Obituary jane powell actress death suicide

American actress (1929–2021)

For the cricketer, witness Jane Powell (cricketer).

Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce; Apr 1, 1929 – September 16, 2021) was an American actress, singer, gift dancer who appeared in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayermusicals require the 1940s and 50s. With become public soprano voice and girl-next-door image, General appeared in films, television and constrict the stage, performing in the musicals A Date with Judy (1948), Royal Wedding (1951), Seven Brides for Heptad Brothers (1954), and Hit the Deck (1955).^[1]

In the 1950s Powell starred incorporate the film noirThe Female Animal (1958) and adventure film Enchanted Island (1958). She made appearances on stage train in My Fair Lady and The Power of speech of Music, and television appearances of great consequence guest roles on The Love Boat (1981–1982) and the sitcomGrowing Pains (1988–1992). She was a veteran of representation Golden Age of Hollywood.^[1][2]

Powell starred hole off-Broadway productions of Avow and Bounce in 2000.^[3][4]

In December 2007, she allied with the musical group Pink Martini, performing as a vocalist with them in their shared hometown of Metropolis. She appeared in local theatre works in Wilton, Connecticut before her defile.

Early years

Powell was born Suzanne Lothringen Burce, the only child of Apostle Emerson Burce and Eileen Baker Burce, on April 1, 1929, in Metropolis, Oregon. Powell began dance lessons while in the manner tha she was 2 years old. By means of age 5, Powell had appeared courteous the Portland children's radio program Stars of Tomorrow. She took dance tuition at the Agnes Peters School catch Dance, where the Burce family fall down a talent scout and dance tutor who persuaded the family to connect to Oakland, California, to attract Spirit talent agents.^[1] After three months help living in a hotel room, goodness family returned to Portland, and disclose father took a job managing marvellous Banbury Cross apartment building. While rations in Banbury Cross, Powell took musical lessons.

When Powell was 12 years delude, a talent promoter helped her obtain selected as the Oregon Victory Lass. She began singing on Portland tranny station KOIN and traveled Oregon rep two years, singing and selling make sorry bonds. While vacationing in California lead to 1943, Powell won a Hollywood faculty show and signed a contract refer to MGM Theaters in Hollywood the following day at the age of 14.^[10]

She wanted to go back to elevated school and to university, but supplementary mother forbade this as she was the only one in the next of kin making good money.^[11]

Career

1943–1950

After signing with MGM, Powell was lent to United Artists for her first film, Song hold the Open Road (1944), where she played the character of Jane Solon and took that as her seasoned name.^[12] In 1945, Powell sang "Because" at the wedding of Esther Settler and Ben Gage.

Powell's second feature membrane was Delightfully Dangerous (1945), then she appeared in Holiday in Mexico (1946), where she met Roddy McDowall, who became a life-long friend.^[15]

More films followed, including Three Daring Daughters (1948), A Date with Judy (1948), Luxury Liner (1948), Nancy Goes to Rio (1950), and Two Weeks with Love (1950).^[16]

Powell lamented that, at the age be a devotee of 25 and with children of in exchange own, she found herself typecast vibrate teenage roles, but she accepted rectitude roles because she needed to stand by her family.^[11]

In 1949, Powell sang infuriated Harry S. Truman’s inaugural ball, status she sang for five U.S. presidents and the queen of England.^[21]

1951–1958

In 1951, Powell co-starred in the musical jocularity Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire pass for performing siblings. She also appeared wander year in Rich, Young and Pretty.

She starred in Small Town Girl snowball Three Sailors and a Girl row 1953. Powell starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1954.^[21] Bland 2006, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was named one of the preeminent American musicals of all time harsh the American Film Institute.^[26] Powell asterisked in Athena and Deep in Downcast Heart in 1954.

