Jennifer Jones
Died
Dec. 17, 2009
in Malibu, CA
Jennifer Jones, who won an Academy Award for her luminous performance in the 1943 film "The Song of Bernadette," was married to two legendary men — producer David O. Selznick and industrialist and art collector Norton Simon. But she was best known for her movie career. In all, she starred in more than two dozen films, playing opposite such A-list actors as William Holden, Joseph Cotten and Gregory Peck. The tall, sensitive Jones might never have risen to stardom but for Selznick, who was the first to see something special in the beautiful "big-eyed girl" named Phylis Isley who showed up in his New York office to test — although not very well — for the part of Claudia in the 1943 film of the same name. (Dorothy McGuire won the role.) After seeing her second test, he decided she was "the best sure-fire female star to come along since Leigh and Bergman" — referring to Vivien Leigh and Ingrid Bergman, both then under contract to the producer. He found the young actress a new name and began grooming her for stardom, finding Jones her first big role in "Bernadette" and, afterward, producing or choosing most of her films. He endlessly pestered Hollywood with his memos about her makeup, her camera angles, her costumes. She was his protege, his obsession, his crusade, eventually his lover and, finally, his wife.
|
Related stars
|
|
Points of interest
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Best Actress | The Song of Bernadette | Win |
| 1944 | Best Supporting Actress | Since You Went Away | Nomination |
| 1945 | Best Actress | Love Letters | Nomination |
| 1946 | Best Actress | Duel in the Sun | Nomination |
| 1955 | Best Actress | Love Is a Many Splendored Thing | Nomination |
Permalink
|
Delicious
|
Digg
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Enjoy more stories like this for 
Share a thought about Jennifer Jones
Did you ever meet Jennifer Jones? Share your memory.
Which other stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have connections to Jennifer Jones?
Are other places in the world important to Jennifer Jones?
Does Jennifer Jones deserve this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?