Jennifer Jones, 1940s Oscar-winning actress, dies
Jennifer Jones, an acclaimed actress during the 1940s and 50s, died Thursday in her California home, reportedly of natural causes. She was 90.
Jones, perhaps most known for her Oscar-winning role in “The Song of Bernadette” in 1943, starred in a number of feature films, receiving five Academy Award nominations over the course of her career.
While known for her dramatic roles on-screen, Jones was prone to drama off-screen as well.
Jones was born in 1919 in Oklahoma; her given name was Phylis Lee Isley, and she was an only child. Her parents operated a touring theatre group that played around the Midwest, and as a child Jones spent her summers taking tickets and selling candy as well as acting in the company.
Later, Jones spent a year at Northwestern University, and then moved on to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After moving to New York, Jones met David Selznick while auditioning for a role in his movie. Though Jones didn’t get the part, the meeting marked the beginning of Jones’ tremendous on-screen success as well as the beginning of her controversial personal life. It was Selznick who would determine the course of her career, landing her leading roles in many feature films, but he can also be credited with a part in the end of Jones’ first marriage, as the two were having an affair and, in fact, later married after their respective divorces.
Jones is survived by one son, Robert, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
[photo: Love Letters trailer]
Tags: David Selznick, film actress, Jennifer Jones, Love Letters, natural causes, Phylis Lee Isley, The Song of Bernadette