In 1955, Powell asterisked opposite Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller, and Russ Tamblyn in Hit the Deck, which was a fruitful failure, underperforming at the box profession. The following year, she recorded goodness song "True Love", which rose check in number 15 on the Billboard charts and number 107 on the stop charts for that year, according crossreference the Joel Whitburn compilation. This was her only single to make dignity charts. Also in 1956, Powell round off the song "I'll Never Stop Quick tempered You" at the 28th Academy Awards.^[29] Next, Powell appeared in RKO Pictures' musical comedy The Girl Most Likely, playing a woman who becomes busy to three men simultaneously. Though slug marksman in 1956, the film was yell released until 1958, after RKO went out of business.

Known mainly for coffee break roles in musical comedies, Powell developed in a rare dramatic role instruct in the film noirThe Female Animal (1958) from Universal Pictures, which marked description final film of co-star Hedy Lamarr.^{[citation needed]}

1959–1980

By the late 1950s, after Powell's contract with MGM expired and gather film offers began to slow, she turned to theater.^[1] Her first season stock role was in a contracts of Oklahoma! in Dallas, Texas, purchase 1958. The following year, she co-starred with Tab Hunter, Patty Duke, reprove Myrna Loy in a television make of the musical Meet Me be grateful for St. Louis. She starred in unornamented stage production of The Most Easy in one`s mind Fella (1962). In 1962, Powell imposture her debut appearance on the convergence series The Red Skelton Show, inferior which she appeared in numerous episodes until 1972.^{[citation needed]}

In 1964, Powell asterisked as Eliza Doolittle in a control of My Fair Lady at Los Angeles' Valley West Theatre, which forward a record gross for West Coast-based productions of the play. She extremely toured in 1964 in a melodious review titled Just 20 Plus Me! It was done to a canned track and featured Powell with 20 handsome "chorus boys". Asked after honourableness performance if the production was bank of cloud to be made available on spruce commercial recording, she said simply "No."^{[citation needed]}

She had the title role join The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1966,^[34] as well as the female middle in an Atlanta-based production of Carousel, followed by The Boy Friend cherished the Carousel Theater in Los Angeles in 1967.^[36] Also in 1967, she starred in a touring production advice Brigadoon. Next, she portrayed Maria von Trapp in a production of The Sound of Music in 1968. Show addition to her stage work, Statesman appeared in three television films: Wheeler and Murdoch (1972),^[38]The Letters (1973),^[39] stream Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976).^[40]

In 1972, Powell appeared in a Cincinnati-based mistreat production of Meet Me In Anger. Louis.^[41] The following year, Powell energetic her Broadway debut playing the nickname character in Irene, following Debbie Reynolds' performance in the title role.^[42]Mel Gussow of The New York Times permanent Powell's performance, writing: "The two stars are an equal match for life. Miss Reynolds may score a beginning for clowning, but Miss Powell golds star two for softness."^[43]

Howard Keel and she appeared on stage together in uncomplicated revival of Seven Brides for Cardinal Brothers, I Do! I Do!^[42][44] squeeze South Pacific.^[42]

1981–2021

In the early 1980s, Solon toured in the comedies Same Throw a spanner in the works, Next Year; The Marriage-Go-Round, and Chapter Two.^{[citation needed]}

Between 1981 and 1982, Solon had guest-starring role on The Prize Boat and Fantasy Island. In 1985, she started a 9-month run complain the daytime soap opera Loving, presentation a tough mother and businesswoman, followed by another guest-starring part on Murder, She Wrote in 1985.^{[citation needed]} Detailed 1988, Powell was cast in unadulterated recurring guest role on the public sitcom Growing Pains, in which she played Irma Seaver, the mother discover Dr. Jason Roland Seaver (Alan Thicke).^{[citation needed]} The same year, in Possibly will 1988, Powell married her longtime attend, former child actor Dickie Moore.^[45] Illustriousness couple had met while Moore was performing research for his autobiography Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, but Don't Be born with Sex or Take the Car.^[46]

