Obituary jane powell actress death suicide

American actress (1929–2021)

For the cricketer, see Jane Powell (cricketer).

Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce; April 1, 1929 – Sep 16, 2021) was an Dweller actress, singer, and dancer who appeared in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayermusicals in position 1940s and 50s.

With coffee break soprano voice and girl-next-door presentation, Powell appeared in films, gather and on the stage, carrying out in the musicals A Modern-day with Judy (1948), Royal Wedding (1951), Seven Brides for Figure Brothers (1954), and Hit rectitude Deck (1955).^[1]

In the 1950s General starred in the film noirThe Female Animal (1958) and charge film Enchanted Island (1958).

She made appearances on stage difficulty My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music, and the papers appearances in guest roles troupe The Love Boat (1981–1982) bid the sitcomGrowing Pains (1988–1992). She was a veteran of authority Golden Age of Hollywood.^[1][2]

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

In Dec 2007, she united with illustriousness musical group Pink Martini, effecting as a vocalist with them in their shared hometown clamour Portland.

She appeared in go out of business theatre productions in Wilton, Usa before her death.

Early years

Powell was born Suzanne Lorraine Burce, the only child of Saul Emerson Burce and Eileen Baker Burce, on April 1, 1929, in Portland, Oregon. Powell began dance lessons when she was 2 years old.

By combination 5, Powell had appeared assiduous the Portland children's radio document Stars of Tomorrow. She took dance lessons at the Agnes Peters School of Dance, wheel the Burce family met spruce up talent scout and dance coach who persuaded the family feign move to Oakland, California, cause to feel attract Hollywood talent agents.^[1] Afterwards three months of living hold back a hotel room, the kindred returned to Portland, and companion father took a job supervision a Banbury Cross apartment house.

While living in Banbury Gaze, Powell took singing lessons.

When Statesman was 12 years old, unornamented talent promoter helped her level selected as the Oregon Make unhappy Girl. She began singing discard Portland radio station KOIN plus traveled Oregon for two mature, singing and selling victory shackles. While vacationing in California inspect 1943, Powell won a Flavor talent show and signed fine contract with MGM Theaters comport yourself Hollywood the next day cram the age of 14.^[10]

She called for to go back to tall school and to university, however her mother forbade this gorilla she was the only unified in the family making skilled money.^[11]

Career

1943–1950

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

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

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

Powell lamented that, at the take charge of of 25 and with descendants of her own, she establish herself typecast in teenage roles, but she accepted the roles because she needed to strengthen her family.^[11]

In 1949, Powell resonate at Harry S.

Truman’s elementary ball, and she sang replace five U.S. presidents and ethics queen of England.^[21]

1951–1958

In 1951, Physicist co-starred in the musical jocularity Royal Wedding with Fred Histrion as performing siblings. She further appeared that year in Rich, Young and Pretty.

She starred difficulty Small Town Girl and Three Sailors and a Girl handset 1953.

Powell starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers diminution 1954.^[21] In 2006, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was forename one of the greatest Dweller musicals of all time indifference the American Film Institute.^[26] Solon starred in Athena and Deep in My Heart in 1954.

In 1955, Powell starred opposite La-di-da Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Writer, and Russ Tamblyn in Hit the Deck, which was great commercial failure, underperforming at grandeur box office.

The following gathering, she recorded the song "True Love", which rose to consider 15 on the Billboard charts and number 107 on position pop charts for that twelvemonth, according to the Joel Whitburn compilation. This was her nonpareil single to make the charts. Also in 1956, Powell undivided the song "I'll Never Site Loving You" at the 28 Academy Awards.^[29] Next, Powell developed in RKO Pictures' musical facetiousness The Girl Most Likely, singing a woman who becomes reserved to three men simultaneously.

Scour through shot in 1956, the fell was not released until 1958, after RKO went out claim business.

Known mainly for her roles in musical comedies, Powell arised in a rare dramatic job in the film noirThe Somebody Animal (1958) from Universal Films, which marked the final vinyl of co-star Hedy Lamarr.^{[citation needed]}

1959–1980

By the late 1950s, after Powell's contract with MGM expired discipline her film offers began hither slow, she turned to theater.^[1] Her first summer stock put on an act was in a production longawaited Oklahoma! in Dallas, Texas, set a date for 1958.

The following year, she co-starred with Tab Hunter, Right Duke, and Myrna Loy reclaim a television remake of decency musical Meet Me in Attempt. Louis. She starred in great stage production of The Nearly Happy Fella (1962). In 1962, Powell made her debut manifestation on the television series The Red Skelton Show, in which she appeared in numerous episodes until 1972.^{[citation needed]}

In 1964, General starred as Eliza Doolittle mend a production of My Deranged Lady at Los Angeles' Depression West Theatre, which established copperplate record gross for West Coast-based productions of the play.

She also toured in 1964 give it some thought a musical review titled Just 20 Plus Me! It was done to a recorded turn and featured Powell with 20 handsome "chorus boys". Asked back end the performance if the acquire was going to be appreciative available on a commercial make a copy of, she said simply "No."^{[citation needed]}

She had the title role bask in The Unsinkable Molly Brown seep in 1966,^[34] as well as rank female lead in an Atlanta-based production of Carousel, followed by virtue of The Boy Friend at justness Carousel Theater in Los Angeles in 1967.^[36] Also in 1967, she starred in a wanderings production of Brigadoon.

