Jane Greer (born Bettejane Greer; September 9, 1924 – August 24, 2001) was an American film and television actress best known for her role as ''

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

'' Kathie Moffat in the 1947

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 American film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel ...

''. In 2009, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' named her one of the best actors never to have received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination.

Early life

Greer was born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, the daughter of Charles Durell McClellan Greer Jr. and his wife, Bettie. She had a twin brother Donn, who became an actor and director starting in 1951, after getting out of the service when World War II ended. In 1940, at age 15, Greer suffered from a facial palsy, which paralyzed the left side of her face. She recovered, but the condition may have contributed to her "patented look" and "a calm, quizzical gaze and an enigmatic expression that would later lead RKO to promote her as 'The Woman with the Mona Lisa Smile'." She claimed that the facial exercises used to overcome the paralysis taught her the importance of facial expression in conveying human emotion. On December 4, 1945, Greer had her name legally changed to Jane Greer by a court in Los Angeles. She said of her previous name: "Mine is a sissy name. It's too bo-peepish, ingenueish, for the type of role I've been playing. It's like Mary Lou or Mary Ann."

Career

Music

A beauty-contest winner and professional model from her teens, Greer began her show-business career as a big-band singer. She sang in Washington, D.C., with the orchestra of

Enric Madriguera Enric R. Madriguera (17 February 1902 – 7 September 1973) was a violinist of Catalan people, Catalan origin who was playing concerts as a child before he studied at the Barcelona Conservatory (the Castilian Spanish, Castilian form of his name is ...

. She "sang phonetically in Spanish" with the group.

Film

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

spotted Greer modeling in the June 8, 1942, issue of ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'', and sent her to Hollywood to become an actress. Hughes lent her to RKO to star in many films (another source says Greer's husband,

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

, "helped her get out of her contract with Hughes and secure another pact with RKO Studios") including ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...

'' (1945), ''

'' (1947), '' They Won't Believe Me'' (1947), and the comedy/suspense film '' The Big Steal'' (1949), with ''Out of the Past'' co-star

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

. Hughes refused to let her work for a time; when she finally resumed film acting, she appeared in '' You're in the Navy Now'' (1951), ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in o ...

'' (1952), '' Run for the Sun'' (1956), and '' Man of a Thousand Faces'' (1957). In 1984, she was cast in '' Against All Odds'', a remake of ''Out of the Past'', as the mother of the character she had played in 1947. In 1952, Greer obtained a release from her contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

Studios. She said, "When there is a good role at MGM, the producers want Lana or Ava. There is no chance for another actress to develop into important stardom at the studio."

Television

Greer's noteworthy roles in television included guest appearances on episodes of numerous shows over the decades, such as ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', '' Quincy, M.E.'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'', and a 1975 role with

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/American Broadcasting Company, ABC series ''Columbo'' (196 ...

and

Robert Vaughn Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor and political activist, whose career in film, television and theater spanned nearly six decades and who was best known for his role as secret agent Nap ...

in an episode of ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'' titled ''Troubled Waters''. She even got to make fun of ''Out of the Past'' in a parody with Robert Mitchum on TV's ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' in 1987. Greer joined the casts of ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

'' in 1984 and ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...

'' in 1990 in recurring roles until her retirement in 1996.

Recognition

Greer was honored with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 1634 Vine Street for her contributions to the motion picture industry. The star was dedicated on February 8, 1960.

Personal life

Greer married

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York Ci ...

on December 2, 1943, in Hollywood, but they separated after three months and divorced on July 27, 1944. On August 20, 1947, Greer married

Edward Lasker Edward Lasker (born Eduard Lasker) (December 3, 1885 – March 25, 1981) was a German-American chess and Go player. He was awarded the title of International Master of chess by FIDE. Lasker was an engineer by profession, and an author ...

, a Los Angeles lawyer and businessman, with whom she had three sons: Alex, a screenwriter and author, Lawrence, a movie producer (''

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American techno-thriller film directed by John Badham, written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, and starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood and Ally Sheedy. Broderick plays David Lightman, a ...

'', ''

Sneakers Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

''), and Steven, a two time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

winner. Greer and Lasker divorced in 1963. Frank London (an actor and dialogue coach) was Greer's domestic partner from 1965 until his death in 2001, six months before Greer died. Greer was a lifelong Democrat and supported

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Gr ...

during the 1952 presidential election. Greer was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Greer died of cancer on August 24, 2001, at the age of 76, in

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Los Angeles Westside, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Together with Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, Bel Air fo ...

.Jane Greer - L.A. Times Hollywood Star Walk
/ref>

Complete filmography

Partial television credits

* '' The Ford Television Theatre'' - "Look for Tomorrow" (1953), "One Man Missing (1955)", "Moment of Decision" (1957) * '' Celebrity Playhouse'' - "Diamonds in the Sky" (1955) as Nina * '' Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' - "A Gun for My Bride" (1957), "The Vaunted" (1958), "Stagecoach to Yuma" (1960) * ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'' - "No Time at All" (1958) as Karen * ''

'' (1959) (Season 4 Episode 34: "A True Account") as Mrs. Cannon-Hughes / Ms. Cannon-Hughes / Mrs. Cannon-Hughes-Brett * ''

'' - "The Julia Bulette Story" (1959) as Julia Bulette * '' Stagecoach West'' - "High Lonesome" (1960) as Kathleen Kane * '' Thriller'' - "Portrait Without a Face" (1961) as Ann Moffat * '' Burke's Law'' - "Who Killed My Girl?" (1964) as Lonnie Smith * ''

'' - "Troubled Waters" (1975) as Sylvia Danziger * '' Quincy, M.E.'' - "The Depth of Beauty" (1979) as Dorrie Larkin * ''

'' (1984) as Charlotte Pershing (recurring role, 6 episodes) * '' The Law & Harry McGraw'' - "Murder by Landslide" (1987) as Augusta Stillman * ''

'' - "Robert Mitchum/Simply Red" (1987) as Kathy (uncredited) * ''

'' - "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel" (1988) as Bonnie Phelps * ''

'' (1990) as Vivian Smythe Niles

References

External links

*
Jane Greer
a
aenigma
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greer, Jane 1924 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women singers category:20th-century Roman Catholics Actresses from Washington, D.C. American film actresses American racehorse owners and breeders American Roman Catholics American television actresses Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery California Democrats Catholics from California Catholics from Washington, D.C. Deaths from cancer in California Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players RKO Pictures contract players Singers from Washington, D.C. Western (genre) film actresses Western (genre) television actors