<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $6.4 million (est . US / Canada rentals) </Td> </Tr> <P> Imitation of Life is a 1959 American romantic drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter and released by Universal International, starring Lana Turner and John Gavin . It was Sirk's final Hollywood film and dealt with issues of race, class and gender . </P> <P> The cast also features Sandra Dee, Dan O'Herlihy, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda and Juanita Moore as Annie Johnson . Kohner and Moore received Academy Award nominations for their performances . Gospel music star Mahalia Jackson appears as a church choir soloist . </P> <P> Imitation of Life is the second film adaptation of Fannie Hurst's novel of the same name; the first was released in 1934 and starred Claudette Colbert . In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected Imitation of Life for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" just like the original 1934 film . </P>

Who played annie johnson in imitation of life