Jill Ireland
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Jill Dorothy Ireland (24 April 1936 – 18 May 1990) was an English actress and singer.


Early life

Ireland was born in
Hounslow Hounslow ( ) is a large suburban district of West London, England, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 14 metropolitan cen ...
, South West London, England. She was the daughter of a wine importer. She was educated at Chatsworth Junior School in Hounslow. She lived at 'Chertsey' on Maswell Park Road in Hounslow.


Career

Ireland began acting in the mid-1950s with small roles in films such as '' Simon and Laura'' (1955) and ''
Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...
'' (1956). She appeared with first husband David McCallum in ''Robbery Under Arms'' and five episodes of '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'': "The Quadripartite Affair" (season 1, episode 3, 1964), "The Giuoco Piano Affair" (season 1, episode 7, 1964), "The Tigers Are Coming Affair" (season 2, episode 8, 1965), and a two-parter " The Five Daughters Affair" (season 3, episodes 28 & 29, 1967). She appeared in 16 films with second husband Charles Bronson between 1970 and 1987, and was involved in two of Bronson’s other films as a producer. The last of these films, ''
Assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
'' (1987), was her biggest role in terms of screen time, with Ireland playing the
First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...
and Bronson a
Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...
agent assigned to protect her. During her marriage to Bronson, Ireland appeared in only one TV episode, one made-for-TV movie and one theatrical film that didn't star her husband.


Personal life

In 1957, Ireland married actor David McCallum, whom she met while working on '' Hell Drivers''. They had two sons, Paul and Valentine, and adopted a third, Jason. McCallum and Ireland separated in 1965 and divorced in 1967. Jason McCallum died of a drug overdose in 1989. '' Villa Rides'' marked the first of many appearances by Ireland in films with her future husband Charles Bronson. In 1968, Ireland married Bronson. She had met him when he and McCallum were filming '' The Great Escape'' (1963) some years earlier. Together they had a daughter, Zuleika, and adopted a daughter, Katrina. They remained married until Ireland's death in 1990.


Death and legacy

Ireland was diagnosed with
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
in 1984. After her diagnosis, Ireland wrote two books, chronicling her battle with the disease. At the time of her death, she was writing a third book and became a spokeswoman for the
American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...
. In 1988, she testified before the
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about medical costs and was given the
American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...
's Courage Award by
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
when US president. In 1990, Ireland died of breast cancer at her home in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...
. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in a walking cane which Charles Bronson had buried with him at Brownsville Cemetery in Vermont when he died in 2003. For her contribution to the film industry, Jill Ireland has 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 6751
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. In 1991, Ireland was portrayed by Jill Clayburgh in the made-for-television film ''Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story.'' The film, which was based on Ireland's memoir ''Lifelines'' and listed her posthumously as an executive producer, received mixed reviews from critics. To prepare for the role, Clayburgh, who had never met Ireland, read ''Lifelines'' and listened to Ireland's recorded interviews.


Filmography


Books

* ''Life Wish: a Personal Story of Survival'' (1987) , * ''Lifeline: My Fight to Save My Family'' (1989) ,


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland, Jill 1936 births 1990 deaths 20th-century British non-fiction writers 20th-century British women writers 20th-century English actresses Actresses from London Deaths from breast cancer in California English autobiographers English expatriate actresses in the United States English film actresses English television actresses Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow British women autobiographers People from Hounslow