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 Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. Once Mr. Russell was mustered out of the service, the family took up residence in Canada but moved to California when he found employment there. The family was well-to-do and although Jane was the only girl among four brothers, her mother saw to it that she took piano lessons. In addition to music, Jane was interested in drama much as her mother had been and participated in high school stage productions. Upon graduation, Jane took a job as a receptionist for a doctor who specialized in foot disorders. Although she had originally planned on being a designer, her father died, and she had to go to work to help the family. Jane modeled on the side and was very much sought-after especially because of her figure.She managed to save enough money to go to drama school, with the urging of her mother. She was signed by Howard Hughes for his production of The Outlaw (1943) in 1941, the film that was to make Jane famous. The film was not a classic by any means but was geared through its marketing to show off Jane's ample physical assets rather than acting abilities. Although the film was made in 1941, it was not released until two years later and then only on a limited basis due to the way the film portrayed Jane's assets. It was hard for the flick to pass the censorship board. Finally, the film gained general release in 1946. The film was a smash at the box office.Jane did not make another film until 1945 when she played Joan Kenwood in Young Widow (1946). She had signed a seven-year contract with Hughes, and it seemed the only films he would put her in were those that displayed Jane in a very flattering light due to her body. Films such as His Kind of Woman (1951) and The Las Vegas Story (1952) did nothing to highlight her true acting abilities. The pinnacle of her career was in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) as Dorothy Shaw, with Marilyn Monroe. This film showed Jane's comedic side very well. Jane did continue to make films throughout the 1950s, but the films were at times not up to par, particularly with Jane's talents being wasted in forgettable movies to show off her sexy side. Films such as Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955) and The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) did do Jane's justice and were able to show exactly the fine actress she was.After The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) (a flop), Jane took a hiatus from films, to dabble a little in television, returning in 1964 to film Fate Is the Hunter (1964). Unfortunately, the roles were not there anymore as Jane appeared in only four pictures during the entire decade of the 1960s. Her last film of the decade was The Born Losers (1967). After three more years away from the big screen, she returned to make one last film called Darker Than Amber (1970). Her last play before the public was in the 1970s when Jane was a spokesperson for Playtex bras. Had Jane not been wasted during the Hughes years, she could have been a bigger actress than what she was allowed to show. Jane Russell died at age 89 of respiratory failure on February 28, 2011, in Santa Maria, California.
Bio:
Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. Once Mr. Russell was mustered out of the service, the family took up residence in Canada but moved to California when he found employment there. The family was well-to-do and although Jane was the only girl among four brothers, her mother saw to it that she took piano lessons. In addition to music, Jane was interested in drama much as her mother had been and participated in high school stage productions. Upon graduation, Jane took a job as a receptionist for a doctor who specialized in foot disorders. Although she had originally planned on being a designer, her father died, and she had to go to work to help the family. Jane modeled on the side and was very much sought-after especially because of her figure.She managed to save enough money to go to drama school, with the urging of her mother. She was signed by Howard Hughes for his production of The Outlaw (1943) in 1941, the film that was to make Jane famous. The film was not a classic by any means but was geared through its marketing to show off Jane's ample physical assets rather than acting abilities. Although the film was made in 1941, it was not released until two years later and then only on a limited basis due to the way the film portrayed Jane's assets. It was hard for the flick to pass the censorship board. Finally, the film gained general release in 1946. The film was a smash at the box office.Jane did not make another film until 1945 when she played Joan Kenwood in Young Widow (1946). She had signed a seven-year contract with Hughes, and it seemed the only films he would put her in were those that displayed Jane in a very flattering light due to her body. Films such as His Kind of Woman (1951) and The Las Vegas Story (1952) did nothing to highlight her true acting abilities. The pinnacle of her career was in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) as Dorothy Shaw, with Marilyn Monroe. This film showed Jane's comedic side very well. Jane did continue to make films throughout the 1950s, but the films were at times not up to par, particularly with Jane's talents being wasted in forgettable movies to show off her sexy side. Films such as Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955) and The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956) did do Jane's justice and were able to show exactly the fine actress she was.After The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) (a flop), Jane took a hiatus from films, to dabble a little in television, returning in 1964 to film Fate Is the Hunter (1964). Unfortunately, the roles were not there anymore as Jane appeared in only four pictures during the entire decade of the 1960s. Her last film of the decade was The Born Losers (1967). After three more years away from the big screen, she returned to make one last film called Darker Than Amber (1970). Her last play before the public was in the 1970s when Jane was a spokesperson for Playtex bras. Had Jane not been wasted during the Hughes years, she could have been a bigger actress than what she was allowed to show. Jane Russell died at age 89 of respiratory failure on February 28, 2011, in Santa Maria, California.
