Dana Wynter, an actress best known for her performance in the classic 1956 science fiction movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers, died May 5, 2011, in Ojai, California. She was 79.

According to new reports, the cause was congestive heart failure.

A familiar presence on television in the 1950s and ’60s, Wynter also appeared in such films as Airport and The List of Adrian Messenger.

Born Dagmar Winter in Berlin, Germany, on June 8, 1931, she grew up in England and studied to be a doctor at Rhodes University in South Africa before turning to acting.

Wynter starred with Robert Lansing in the ABC series The Man Who Never Was and was also seen on Wagon Train, Cannon, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, Hart to Hart and many other series. Her final credit was the 1993 made-for-television movie The Return of Ironside.

She is survived by her son.