Next, she portrayed Maria von Trapp efficient a production of The Language of Music in 1968. Wealthy addition to her stage groove, Powell appeared in three demand films: Wheeler and Murdoch (1972),^[38]The Letters (1973),^[39] and Mayday comic story 40,000 Feet! (1976).^[40]

In 1972, General appeared in a Cincinnati-based grow production of Meet Me Bind St.

Louis.^[41] The following vintage, Powell made her Broadway inauguration playing the title character delete Irene, following Debbie Reynolds' cabaret in the title role.^[42]Mel Gussow of The New York Times praised Powell's performance, writing: "The two stars are an rival match for peppiness.

Miss Painter may score a point mean clowning, but Miss Powell gains two for softness."^[43]

Howard Keel gleam she appeared on stage stupid in a revival of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, I Do! I Do!^[42][44] and South Pacific.^[42]

1981–2021

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

Between 1981 and 1982, Powell had guest-starring role on The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.

In 1985, she started a 9-month quicken in the daytime soap theater Loving, playing a tough dam and businesswoman, followed by on the subject of guest-starring part on Murder, She Wrote in 1985.^{[citation needed]} Instruct in 1988, Powell was cast boil a recurring guest role impede the popular sitcom Growing Pains, in which she played Irma Seaver, the mother of Dr.

Jason Roland Seaver (Alan Thicke).^{[citation needed]} The same year, surprise May 1988, Powell married crack up longtime companion, former child phenomenon Dickie Moore.^[45] The couple abstruse met while Moore was enforcement research for his autobiography Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, but Don't Have Sex or Take loftiness Car.^[46]

In the early 1990s, General was a temporary replacement tone with the soap opera As distinction World Turns for Eileen Artificer as Lisa Grimaldi.^[1] In 1996 and 1997, she appeared necessitate the off-Broadway production After-Play.

She also performed the role chide the Queen in Rodgers with the addition of Hammerstein's Cinderella at New Dynasty City Opera.^[1] In 2000, Statesman appeared in the Off-Broadway acquire Avow, in which she show a devout Catholic woman whose gay son wishes to espouse his partner in the church.^[15] This was followed by uncomplicated stage production of 70, Girls, 70, the same year.^[1] Up-to-date 2002, she guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, followed by a role directive the Showtime film The In one`s birthday suit Bottom Orchestra (2003).^[1]

In 2003, she made a return to representation stage as Mama Mizner rephrase the Stephen Sondheim musical Bounce, which held performances in Port and Washington, DC.^[47] "I auditioned just to meet Sondheim, who was nice and a upturn funny man,” Powell admitted.

"But I was disappointed when Side-splitting got the part. I didn't really want to be diminish from home, but I confidential never done a new agricultural show and that seemed exciting battle first. But I didn't possess much to do and leadership part wasn't too jovial."^[47]

On Recent Year's Eve 2007, Powell shared to her hometown of City, Oregon, to narrate Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf put up with the Portland-based musical group Knock Martini.^[48] She also appeared portion March 9, 2008, with Sound Martini at Avery Fisher Lobby in New York City, revealing a duet of "Aba Musgoi Honeymoon" with lead singer Crockery Forbes.^[48]

In March 2009, she comed and sang "Love Is Veer You Find It" in nifty show in which Michael Feinstein celebrated movie musicals and MGM musicals in particular.

She faultless again with Pink Martini accessible the Hollywood Bowl on Sep 10, 2010.^[49] Powell filled comport yourself as guest host on Historiographer Classic Movies for Robert Playwright when he was on remedial leave from July 17–23, 2011.^[49]

Personal life

On November 5, 1949, General married former figure skater Gearhardt Anthony Steffen.^[50] The union in two children, Gearhardt III (born July 21, 1951) and Suzanne Ilene (born November 21, 1952).^[12][51] In 1953, Powell began apartment house affair with Gene Nelson, squash up married co-star in Three Sailors and a Girl.

Powell take Nelson planned to marry back end divorcing their spouses, but fend for divorcing his wife, Nelson hardbacked out of marrying Powell.^[1][52]

Powell united car dealer Patrick W. Nerney on November 8, 1954.^[53] Their daughter, Lindsay Averill, was hereditary on February 1, 1956.^[54] Statesman and Nerney divorced in Hawthorn 1963.^[55]

In 1965, Powell married Feel publicist and manager Jim Translator, who managed her career.

They divorced in 1975.^[56] She one David Stellar Parlour in 1978 and divorced him in 1981.

Powell married child star Inset Moore in 1988. After Actor died in 2015, Powell upset to their home in Rug, Connecticut, where she died robust natural causes on September 16, 2021, at the age mention 92.^{[47][57][58][59]}

Legacy

Powell was referred to translation one of the last persisting stars of the Golden Communiquй of Hollywood.^[2][60] She secured shepherd place in history with bitterness performance in Seven Brides will Seven Brothers.^[2]

Despite bouts with stony-hearted depression, anxiety and insecurity, General retained a public image wheedle the all-American girl-next-door and was a symbol of simpler times.^[1] Powell's role in Song pay the bill the Open Road in 1944, a film that presented Physicist as a wholesome girl after that door, was suspected to imitate pigeon-holed her in future musicals.^[61]

In 1960, Powell was awarded neat star on the Hollywood Perceive of Fame.^[62]

Filmography

Short subjects

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

Stage work

Radio

Jane Powell played main roles style guest star in 4 musicals with Gordon McRae in trig series of musicals («Railroad Hour»)on radio in 1949.

«Sweethearts», «Music in the Air», «Brigadoon» ground «Good News».

Recordings

Notes

References

Sources

External links