Tivia:
Through her organization, World Adoption International Fund (WAIF), Russell has placed 51,000 children with adoptive families.Leonardo DiCaprio visited Jane while filming The Aviator (2004) in order to find up close and personal what Howard Hughes was really like.Unable to bear children, Russell championed the passage of the Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment of 1953, which allowed children of American servicemen born overseas to be placed for adoption in the United States.First husband Robert Waterfield was her high school sweetheart.A born-again Christian decades before the term was coined, she held weekly Bible study at her home which was attended by some of the industry's biggest names.Bob Hope once introduced her as "the two and only Jane Russell".Her three adopted children are Tracy Waterfield, Thomas Waterfield and Buck Waterfield.Howard Hughes, in addition to designing airplanes, is said to have designed a "cantilever bra" to take care of her physical endowments.A political conservative, she sided publicly with an industry panel that urged the removal of certain provocative scenes in one of her films.The troops in Korea named two embattled hills in her honor.Howard Hughes is reported to have said of her stardom, "There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough." (Source: quoted in the book "The Humour of Sex" by Robert Hale).In 2006 (at age 84), she put together a musical show entitled "The Swinging Forties" that played twice a month at the Radisson Hotel. The show featured herself and about a dozen local Santa Maria (CA) residents, including a choir director, lay preacher and retired police officer. She formed the show out of boredom and because there was nothing much going on in town for the older folks to do.She confesses in her biography that, unable to have children with her husband by the natural way, they adopted a British boy, but that brought them some problems with the British authorities. They eventually obtained American citizenship for him.She and husband Robert Waterfield adopted a baby girl, Tracy Waterfield, on February 15, 1952.Her breasts are the namesake for "The Jane Russell Peaks" in Alaska.Has a street named after her in Iowa City, Iowa.Attended Van Nuys High School with James Dougherty, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) co-star Marilyn Monroe's first husband.Attended the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953).In 1942, she had an affair with John Payne. The affair is detailed in her autobiography, "My Path and My Detours" (1986). It ended when Jane realized that she was still in love with her high school sweetheart, football player Robert Waterfield, whom she married in April 1943 (they divorced in 1967).Although rumors circulated that she was buried at Santa Barbara Cemetery, she was in fact cremated at Santa Barbara Cemetery and her ashes were scattered at sea.Had macular degeneration and wore hearing aids in both ears until her death.Retired to Santa Maria, California, after the death of her third husband on April 9, 1999 to be close to her youngest son.She and husband Robert Waterfield adopted a 15-month-old British boy, Tommy Kavanaugh, in December 1952.In 1955, she and husband Robert Waterfield formed Russ-Field Productions. Under this banner, they made Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), The King and Four Queens (1956), Run for the Sun (1956) and The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957).Jane was a tomboy as a little girl. She had four younger brothers: Tom, Kenny, James H. Russell and Wally Russell.She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6850 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.In the late 1930s, she was a member of Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop and attended Maria Ouspenskaya's Drama School for six months.She formed a traveling gospel church quartet with Della Russell (no relation), Beryl Davis, and Connie Hines. They called themselves simply The Four Girls and were soon known as the most beauteous quartet of hymn singers ever assembled. Rhonda Fleming replaced Della in 1954.A longtime pro-life activist, she opposed the use of abortion in any circumstance including rape or incest.In April 2020, she was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month.Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award (1989).Russell filed for divorce from Robert Waterfield on February 2, 1967.She passed away on February 28, 2011, four months away from what would have been her 90th birthday on June 21. One month after her death, another screen legend Elizabeth Taylor died at age 79.Her brother James H. Russell had a small role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).She was a member of America's Future.Has eight grandchildren and ten great-grand children.Profiled in "Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames" by Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner (McFarland, 2004).Had been a vocal supporter of the Iraq War since its beginning in March 2003.She and Raoul Walsh remained friends until his death on December 31, 1980.Married John Calvin Peoples in a "kaftan" ceremony in Santa Barbara, California.Was friends with Terry Moore.At one point, J. Arthur Rank wanted her for major projects, including The Blue Lagoon (1949) and The Red Shoes (1948). Both films' leads later went to Jean Simmons and Moira Shearer.Mentioned in She-Wolf in Hollywood: The Story of Maria Ouspenskaya as one of Ouspenskaya's acting students.She was born on the same day as Academy Award winning actress Judy Holliday. |
| Name: |
Jane Russell |
Type: |
Actress,Producer,Soundtrack (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Actress,Producer,Soundtrack |
| Products for sale: |
Actress,Producer,Soundtrack |
| Model rank: |
5440 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:29:11 |
| Height: |
5' 7' (1.70 m) |
| Biography: |
Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell was born on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. Once Mr. Russell was mustered out of |
| Trivia: |
Through her organization, World Adoption International Fund (WAIF), Russell has placed 51,000 children with adoptive families.Leonardo DiCaprio visited Jane while filming The Aviator (2004) in order to find up close and personal what Howard Hughes was really like.Unable to bear children, Russell championed the passage of the Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment of 1953, which allowed children of American servicemen born overseas to be placed for adoption in the United States.First husband Robert Waterfield was her high school sweetheart.A born-again Christian decades before the term was coined, she held weekly Bible study at her home which was attended by some of the industry's biggest names.Bob Hope once introduced her as "the two and only Jane Russell".Her three adopted children are Tracy Waterfield, Thomas Waterfield and Buck Waterfield.Howard Hughes, in addition to designing airplanes, is said to have designed a "cantilever bra" to take care of her physical endowments.A political conservative, she sided publicly with an industry panel that urged the removal of certain provocative scenes in one of her films.The troops in Korea named two embattled hills in her honor.Howard Hughes is reported to have said of her stardom, "There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough." (Source: quoted in the book "The Humour of Sex" by Robert Hale).In 2006 (at age 84), she put together a musical show entitled "The Swinging Forties" that played twice a month at the Radisson Hotel. The show featured herself and about a dozen local Santa Maria (CA) residents, including a choir director, lay preacher and retired police officer. She formed the show out of boredom and because there was nothing much going on in town for the older folks to do.She confesses in her biography that, unable to have children with her husband by the natural way, they adopted a British boy, but that brought them some problems with the British authorities. They eventually obtained American citizenship for him.She and husband Robert Waterfield adopted a baby girl, Tracy Waterfield, on February 15, 1952.Her breasts are the namesake for "The Jane Russell Peaks" in Alaska.Has a street named after her in Iowa City, Iowa.Attended Van Nuys High School with James Dougherty, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) co-star Marilyn Monroe's first husband.Attended the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953).In 1942, she had an affair with John Payne. The affair is detailed in her autobiography, "My Path and My Detours" (1986). It ended when Jane realized that she was still in love with her high school sweetheart, football player Robert Waterfield, whom she married in April 1943 (they divorced in 1967).Although rumors circulated that she was buried at