Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. I know her Christian faith carried her through that, says Buck. Russell, who believed her back alley abortion had rendered her infertile, became an outspoken opponent of abortion for any reason, including rape and incest. In 1943, Jane married her first husband, Bob Waterfield, who went on to play as a quarterback in the NFL. How blue-eyed Irish boy won icon's heart - Independent.ie In 1954, she formed a female gospel group that recorded and toured; one of their songs, "Do Lord," became a hit. Details on Recent Surgery, Recovery, Emma Hemming Shares Sweet Video of Bruce Willis Prior to FTD Diagnosis, Montgomery Clift Hated Having to Conceal Parts of His True Self, Regina Taylor Reflects on Most Memorable Roles Amid Emmy Buzz, HGTV's Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt Say Daughter Jade Is Mini-Mika', Suzanne Somers Had to Learn How to Walk After Breaking Her Neck, Dolly Parton Is Always Adding Things to Her Bucket List, Friend Says, L.A. Law's Corbin Bernsen Reveals Success Secret to 34-Year Marriage, Jean Simmons Remembered By Daughter Kate: Im Proud Shes My Mom, Dick Van Dyke Lucked Out Working With Hollywood's Leading Ladies, Bruce Davison On His Career, 1923 Show, Friends and More. In a 1943 poll, the U.S. Navy selected her as "the girl we'd like to have waiting for us in every port.". One of her children, Buck, spoke about the actress in ways that were not known to the world. Russell and Waterfield also had exciting success on the homefront. The law then didn't permit non-British subjects to adopt British children but Tommy had dual Irish citizenship and the Irish Embassy provided the boy with a passport, which made it possible for Russell to take him to America. It made $2 million but because of its large cost was a financial flop. Russell also appeared in melodramas like Foxfire (1955) and Hot Blood (1956). Jane Russell dead at 89 years old - CBS News . Russ-Field closed a few years later. Robert Waterfield (all adopted) Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, known simply as Jane Russell (June 21, 1921 - February 28, 2011) was an Canadian-American actress, born in Minnesota. When John died in 1999, she was on her own again. Did Jane Russell have any adopted children? She also fulfilled later engagements in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe. [7] Her early ambition was to be a designer of some kind, until the death of her father in his mid-40s, when she decided to work as a receptionist after graduation. Russell died in Santa Maria, California of a respiratory related illness. Jane Seymour, 71, Weighs the Same as in Her Teens & Said She Could Pass For 25 After Becoming Fat Years Ago, Did Sofia Richie Get Plastic Surgery? [citation needed], In 1989, Russell received the Women's International Center Living Legacy Award. The controversy over The Outlaw had made a star of Russell, and its success just cemented her place in Hollywood. In 1978, she graduated as salutatorian of Canadian High School. The film was a sizeable box office hit, earning $4.5 million and becoming Paramount's most successful release of the year.[16]. The always self-effacing Jane Russell writes in her 1985 autobiography, My Path and My Detours, that her buddy (and possible lover) Robert Mitchum always said she was "the most inarticulate. Tracey Diane Waterfield Neilson (1960-1981) - Find a Grave And though Monroe's take on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" may be better known, Russell got to sing her own version of the song in the film. She also co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.'. In her autobiography, Russell said that the revealing outfit was an alternative to Hughes' original suggestion of a bikini, a very racy choice for a movie costume in 1954. Jane Russell - IMDb We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! After spending a quarter of a century together and adopting three kids, high school sweethearts Russell and Bob Waterfield seemed solid as a rockbut heartbreak was lurking in the shadows. The voluptuous Russell was a popular pin-up during the Korean War as wellso popular, that the forces there named a pair of embattled hills in her honor. It was reissued on CD in 2002, in a package that also included the Kyser singles and two songs she recorded for Columbia in 1949 that had gone unreleased at the time. It turns out that both spouses had cheated on the other. She was open about turning to prayer for answers, and had experienced speaking in tongues. [34] Russell was voted one of the 40 Most Iconic Movie Goddesses of all time in 2009 by Glamour (UK edition). The attention that it drew to the film created a demandbut the story didnt end there. tracy waterfield daughter of jane russell - noeljones.org It was a critical and commercial failure. A gal came up to her and said, Are you Jane Russell? and she said, Not today, sweetheart! Buck exclusively recalled to Closer Weekly in the magazines latest issue, on newsstands now, with a laugh. Adopted a daughter, Tracy Waterfield. But she also had her limits and wasnt shy about speaking up when things went too far. When Russell was an infant, her parents relocated to California's San Fernando Valley, which was then quite rural. Height: 5'7" (170 cm), 5'7" Females. Menu. "[31], Russell was referenced in a 1956 episode of The Honeymooners. While Hughes didnt get as creepy with her as he did other starlets, he was once quoted as saying: There are two good reasons why men go to see [Russell], and those are enough.. Those are enough. Jane Russells measurements were 38D-24-36 and she stood 5 ft 7, making her more statuesque than most of her contemporaries. Birth date: June 21, 1921 Birth State: Minnesota Birth City: Bemidji Birth Country: United States Gender: Female Best Known For: Actress Jane Russell came to fame in the 1940s when a publicity. Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend, exclusively tells Closer Weekly, on newsstands now. Russell played Dorothy Shaw in the hit film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) opposite Marilyn Monroe for 20th Century Fox. The couple adopted an Irish boy, Thomas, and she became a campaigner for adoption, lobbying for the rights of Americans to adopt children from overseas. [28], In October 1957, she debuted in a successful solo nightclub act at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. The two became friends, and Russell once brought Monroe to a Bible study group. Her mother was an actor who became a lay preacher. She sang with the Kay Kyser Orchestra on radio, and recorded two singles with his band, "As Long As I Live" and "Boin-n-n-ng!" [18] She had a cameo in Road to Bali (1953). Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. This was caused by a botched abortion she had done previously. in Hawaii, the director, John Sturges, wanted them to keep working through Christmas, and my mom said, No, were shutting down and Im going home! says Buck. She was named Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. "Nobody could have had a sweeter, better daughter than my two," Sandy Waterfield said. It was a pretty good transformation., When Jane died at 89 in 2011, she didnt want to be remembered for her career in showbiz. It was such a grueling process, Russell later said that she felt as it she spent the first half of the 1940s doing nothing but promoting her debut film. Paramount borrowed Russell for a reunion with Hope, Son of Paleface (1952), which was another hit. Models Singers. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. While Russells youngest son didnt come to live with her after the end of her first marriage, she moved close to him and his family in the final years of her life. Hughes cast Russell opposite Robert Mitchum and Vincent Price in His Kind of Woman (1951), a film noir originally directed by John Farrow in 1950 which would be reshot by Richard Fleischer the following year. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was one of Russells most well-known films, but the ultimate fates of her and her co-star Marilyn Monroe were starkly different. Russell was unable to have biological children (something she attributed to a back alley abortion she'd had as an unmarried teen). In 1947, Russell delved into music before returning to films. She was a recovering alcoholic who had gone into rehab at age 79, and described herself in a 2003 interview, saying, "These days, I am a teetotal, mean-spirited, right-wing, narrow-minded, conservative Christian bigot, but not a racist. On the sitcom Maude (the episode "The Wallet"), Walter Findlay (played by Bill Macy) carries a lipstick impression and autograph of Jane Russell on a cocktail napkin in his wallet as a good luck charm. Russell rose to fame after movie director Howard Hughes picked her to appear in the 1943 movie, "The Outlaw." She later partnered with Bob Hope for the spoof Western The Paleface (1948), playing Calamity Jane, and returned for the sequel Son of Paleface (1952). Russell moved from the Midwest to California, where she had her first film role in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw (1943). 0 0. After 25 years and three months of love and loss, Russell was unexpectedly alone for the first time since in high school. With filming on His Kind of Woman completed, the cast looked forward to moving on to the next film project, but there was a dark twist around the corner. Many of Russell's movies were Westerns or musicals (or both), most notably Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, in which she shared the screen with Marilyn Monroe. It was yet another setback for Russell, but her patience would soon pay off. said her daughter-in-law, Etta Waterfield. Bob Waterfield - Wikipedia Jane Russell was born in Bemidji, Minnesota, on June 21, 1921. Russell also acted in touring productions of plays and musicals. Jane Russell Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information - Legacy.com She is an actress, known for Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Night Rhythms (1992) and Live Wire (1992). While many of the films were financial successes, theyre not exactly the type of stuff that critics still talk about today. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. The Hollywood icon passed away on August 4, 1962, aged 36, but if she were alive in 2022, she would be, Those are enough. Jane Russells measurements were. Russell made just over 20 films, but only a handful of those are remembered: her first film, The Outlaw (1943); the comedy western The Paleface (1948), with Bob Hope; and the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), co-starring Marilyn Monroe. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. Finally, in 1948, Russell began to make something of a comeback when she was cast as Calamity Jane in The Paleface. The obituary was featured in Legacy on February 28, 2011. . When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Russell moved from the Midwest to California, where she had her first film role in Howard Hughes ' The Outlaw (1943). This biography gives detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements and timeline. In 1971, Russell starred in the musical drama Company, making her debut on Broadway in the role of Joanne, succeeding Elaine Stritch. Two months after their divorce, Russell married actor Roger Barrett who died of a heart attack only two months later in November 1968. Tracy Tweed. Russells sensational life ended in February 2011. Scheuer, Philip K., "Jane Russell, Sultry Star of 1940s and '50s, Dies at 89", "Cabin Country: Dwelling's story courses through Bemidji history", "Jane Russell, Connie Haines, Rhonda Fleming, Beryl Davis, Della Russell Feel The Spirit", "Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell putting signatures, hand and foot prints in cement at Grauman's Theater, 1953, From Marilyn to Julia, Audrey to Angelina the most iconic beauties from the silver screen, "Legendary GI pin-up Jane Russell dies at 89", "Hollywood screen siren Jane Russell dies", "Former Sedona resident and 1950's bombshell Jane Russell dies", "Philomena: nun too sloppy when it comes to the facts", "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star Jane Russell dies at 89", "Jane Russell, Star of Westerns, Dies at 89", "Jane Russell Star of '40s and '50s films dies at 89", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Russell&oldid=1148475980, This page was last edited on 6 April 2023, at 11:35. Also in 1943, Jane married Bob Waterfield, who would go on to play quarterback in the NFL. She later starred in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), based on another novel by Loos. She always worked with macho film-makers and wished she had worked with a "woman's director" such as George Cukor. In 1954, she signed a $1 million contract with Hughes for six movies. She was actually real and not Hollywood.. There was a major scandal and a court case, after which Russell was allowed to formalise the adoption."[41]. There were dirty tricks.. Growing up, Russell was always called Jane; apparently her mother, a former actress, had dreams of stardom for her daughter and felt "Jane Russell" was better for a marquee. She hated the red carpet. However, she also revealed her own dark suspicions about Monroes infamously tragic end. Even before most of the public could see the film, Russell had become popular, thanks in large part to publicity stills that highlighted her voluptuous curves. Whatever happened to Jane's baby? - Independent.ie Russell was paid $200,000 for her role and had the right to draw on Chandler's services for a film later on for her own production company. A collection of some of Russell's gospel and secular recordings was issued on CD in Britain in 2005, and it includes more secular recordings, including Russell's spoken-word performances of Hollywood Riding Hood and Hollywood Cinderella backed by a jazz group that featured Terry Gibbs and Tony Scott. She died at her home in Santa Maria. Faced with a difficult choice at a young age, she ultimately chose to terminate the pregnancy. On August 5, 1962, Monroe was found dead from an overdose of barbiturates in her home in Brentwood, California. Director Howard Hughes cast her in the 1943 Western The Outlaw, which brought her worldwide fame as a pinup, even though the film wasnt widely released for five years because it was considered too risque. For most of the next decade, she only occasionally appeared in films and mostly stuck to television and music, chalking it up to her advanced ageshe was in her mid-30s. Just three months after the wedding, he died. [29][30], Russell moved into television, appearing in episodes of Colgate Theatre, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Death Valley Days (the "Splinter Station", 1960) and The Red Skelton Hour. A few years later, she went into rehab for alcoholism, a problem she had battled for decades.