Lucille Bliss, voice of Smurfette, dies at 96 John Mueller, Hanna-Barbera Lucille Bliss and Smurfette. Lucille Bliss, the voice actress whose 60-year career including starring as Smurfette in the 1980s animated series "The Smurfs," has died. She was 96. Bliss died Nov. 8 of natural causes at an assisted living center in Costa Mesa, Calif., the Orange County coroner told the Los Angeles Times. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2012 Bliss worked steadily up until the time of her death after getting her start in 1950 with a voice role in Disney's "Cinderella" as the stepsister Anastasia. Her big break came with the title role in the original"Crusader Rabbit," which was the first animated series to be produced specifically for television. The show, which originally aired on NBC from 1950-52, was co-created by Jay Ward of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" and "Dudley Do-Right" fame. Bliss later voiced the original Elroy in the 1960s TV series "The Jetsons" (she reportedly lost that job when she refused to work under a stage name to cover up the fact the she was a woman voicing a little boy) as well as characters in "The Flintstones" and animated "Star Wars" spinoffs. But she will perhaps be best remembered as the voice of Smurfette in the beloved '80s series. The character, as voiced by Bliss, also appeared in several TV movies and specials throughout the decade. Katy Perry voiced the character in the 2011 big-screen version along with its upcoming sequel. More recently, she had voice roles in the movie "Robots" and the TV series "Avatar: The Last Airbender." PHOTOS: THR's award season roundtable series: animation Bliss was born March 31, 1916, in New York to Frieda Siemens, a classically trained pianist who wanted Bliss to train as an opera singer, and James Francis Bliss. After her father died in 1928, she and her mother moved to San Francisco, where Bliss took acting lessons. She later borrowed $50 to move to Los Angeles for the "Cinderella" audition. Bliss never married and has no immediate survivors. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.