were implicated in the ensuing investigation. As a result of the scandal, the studio destroyed the film. Despite a list of suspects, no one was ever charged with the crime.
6. Barbara Hershey — Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008)
Featuring a completely original screenplay, 2008’s Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning offered Barbara Hershey‘s Anne Shirley as a grief-stricken, middle-aged writer in 1945. In this version, Anne was deeply troubled by the death of Gilbert and the disappearance of their adopted son. The film also gave Anne a more Dickensian childhood than the one depicted in L.M. Montgomery’s books.
The film also starred Shirley MacLaine as Amelia Thomas, a woman who reluctantly took in young Anne after she escaped from a terrible poorhouse, with Hannah Endicott-Douglas playing Anne as a child.
Hershey made a good Anne, but she ranks low only because her version is so vastly different from the Anne audiences know and love.
5. Anne Shirley (a.k.a. Dawn O'Day) — Anne of Green Gables (1934)
Directed by George Nicholls Jr., 1934’s Anne of Green Gables featured Anne Shirley as Anne, O.P. Heggie as Matthew Cuthbert, and Helen Westley as the stern Marilla Cuthbert. This version presented an older, more mature Anne who was less eccentric than her literary counterpart and had a stronger romantic storyline.
The film also occupies a unique place in Hollywood history: Lead actress Dawn O’Day loved the character so much that she legally changed her name to Anne Shirley after making the movie.
4. Kim Braden — Anne of Green Gables (1972)
1972’s Anne of Green Gables was a British serial produced by the BBC, directed by Joan Craft, and starring Kim Braden as Anne Shirley. Critics at the time praised Braden for capturing the character’s signature emotional honesty and charm. Sadly, like many BBC serials of the 1970s, it was deemed to have low commercial value, and the master tapes of the series were wiped. However, her performance is often cited as a highlight.
Good news, though! The sequel series, 1975’s Anne of Avonlea, survived. The series followed an older Anne Shirley, with Braden returning to the role.
3. Ella Ballentine — L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (2016–2017)
Ella Ballentine starred as Anne Shirley in the 2016 television film L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. She shared the screen with Hollywood veteran Martin Sheen as Matthew Cuthbert and Sara Botsford as Marilla Cuthbert. A faithful retelling of the original novel, the film saw Ballentine play Anne as a fierce, imaginative, and talkative 11-year-old orphan, offering a far more accurate portrayal of everyone’s favorite literary ginger. It also incorporated elements of Anne’s life as an orphan from the prequel novel Before Green Gables.
2. Amybeth McNulty — Anne with an E (2017–2019)
Netflix’s Anne with an E was an emotional coming-of-age television adaptation starring Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley, an orphan who was accidentally sent to live with brother-and-sister duo Matthew (R.H. Thomson) and Marilla Cuthbert (Geraldine James). Unlike the sunnier adaptations that came before it, the series explored a deeper, darker psychological side of Anne’s story, delving into the trauma she experienced before arriving at Green Gables.
McNulty was widely praised for her performance and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2019, establishing her as one of the most acclaimed modern versions of Anne.
1. Megan Follows — Anne of Green Gables (1985)
The benchmark for which other Annes are measured. The 1985 Canadian television miniseries Anne of Green Gables was directed by Kevin Sullivan and starred Megan Follows as the spirited, red-haired orphan Anne Shirley. Follows made Anne theatrical, talkative, and imaginative while adding emotional depth to the beloved character. Her performance earned her critical praise and a Gemini Award for Best Actress, defining the character for generations of fans.
The miniseries was so successful that it was followed by 1987’s Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, also known as Anne of Avonlea, and a third installment in 2000, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story, which departed significantly from the books and followed Anne and Gilbert into adulthood during World War I.
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M
Not EVEN A QUESTION! Megan Follows. Hands-down.
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F
Seriously, Site, can you not see what's wrong with that headline and first sentence?
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