by promoting his wife's career. It was alleged that 18 of her 20 films had been flops. Yates' and Vera's relatives were pushed out of Republic and the film business in 1959, the same year Republic's board decided to switch emphasis from film production to distribution. Yates died in 1966, leaving half of his estate ($8 million) to Ralston; she suffered a nervous breakdown shortly thereafter. Eventually, she remarried a businessman 11 years her junior and lived quietly in southern California. She died on February 9, 2003, in Santa Barbara, California, after a long battle with cancer. For her work in films, Ralston has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Legacy A registered Republican, she supported Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election. Filmography References External links Ralston timeline Year of birth uncertain 2003 deaths American film actresses American female single skaters Czech female single skaters Czechoslovak female single skaters Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States Olympic figure skaters of Czechoslovakia Figure skaters at the 1936 Winter Olympics American people of Bohemian descent Figure skaters from Prague Deaths from cancer in California Actresses from Prague 20th-century American actresses Naturalized citizens of the United States California Republicans Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery 21st-century American women