Santa Barbara Cemetery, she was in fact cremated at Santa Barbara Cemetery and her ashes were scattered at sea.Had macular degeneration and wore hearing aids in both ears until her death.Retired to Santa Maria, California, after the death of her third husband on April 9, 1999 to be close to her youngest son.She and husband Robert Waterfield adopted a 15-month-old British boy, Tommy Kavanaugh, in December 1952.In 1955, she and husband Robert Waterfield formed Russ-Field Productions. Under this banner, they made Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), The King and Four Queens (1956), Run for the Sun (1956) and The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957).Jane was a tomboy as a little girl. She had four younger brothers: Tom, Kenny, James H. Russell and Wally Russell.She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6850 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.In the late 1930s, she was a member of Max Reinhardt's Theatrical Workshop and attended Maria Ouspenskaya's Drama School for six months.She formed a traveling gospel church quartet with Della Russell (no relation), Beryl Davis, and Connie Hines. They called themselves simply The Four Girls and were soon known as the most beauteous quartet of hymn singers ever assembled. Rhonda Fleming replaced Della in 1954.A longtime pro-life activist, she opposed the use of abortion in any circumstance including rape or incest.In April 2020, she was honored as Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month.Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award (1989).Russell filed for divorce from Robert Waterfield on February 2, 1967.She passed away on February 28, 2011, four months away from what would have been her 90th birthday on June 21. One month after her death, another screen legend Elizabeth Taylor died at age 79.Her brother James H. Russell had a small role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).She was a member of America's Future.Has eight grandchildren and ten great-grand children.Profiled in "Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames" by Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner (McFarland, 2004).Had been a vocal supporter of the Iraq War since its beginning in March 2003.She and Raoul Walsh remained friends until his death on December 31, 1980.Married John Calvin Peoples in a "kaftan" ceremony in Santa Barbara, California.Was friends with Terry Moore.At one point, J. Arthur Rank wanted her for major projects, including The Blue Lagoon (1949) and The Red Shoes (1948). Both films' leads later went to Jean Simmons and Moira Shearer.Mentioned in She-Wolf in Hollywood: The Story of Maria Ouspenskaya as one of Ouspenskaya's acting students.She was born on the same day as Academy Award winning actress Judy Holliday. |
| Trademarks: |
Natural brunette hair
Her enormous breasts
Seductive deep voice |
| Quotes: |
Yes, Howard Hughes invented a bra for me. Or, he tried to. And one of the seamless ones like they have now. He was way ahead of his time. But I never wore it in The Outlaw (1943). And he never knew. He wasn't going to take my clothes off to check if I had it on. I just told him I did.
<br />
<hr>
They held up The Outlaw (1943) for five years. And Howard Hughes had me doing publicity for it every day, five days a week for five years.
<br />
<hr>
Publicity can be terrible. But only if you don't have any.
<br />
<hr>
Sometimes the photographers would pose me in a low-necked nightgown and tell me to bend down and pick up the pails. They were not shooting the pails.
<br />
<hr>
The girl with the summer-hot lips . . . and the winter-cold heart. |
| Salaries: |
Foxfire (1955) - $200,000
<br />
<hr>
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) - $400,000
<br />
<hr>
The Outlaw (1946) - $50 a week |
| Job title: |
Actress,Producer,Soundtrack |
| Others works: |
(1949) Publicity photographs for Indian motorcycles (with then-husband Robert Waterfield)
(1950s) TV commercial: Lustre-Crema shampoo
(1/4/51) Radio: Appeared in a "Screen Guild Players" production of "The Paleface".
(2005) Album: & |
| Spouse: |
John Calvin Peoples (January 31, 1974 - April 9, 1999) (his death)Roger Barrett (August 25, 1968 - November 18, 1968) (his death)Robert Waterfield (April 24, 1943 - July 30, 1968) (divorced, 3 children) |
| Children: |
Tracy WaterfieldThomas WaterfieldRobert Waterfield |
| Parents: |
Geraldine Russell (Jacobi)
Roy William Russell |
|
