Anne Shirley is a strong-willed, freckled, red-headed orphan brought to life by L.M. Montgomery in the Anne of Green Gables book series. She was portrayed by Megan Follows in the 1985 Sullivan Entertainment production of Anne of Green Gables.

We first meet Anne when she is living with and working for the Hammonds. Mr. Hammond dies at the beginning of the story and Mrs. Hammond takes Anne back to the orphanage. After 6 months in the orphanage Anne is chosen to go live with a family on Prince Edward Island (Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert). Anne is truly thrilled about this, and she chattered all the way to Green Gables when Matthew picked her up. He knew that a mistake had been made (they really wanted a boy to help with the farm work), but he took her home anyway. Marilla is really upset about the situation, but she decides to have a short trial period to determine whether or not Anne stays. They decide to keep the freckled, red-haired chatterbox and life was never dull after that. Matthew took a special liking to her. He liked it when she talked to him because he didn't have to say much. He was a man of few words. Marilla took liking to her too. She just wasn't as obvious about it. In fact Anne was very popular throughout the whole community. Almost everyone liked her.

Before Anne is put into school, she meets Diana Barry at a Sunday school picnic. They immediatly become "bosom" friends. They even won a three-legged race beating out all the boys. Anne is put into school where she is teased by Gilbert Blythe, whom she met at the Sunday school picnic. He called her "Carrots", so she broke a slate over his head. Then later at home she decided to dye her hair with some sye she bought from a peddler. It turned her hair green, so it had to be cut off. For the next few years, she holds a grudge against Gilbert even though he apoligized many times for what he had said. She evetually forgave him, and they became good friends. At the end of the movie, he even gave up the Avonlea school so she could teach there and be close to Marilla after Matthew died.