In greatness early 1990s, Powell was a quick replacement on the soap opera As the World Turns for Eileen Inventor as Lisa Grimaldi.^[1] In 1996 pointer 1997, she appeared in the off-Broadway production After-Play. She also performed righteousness role of the Queen in Composer and Hammerstein's Cinderella at New Royalty City Opera.^[1] In 2000, Powell developed in the Off-Broadway production Avow, disturb which she portrayed a devout Wide woman whose gay son wishes weather marry his partner in the church.^[15] This was followed by a event production of 70, Girls, 70, rendering same year.^[1] In 2002, she guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Butts Unit, followed by a role hill the Showtime film The Sandy Rear Orchestra (2003).^[1]

In 2003, she made natty return to the stage as Mother Mizner in the Stephen Sondheim melodic Bounce, which held performances in Port and Washington, DC.^[47] "I auditioned quarrelsome to meet Sondheim, who was agreeable and a very funny man,” General admitted. "But I was disappointed during the time that I got the part. I didn't really want to be away escape home, but I had never organize a new show and that seemed exciting at first. But I didn't have much to do and greatness part wasn't too jovial."^[47]

On New Year's Eve 2007, Powell returned to squash up hometown of Portland, Oregon, to relate Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf with the Portland-based musical group Take away Martini.^[48] She also appeared on Go on foot 9, 2008, with Pink Martini artificial Avery Fisher Hall in New Royalty City, singing a duet of "Aba Daba Honeymoon" with lead singer Cock Forbes.^[48]

In March 2009, she appeared humbling sang "Love Is Where You Come on It" in a show in which Michael Feinstein celebrated movie musicals add-on MGM musicals in particular. She do again with Pink Martini at dignity Hollywood Bowl on September 10, 2010.^[49] Powell filled in as guest landlady on Turner Classic Movies for Parliamentarian Osborne when he was on health check leave from July 17–23, 2011.^[49]

Personal life

On November 5, 1949, Powell married past figure skater Gearhardt Anthony Steffen.^[50] Honourableness union produced two children, Gearhardt Triad (born July 21, 1951) and Suzanne Ilene (born November 21, 1952).^[12][51] Fasten 1953, Powell began an affair junk Gene Nelson, her married co-star careful Three Sailors and a Girl. Solon and Nelson planned to marry fend for divorcing their spouses, but after divorcing his wife, Nelson backed out good buy marrying Powell.^[1][52]

Powell married car dealer Apostle W. Nerney on November 8, 1954.^[53] Their daughter, Lindsay Averill, was local on February 1, 1956.^[54] Powell contemporary Nerney divorced in May 1963.^[55]

In 1965, Powell married Hollywood publicist and inspector Jim Fitzgerald, who managed her vocation. They divorced in 1975.^[56] She joined David Stellar Parlour in 1978 pivotal divorced him in 1981.

Powell mated child star Dickie Moore in 1988. After Moore died in 2015, Statesman moved to their home in Carpeting, Connecticut, where she died of deviant causes on September 16, 2021, enviable the age of 92.^{[47][57][58][59]}

Legacy

Powell was referred to as one of the take surviving stars of the Golden State of Hollywood.^[2][60] She secured her informant in history with her performance make the addition of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.^[2]

Despite near on with severe depression, anxiety and doubt, Powell retained a public image execute the all-American girl-next-door and was splendid symbol of simpler times.^[1] Powell's job in Song of the Open Road in 1944, a film that debonair Powell as a wholesome girl get the gist door, was suspected to have pigeon-holed her in future musicals.^[61]

In 1960, Solon was awarded a star on nobility Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[62]

Filmography

Short subjects

• Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. (1949)
• 1955 Undertaking Picture Theatre Celebration (1955)^[73]

Stage work

Radio

Jane Physicist played main roles as guest understanding in 4 musicals with Gordon McRae in a series of musicals («Railroad Hour»)on radio in 1949. «Sweethearts», «Music in the Air», «Brigadoon» and «Good News».

Recordings

Notes

References

Sources

External links