Jane Russell

Jane Russell's hand and foot prints are immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theater and she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6850 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Her film roles were few after this and she made her final film appearance in 1973. In 1989, she received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award. She returned to France to act, and appeared in La Ronde (1950). She wrote an autobiography in 1985, Jane Russell: My Path and My Detours. These films did not lead to greater success and she languished in mediocre films until the end of the war. Also in the 1970s, she started appearing in television commercials as a spokeswoman for Playtex "cross your heart bras for us full-figured gals.". With the outbreak of World War II she returned to Hollywood and RKO Studios where she achieved her greatest successes in English language cinema with The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), and the horror film Cat People.

Russell performed the role of Joanne in the play for six months. There she appeared in the film La Bete Humaine (The Human Beast) in 1938. In 1971, she starred in the musical drama Company on Broadway, replacing Elaine Stritch. Zanuck brought her to Hollywood in 1936 with a widespread publicity campaign, but her films for 20th Century Fox were only moderately successful, and Simon returned, dissatisfied, to France. Unfortunately, she made only four more movies after that, playing character parts in the final two. After seeing her in the 1934 film Lac Aux Dames (USA title: "Ladies Lake"), Darryl F. Her next movie appearance was in Fate Is the Hunter (1964), in which she was Jane Russell performing for the USO in a flashback sequence. Simon began her film career in France in 1931 and quickly established herself as one of the country's most successful film actresses.

And in November 1962, she performed in Bells are Ringing at the Westchester Town House in Yonkers, New York. Simone Simon (born April 23, 1910 in Béthune, France) is a French film actress. In the Fall of 1961, she performed in Skylark at the Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago. In the Summer of 1961, she debuted with a tour of Janus in New England. She also fulfilled later engagements in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe.

In October 1957, she debuted in a successful solo nightclub act at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. But after making The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957), which failed at the box-office, she did not appear on the silver screen again for seven years. Her performances in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, opposite Jeanne Crain, and in the drama The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) displayed her fine acting ability. They produced Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), A King and Four Queens (1956), Run for the Sun (1956) and The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957).

Russell and her first husband, Waterfield, formed Russ-Field Productions in 1955. Other co-stars include Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx in the comedy Double Dynamite (1951); Victor Mature, Vincent Price and Hoagy Carmichael in The Las Vegas Story (1952); Jeff Chandler in Foxfire (1955); and Clark Gable in The Tall Man (1955). She appeared in two movies opposite Robert Mitchum, His Kind of Woman (1951) and Macao (1952). It was an excellent movie and showed her as a talented actress.

Russell was at the height of her wry comedic talents with her performance as Dorothy Shaw in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) opposite Marilyn Monroe at 20th Century Fox, which is one of her most memorable roles. At the height of her career, Russell started the "Hollywood Christian Group," a weekly Bible study at her home for Christians in the movie business that was attended by some of the biggest names. Though her screen image was that of a sex goddess, her private life lacked sensation and scandal, such as Lana Turner and others. Russell was unable to have children and, in 1955, she founded World Adoption International Fund (WAIF), an organization to place children with adoptive families that pioneered adoptions from foreign countries by Americans.

And in 1956, she and Waterfield adopted a nine-month-old boy, Robert John. In December 1952, they adopted a fifteen-month-old boy, Thomas. In February 1952, she and Waterfield adopted a baby girl, Tracy. Russell had three husbands, NFL quarterback and producer Bob Waterfield (married April 24, 1943-divorced July 1968), actor Roger Barrett (married August 25, 1968-his death November 18, 1968) and real-estate broker John Calvin Peoples (married January 31, 1974-his death April 9, 1999).

She went on to perform with proficiency in an assortment of roles, which includes playing Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope in The Paleface (1948) on loan out to Paramount; and Mike Delroy opposite Hope in Son of Paleface (1952), again at Paramount. Though her early movies did little to show her true acting abilities, they helped parlay her into a career portraying smart, often cynical, tough "broads," with a wisecracking attitude. She was not in another movie until 1946, when she played Joan Kenwood in Young Widow for RKO. It appeared that Hughes was only interested in her being cast in movies that showcased her physique, however, reportedly refusing an offer from Darryl Zanuck for her to play Doña Sol in Blood and Sand.

