Jane Kesner Ardmore (1912 — August 17, 2000), also known as Jane Kesner Morris, was a writer in Hollywood, best known for biographies of actors, and for three novels.

Early life and education

Jane Kesner was one of two daughters born to David Leon Kesner and his wife, the former Florence Behrend, in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Jane remembered writing her first popular story at age 10, when her teacher liked her composition so much that she sent copies to every classroom at Jane's school. Kesner attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where she was managing editor of the campus newspaper. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 1932. While at Chicago, she was the assigned "big sister" of feminist theologian Janet Kalven, who recalled that Kesner later became "a close friend."

Career

Ardmore worked as a reporter in Hollywood, specializing in celebrity profiles for magazines and newspapers including the ''Los Angeles Times'', ''Good Housekeeping'', and the ''Saturday Evening Post''. Book-length biographies by Ardmore include ''Take My Life'' (1957, about and with

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences ...

), ''The Dress Doctor'' (1959, about and with

Edith Head Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Head is cons ...

), ''The Self Enchanted'' (1959, about

Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...

), and ''Portrait of Joan'' (1962, about and with

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

). Ardmore also wrote fiction; her novels were ''Women Inc.'' (1946), ''Julie'' (1952), and ''To Love is to Listen'' (1967). In 1968 Ardmore was honored by the Theta Sigma Phi professional organization for women in communications, as "National Headliner of 1968."

Personal life

Jane Kesner was married and widowed twice. Her first husband, publicist Ted Morris, died in 1951 after several years of illness. She married her second husband, editor Albert Ardmore, in 1951; the couple had a daughter, Ellen. Jane Kesner Ardmore was widowed from her second marriage in 1993, and died in 2000, at the age of 88, from complications following hip surgery. An extensive collection of Jane Ardmore's papers is archived at the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Jane Ardmore Papers
Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture arts and Sciences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardmore, Jane 1912 births 2000 deaths University of Chicago alumni 20th-century American women writers Writers from Chicago