Jane Russell at Brian's Drive-In Theater

biography

Born in Bemidji, Minnesota, on June 21, 1921, actress Jane Russell was the daughter of an Army lieutenant and a former actress. In the 1920s, Russell's family moved to California. When Russell's father passed away in 1937, as the oldest childed she took a job as a receptionist to help support the family. By 1940, Russell began to take acting classes and was discovered by producer Howard Hughes, who signed her to a seven-year contract. Her first film was the notorious western The Outlaw, which became known for its then-shocking display of Russell's charms rather than as a quality western film. Filmed in 1941 and directed by Howard Hawks, American censors almost immediately banned the film. It was briefly released in 1943 and again in 1946 and 1947, but The Outlaw did not gain a wide release until 1950. In some European countries, the film was banned until the early 1960s. The controversy surrounding the picture helped delay its release and, as a consequence, Russell's acting career.

Russell didn't appear in another film until the release of the drama Young Widow (1946; with Louis Hayward and Faith Domergue). In the meanwhile, she married future pro-football Hall-of-Famer Bob Waterfield in 1943 around the time he enlisted in the US Army. Discharged from the military due to a knee injury in 1944, he went back to UCLA and was eventually signed by the Los Angeles Rams. At the time, Waterfield was the highest paid professional football player until his 1952 retirement.

LEFT: Bob Waterfield in a late 1940s Rams photo. RIGHT: Russell in a still from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, her best-known film

Russell's acting career did not gather steam until the early 1950s. At her best in light comedies, she starred in His Kind of Woman (1951; with Robert Mitchum, Vincent Price, and Tim Holt), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953; with Marilyn Monroe), and The French Line (1953; with Gilbert Roland). Film success didn't last long, however, and by the end of the decade Russell had walked away from her career.

the films of jane russell

The Outlaw (1943)

Promotional photos of Jane Russell from The Outlaw

Montana Belle (1952)

Jane Russell in Montana Belle. Originally filmed in 1948, the release of this RKO retelling of the Belle Starr story was delayed until 1952, when the film was recut and additional footage was added. This color western is not a bad film by any means and is an early showcase for Jane Russell's singing talent

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Images from in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. LEFT, CENTER A and B: From Russell's musical number Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?. Russell's brother Jamie is pictured in CENTER B, on the far right. RIGHT: Russell with co-star Marilyn Monroe

The French Line (1954)

Promotional photos from The French Line

Underwater! (1955)

Gilbert Roland, Richard Egan, and Jane Russell

With Gilbert Roland and Richard Egan in the racy adventure flick Underwater!

Hot Blood (1956)

With Cornel Wilde in the Columbia musical Hot Blood

The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957)

Russell is kidnapped by Ralph Meeker in the United Artists comedy The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

later years

Jane Russell called a halt to her acting career following the release of The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957; with Keenan Wynn and Ralph Meeker). She and her husband had adopted three children in the early 1950s, so Russell focused her efforts on her nightclub act and acting on the legitimate stage. By the mid 1960s, Russell's marriage to Bob Waterfield was on the rocks, so Russell briefly resumed her acting career and acted in four films between 1964 and 1967. After her divorce in 1968, Russell married Roger Barrett in 1968, but tragically he died just a few months after their wedding at age 47.

After her second husband passed away, Russell made only two more films, Darker than Amber (1970; with Rod Taylor and William Smith) and The Godfather and the Lady (1975; with Peter Savage). She remarried again, this time to John Peoples, in 1974. Following her retirement from films, Russell did quite a bit of television work, including commercials for Playtex in the 1970s. Widowed again in 1999, Russell devoted her efforts to WAIF, an organization she began in the 1950s that helps place abandoned and orphaned children in adoptive homes. Struggling with alcoholism for much of her career, Russell became sober following the death of her third husband. Sadly, Jane Russell passed away on February 28, 2011, at the age of 89. She was survived by her children Tracy, Robert, and Thomas, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.