Though The Outlaw was not a spectacular Western, it did well at the box-office. Besides the thousands of quips from radio comedians, including Bob Hope once introducing her as "the two and only Jane Russell," the still of her on a haystack glowering with sulking beauty and youthful sensuality as her bosoms push forcefully against her amply filled dress was a popular pin-up with Service men during World War II. During that time, Russell was kept busy doing publicity and became famous. When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946.

There were problems with the censorship of the production code over the way her ample cleavage was displayed. Although the movie was completed in 1941, it was released for a limited showing two years later. In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven year contract by millionaire Howard Hughes and made her motion picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous bust. She also modeled for photographers and, at the urging of her mother, studied drama and acting with Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop and with famed Russian actress Maria Ouspenskaya.

But her father died when he was forty-six and after graduation, she went to work as a receptionist. Her early ambition was to be a designer of some kind. In addition to music, she was interested in drama and participated in stage productions at Van Nuys High School. Jane's mother arranged for her to take piano lessons.

They lived in Burbank in 1930 and her father worked as an office manager at a soap manufacturing plant. When Jane was a child they moved temporarily to Canada, then moved to the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. Army and her mother was a former actress with a road troupe. Her father was a former commissioned 1st Lieutenant in the U.S.

Her parents married in 1917. Three of her grandparents were born in Canada, while her paternal grandmother was born in Germany. Her parents were both born in North Dakota. Her four younger brothers are Thomas Ferris Russell (born April 16, 1924), Kenneth Steven Russell (born September 2, 1925), James Hyatt Russell (born February 9, 1927) and Wallace Jay Russell (born January 31, 1929).

She was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Bemidji, Minnesota, the only daughter of Roy William Russell (January 5, 1890-July 18, 1937) and Geraldine Jacobi (January 2, 1891-December 26, 1986). Jane Russell (born June 21, 1921) is an American actress.
Jane Russell in the 1940s. Herself.

Private Screenings (1996) episode: Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell .. Ava Fontaine. Hunter (January 18, 1986) episode: Burned .. Rose Hollister.

The Yellow Rose (March 10, 1984) episode: Chapter XIX, Sacred Ground .. Rose Hollister. The Yellow Rose (February 25, 1983) episode: Chapter XVII .. Rose Hollister.

The Yellow Rose (January 7, 1983) episode: Chapter XII, Divide and Conquer .. Herself. V.I.P.-Schaukel (October 20, 1972) .. Mystery Guest.

What's My Line? (November 18, 1962) .. Death Valley Days (September 25, 1960) episode: Splinter Station. Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (January 26, 1959) episode: Ballad for a Bad Man ... Lili. Mystery Guest.

What's My Line? (August 11, 1957) .. Shower of Stars (April 2, 1956) episode: Bombshells. Alabama Tigress. Darker Than Amber (1970) (National General) ..

Shorn. Mrs. The Born Losers (1967) (American International) .. Jill Stone.

Waco (1966) (Paramount) .. Nona Williams. Johnny Reno (1966) (Paramount) .. Herself - USO performer in flashback.

Fate Is the Hunter (1964) (20th Century Fox) .. Laurel Stevens. The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) (United Artists) .. Mamie Stover.

The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) (20th Century Fox) .. aka Bad Blood (USA). Annie Caldash .. Hot Blood (1956) (Columbia) ..

Bonnie Jones/Mimi Jones. Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955) (United Artists) .. Nella Turner. The Tall Man (1955) (20th Century Fox) ..

Amanda Lawrence. Foxfire (1955) (Universal) .. aka The Big Rainbow (USA). Theresa Gray ..

Underwater! (1955) (RKO) .. Mary "Mame" Carson. The French Line (1954) (RKO) .. Dorothy Shaw.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) (20th Century Fox) .. Cameo. Road to Bali (1952) (Paramount) .. Belle Starr.

Montana Belle (1952) (RKO) .. Mike "The Torch" Delroy. Son of Paleface (1952) (Paramount) .. Julie Benson.

Macao (1952) (RKO) .. Linda Rollins. The Las Vegas Story (1952) (RKO) .. aka It's Only Money.

Mildred "Mibs" Goodhue .. Double Dynamite (1951) (RKO) .. Lenore Brent/Liz Brady. His Kind of Woman (1951) (RKO) ..

Calamity Jane. The Paleface (1948) (Paramount) .. Joan Kenwood. Young Widow (1946) (United Artists) ..

Rio. The Outlaw (1943) (United Artists), (general release: (1946) ( RKO), ..