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Jennifer Jones Actress
Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an acclaimed American actress and advocate for mental health. With a career spanning over five decades, she received five Oscar nominations, winning Best Actress once, along with a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama.
Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jennifer Jones Actress initially pursued modeling before venturing into acting, making her debut in two serial films in 1939. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Bernadette Soubirous in The Song of Bernadette (1943), which earned her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Throughout the mid-1940s, she starred in several films that garnered critical acclaim, earning three more Academy Award nominations for Since You Went Away (1944), Love Letters (1945), and Duel in the Sun (1946).
In 1949, Jennifer Jones Actress wed film producer David O. Selznick and took on the title role in Vincente Minnelli’s adaptation of Madame Bovary. Continuing her success into the 1950s, she appeared in notable films like Ruby Gentry (1952), John Huston’s Beat the Devil (1953), and Vittorio De Sica’s Terminal Station (1953). Her portrayal as a Eurasian doctor in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) earned her a fifth Academy Award nomination.
Following Selznick’s passing in 1965, Jennifer Jones Actress married industrialist Norton Simon and gradually scaled back her acting career. Her final screen appearance was in The Towering Inferno (1974).
Throughout her life, Jennifer Jones Actress battled mental health issues, particularly after her daughter’s tragic death in 1976. Deeply committed to mental health education, she established the Jennifer Jones Simon Foundation for Mental Health and Education in 1980. Jones spent her later years in Malibu, California, leading a peaceful retirement until her passing from natural causes at the age of 90 in 2009.
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S
Name
Other names
Date of Birth
Birth of Place
Date of Death
Death Place
Resting place
Phylis Lee Isley
Jennifer Jones Actress
March 2, 1919
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
December 17, 2009
Malibu, California, U.S.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
School
Northwestern University
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Profession
Nationality
Career
1st Spouse
Relationship
2st Spouse
Relationship
3st Spouse
Relationship
Children
Actress
1939–1974
Robert Walker
1939 – 1945
David O. Selznick
1949 – died 1965
Norton Simon
1971 – died 1993
3
Career
Jennifer Jones Actress was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Flora Mae (née Suber) and Phillip Ross Isley. Her father hailed from Georgia, while her mother was a native of Sacramento, California. Raised as an only child in a Catholic household, Jennifer Jones Actress accompanied her parents, who were aspiring stage actors, on their tours across the Midwest with a traveling tent show they owned and operated. Occasionally, she performed as part of the Isley Stock Company.
In 1925, Jennifer Jones Actress began her education at Edgemere Public School in Oklahoma City before moving on to Monte Cassino, a Catholic girls’ school and junior college in Tulsa. Following her graduation, she pursued a drama major at Northwestern University in Illinois, where she became a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Later, she transferred to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in September 1937. It was there that she met and fell in love with fellow acting student Robert Walker, a native of Ogden, Utah. They tied the knot on January 2, 1939.
Jennifer Jones Actress and Walker returned to Tulsa for a 13-week radio program arranged by her father before relocating to Hollywood. Her early roles included appearances in the 1939 John Wayne Western “New Frontier” and the serial titled “Dick Tracy’s G-Men” (1939), both for Republic Pictures, where she was credited as Phylis Isley. Despite these initial opportunities, Jennifer Jones Actress faced disappointment after failing a screen test for Paramount Pictures, leading her to return to New York City feeling disenchanted with Hollywood.
1940–1948
Shortly after marrying Walker, Jennifer Jones Actress gave birth to two sons: Robert Walker Jr. (1940–2019) and Michael Walker (1941–2007). While Walker found consistent work in radio programs, Jennifer Jones Actress pursued part-time modeling gigs for the Powers Agency and posed for Harper’s Bazaar while actively seeking acting opportunities.
In the summer of 1941, Jennifer Jennifer Jones Actress Actress discovered auditions for the lead role in Rose Franken’s popular play Claudia. Despite feeling disheartened after what she believed to be a poor reading at David O. Selznick’s New York office, Selznick, who had overheard her audition, was impressed enough to arrange another meeting. Subsequently, she was signed to a seven-year contract and underwent a transformation, adopting the stage name Jennifer Jones. Director Henry King was particularly impressed by her screen test for the role of Bernadette Soubirous in The Song of Bernadette (1943), ultimately casting her in the lead role over numerous contenders. Remarkably, on her 25th birthday in 1944, Jones won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Bernadette, marking her third screen appearance.
