* Carmen Robertson; Ex-Child Actress, Arts Booster

Carmen Robertson, 77, former child actress who became prominent in the Ojai arts community. Robertson, who was born in Los Angeles, began appearing in movies as an infant under the name Carmencita Johnson. Her earliest credits include appearances with Lillian Gish in the 1928 film “The Wind” and with Katharine Hepburn in the 1937 release “Quality Street.” As a teenager, she landed parts in Esther Williams’ water ballets because she could hold her breath for two minutes. Her last film job was an uncredited role in “A Place in the Sun,” the 1951 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. She married Jack Robertson in 1949 and moved to Long Beach to raise their five children. They moved to Ojai in 1961. Robertson helped establish Ojai’s long-running Studio Artists’ Tour and the Ojai Arts Center. Many of her friends were artists, including internationally known potter Beatrice Wood. Robertson died Tuesday at Ventura County Medical Center after a car crash that also injured her husband.