JENNIFER JONES?

JENNIFER JONES (1919-2009), born Phylis Lee Isley, is one of my favorite actresses. She began as a fashion model, but was not just another pretty face. She could act and had true star quality, that certain magnetism that made this movie-goer want to see every film she ever made. I saw her first in Portrait of Jennie. She played a childish flirtatious girl and I could not take my eyes off of her. I had to know who played Jennie. I saw her next in The Song of Bernadette. Here, she played a completely different part. She was a quiet gentle girl who wanted to be a nun. Jennifer Jones made that character so real for me that I only had to see that film once to remember it my entire life. But when I saw her play an old woman in Good Morning, Miss Dove, I knew there wasn't a part Jennifer Jones couldn't play well. I was not the only one to notice this remarkable woman. Producer David O. Selznick not only gave her great parts in prestigious films with leading directors, but married her in 1949. She was twenty-five when she won an Oscar for her role in The Song of Bernadette, in fact, that very day was her birthday. After Selznick's death, she married Norton Simon. In 1980, she donated one million dollars to establish the "Jennifer Jones Simon Foundation for Mental Health and Education". Over the years, she has contributed to various charities (mostly mental health organizations) and presides over the Norton Simon Museum's Board of Directors for her late husband's prestigious art museum in Pasadena, California. I hope you will watch these films and appreciate her amazing talent.


Haven't you seen The Song of Bernadette (1943) [aka: Franz Werfel's The Song of Bernadette]? She played the lead role, Bernadette Soubirous.

Watch this and then see these other four films.


Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) She played the title role, Miss Dove. This film made me run out and buy the book. It's a great story.
Portrait of Jennie (1948) [aka: Jennie (UK), Tidal Wave] She played Jennie Appleton.
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) She played Dr. Han Suyin. Once again, you get to see how versatile Jennifer Jones is.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957) She played Elizabeth Barrett, whom you should know as poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.


*Contributed by: "Elizabeth Van Cleve Randolph" Date: Fri, Sept 1 2006 / 07:41:28 PST

Academy Awards®
© A.M.P.A.S.®
1943 Won Best Actress in a Leading Role: THE SONG OF BERNADETTE
1944 Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: SINCE YOU WENT AWAY
1945 Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role: LOVE LETTERS
1946 Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role: DUEL IN THE SUN
1955 Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role: LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING