Jean Howard (born Ernestine Hill; October 13, 1910 – March 20, 2000) was an American actress and professional photographer. She was born in

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in, and county seat of, Gregg County, Texas, United States. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway system, U.S. highways U.S. Route 80, 80 and U.S. Route 259, 259 converge just north of the Sabi ...

and died in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

Early years

Howard was born Ernestine Hill on October 13, 1910, in

. Her father left her mother shortly thereafter and she lived with her mother. Her mother died when Ernestine was 13 years old. She then joined her father and stepmother in Dallas, from where her father traveled as a salesman. When she was a teenager, she accompanied her nephew to a photographic studio to have his portrait taken. Paul Mahoney, the photographer, took her photograph, which led to his becoming her teacher and mentor. "Young, eager, and frustrated," Howard changed her name to Ernestine Mahoney and began participating in beauty contests and fashion shows. Her father paid her expenses while Mahoney taught her. Howard acted in local theatrical productions before she went to Hollywood in the late 1920s and became a part of the Studio Club, a group for women who hoped to act in films.

Career

Howard's time as a Goldwyn Girl began when she responded to an advertisement. Her film debut came in ''

Whoopee! ''Whoopee!'' is a 1928 musical comedy play with a book based on Owen Davis's play, ''The Nervous Wreck.'' The musical libretto was written by William Anthony McGuire, with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The musical premiered o ...

'' (1930). Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. selected Howard as one of four women from that film to appear in his upcoming musical production, ''Smiles'', but she had to go to Dallas after her father died in an automobile accident. Ziegfeld gave her a role in the 1931 edition of the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

'', billing her as Jean Howard. She next appeared in Ziegfeld's ''Hot-Cha'' (1932). A contract with MGM resulted in Howard's appearing in '' The Prizefighter and the Lady'' and '' Broadway to Hollywood'', '' Dancing Lady'' (all 1933). She also appeared in '' Break of Hearts'' (1935), '' The Final Hour'' (1936), and '' Claudia'' (1943). Howard studied photography at the Los Angeles Art Center. She appeared on Broadway in the productions: ''The Age of Innocence'' with

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

and ''Evensong''. Cole-Porter-and-Jean-Howard

She often used her camera to capture moments from Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. She photographed parties, gatherings, sports tournaments, etc., shooting

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Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

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, Hedy Lamarr,

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, Ali Kahn, Van Johnson, Marti Stevens, Charles K. Feldman and

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

. Two books of her photographs were published, ''Jean Howard's Hollywood: A Photo Memoir'' (1989) and ''Travels With Cole Porter'' (1991).

Personal life and death

Howard married Hollywood talent agent Charles K. Feldman on August 25, 1934, in

Harrison, New York Harrison is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town and Administrative divisions of New York (state), village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York Cit ...

, and they divorced in 1948. The couple continued to regularly live together until her travels to Europe with

in the mid-1950s. She conceived with Feldman once, but lost the pregnancy and never had children. She married Tony Santoro, a musician from Italy, in 1973. Howard died on March 20, 2000, in her Beverly Hills, California, home. She was buried in

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

References

Sources

*''The Stars of Hollywood Forever: 1901-2006'' (//ASIN: B0006SA7KO); Publisher: Tony Scott Publishing; 1st edition (2001)

External links

* *
Jean Howard's papers
at the

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West (including politics, settlement, Native Americans, and W ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Jean 1910 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Texas American film actresses American stage actresses American female dancers Dancers from Texas 20th-century American photographers Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from Longview, Texas Ziegfeld girls 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American women photographers