During her rise to fame with The Song of Bernadette, Jennifer Jones Actress embarked on a romantic relationship with producer Selznick. She separated from Walker in November 1943, appeared alongside him in Since You Went Away (1944), and finalized their divorce in June 1945. Her performance in Since You Went Away earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. She garnered a third consecutive nomination for her role opposite Joseph Cotten in Love Letters (1945).
Jennifer Jones Actress virtuous on-screen persona from her breakout role sharply contrasted with her portrayal as a biracial woman in Selznick’s controversial film Duel in the Sun (1946), where she depicted a mixed-race indigenous orphan in Texas entangled in a tumultuous romance with a white man, played by Gregory Peck. In the same year, she starred as the titular character in Ernst Lubitsch’s romantic comedy Cluny Brown as a working-class English woman who finds love amidst the backdrop of World War II. Jennifer Jones Actress also appeared in the fantasy film Portrait of Jennie (1948), opposite Cotten once again. However, despite its literary source material, the film failed to perform well commercially, grossing only $1.5 million against a budget of $4 million.
1949–1964
Jennifer Jones Actress and Selznick exchanged vows at sea on July 13, 1949, during a voyage to Europe, marking the culmination of their five-year courtship. Over the subsequent two decades, Jennifer Jones Actress featured in numerous films produced by Selznick, establishing a fruitful working relationship. In 1949, she starred opposite John Garfield in John Huston’s adventure film We Were Strangers. However, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times critiqued her performance, noting a lack of depth and passion in her portrayal.
Following this, Jennifer Jennifer Jones Actress Actress assumed the title role in Vincente Minnelli’s Madame Bovary (1949), a character initially intended for Lana Turner. Although the film received mixed reviews, with Variety describing it as challenging to connect emotionally, Jones’s portrayal earned praise for her adeptness in meeting the demands of the script and direction. In 1950, she took on the role of a superstitious gypsy woman in the Powell and Pressburger-directed fantasy Gone to Earth.
Subsequently, Jennifer Jones Actress starred in William Wyler’s drama Carrie (1952) alongside Laurence Olivier, though her performance received criticism for deviating from the essence of the character. She also appeared in Ruby Gentry (1952) with Charlton Heston, portraying a femme fatale entangled in a murder conspiracy. The film garnered unfavorable reviews, with Variety remarking on the lack of sympathy generated by the lead actors.
In 1953, Jennifer Jones Actress was cast opposite Montgomery Clift in Vittorio De Sica’s Terminal Station (Stazione termini), a film beset by production conflicts and personal challenges for Jones, including the recent loss of her first husband. Terminal Station faced difficulties in both production and release, undergoing significant editing and truncation. Despite its troubled history, Jones reunited with John Huston for Beat the Devil (1953), a film that initially flopped but later gained recognition for its campy qualities.
In 1955, Jennifer Jones Actress received acclaim for her portrayal of Chinese-born doctor Han Suyin in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, earning her fifth Academy Award nomination. She continued to diversify her roles, starring as a schoolteacher in Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) and taking on lead roles in subsequent dramas such as The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956).
Her later projects included portraying poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957) and featuring in the Ernest Hemingway adaptation A Farewell to Arms (1957). While the latter received mixed reviews, Jones’s performance garnered attention. She returned to the screen in Tender Is the Night (1962), an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, marking her continued versatility and dedication to her craft.
1965–2009
After Selznick passed away at the age of 63 on June 22, 1965, Jennifer Jones Actress significantly reduced her acting commitments. She returned to the screen after a four-year hiatus with a leading role in the British drama “The Idol” (1966), portraying the mother of an adult son entangled in a complex affair amidst the backdrop of Swinging Sixties London.
In a rare theatrical appearance in 1966, Jennifer Jones Actress starred in a revival of Clifford Odets’ “The Country Girl” alongside Rip Torn at New York’s City Center. Tragically, on November 9, 1967, the same day her close friend Charles Bickford passed away, Jones attempted suicide. She confided her intent to leap from a cliff overlooking Malibu Beach to her physician, consuming barbiturates before being discovered unconscious near the shoreline. Biographer Paul Green suggested that news of Bickford’s death precipitated Jones’s suicide attempt. Following the incident, she was hospitalized in a coma.
Returning to film in 1969, Jennifer Jones Actress appeared in “Angel, Angel, Down We Go,” portraying a teenage girl exploiting her connection with a rock band to manipulate her family. On May 29, 1971, she married Norton Simon, a wealthy industrialist and art collector, aboard a tugboat off the English coast.
Jennifer Jones Actress final film role came in the disaster epic “The Towering Inferno” (1974), where her portrayal of a doomed guest earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Notably, paintings lent by Simon’s art gallery featured in early scenes of the film.
Tragedy struck again on May 11, 1976, when Jones’s 21-year-old daughter Mary died by suicide in Los Angeles. This event spurred Jones’s advocacy for mental health awareness. In 1979, she and her husband founded the Jennifer Jones Simon Foundation for Mental Health and Education, aiming to destigmatize mental illness. Jones openly shared her own experiences with mental health challenges and therapy, advocating for a more compassionate understanding of mental illness.
Following her husband’s death in 1993, Jennifer Jones Actress assumed leadership roles at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. She oversaw significant renovations alongside prominent architects and designers until her retirement in 2003, receiving emerita status for her contributions. Throughout her later years, Jennifer Jones Actress remained dedicated to mental health advocacy and philanthropy, leaving a lasting impact beyond her celebrated acting career.
Personal life
Jones, a registered Republican, threw her support behind Dwight Eisenhower’s campaign in the 1952 presidential election.
Throughout much of her life, Jones grappled with shyness, opting to steer clear of discussions regarding her personal life and past when interacting with journalists. She also evaded conversations centered on critical analysis of her work. Despite her reservations, Jones’ professional partnership with Selznick often overshadowed her individual career. Biographer Paul Green argues that while Selznick played a role in advancing her career and securing roles for her, Jones’ success stemmed from her exceptional beauty coupled with genuine talent. Jones hailed from Tulsa, Oklahoma, born to Flora Mae (née Suber) and Phillip Ross Isley. Her father hailed from Georgia, while her mother was a Sacramento, California native. Raised in a Catholic household, she was their only child. Her parents, both aspiring stage actors, toured the Midwest with their traveling tent show, the Isley Stock Company, with Jones occasionally performing alongside them. In 1925, she commenced her education at Edgemere Public School in Oklahoma City before attending Monte Cassino, a Catholic girls’ school, and junior college in Tulsa. Following her graduation, she pursued a drama major at Northwestern University in Illinois, where she became a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority before transferring to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in September 1937. It was there that she crossed paths with fellow acting student Robert Walker, a native of Ogden, Utah, with whom she fell in love. The two tied the knot on January 2, 1939.
Jones and Walker embarked on a 13-week radio program in Tulsa orchestrated by her father before relocating to Hollywood. Her early ventures included two minor roles, first in the 1939 John Wayne Western “New Frontier,” filmed in the summer of 1939 for Republic Pictures, followed by the serial “Dick Tracy’s G-Men” (1939), also for Republic. Credited as Phylis Isley in both films, Jones’ Hollywood aspirations dimmed after an unsuccessful screen test for Paramount Pictures, leading her to retreat to New York City.
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| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | New Frontier | Celia Braddock |
| Dick Tracy’s G-Men | Gwen Andrews | |
| 1943 | The Song of Bernadette | Bernadette Soubirous |
| 1944 | Since You Went Away | Jane Deborah Hilton |
| 1945 | Love Letters | Singleton / Victoria Morland |
| 1946 | Cluny Brown | Cluny Brown |
| Duel in the Sun | Pearl Chavez | |
| 1948 | Portrait of Jennie | Jennie Appleton |
| 1949 | We Were Strangers | China Valdés |
| Madame Bovary | Emma Bovary | |
| 1950 | Gone to Earth | Hazel Woodus |
| 1952 | Carrie | Carrie Meeber |
| Ruby Gentry | Ruby Gentry | |
| 1953 | Terminal Station | Mary Forbes |
| Beat the Devil | Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm | |
| 1955 | Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing | Dr. Han Suyin |
| Good Morning, Miss Dove | Miss Dove | |
| 1956 | The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit | Betsy Rath |
| 1957 | The Barretts of Wimpole Street | Elizabeth Barrett |
| A Farewell to Arms | Catherine Barkley | |
| 1962 | Tender Is the Night | Nicole Diver |
| 1966 | The Idol | Carol |
| 1969 | Angel, Angel, Down We Go | Astrid Steele |
| 1974 | The Towering Inferno | Lisolette Mueller |
Television / TV
Theatre
Special Appearances
Songs
Dubbing
Awards
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Best Actress | Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing | Nominated |
| 1947 | Duel in the Sun | Nominated | |
| 1946 | Love Letters | Nominated | |
| 1945 | Best Supporting Actress | Since You Went Away | Nominated |
| 1944 | Best Actress | The Song of Bernadette | Won |
Golden Globe Awards
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | The Towering Inferno | Nominated |
| 1944 | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | The Song of Bernadette | Won |
