Jennifer Jones

American actress
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Phyllis Lee Isley
Quick Facts
Original name:
Phylis Lee Isley
Born:
March 2, 1919, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died:
December 17, 2009, Malibu, California (aged 90)
Also Known As:
Phyllis Lee Isley
Phylis Lee Isley
Awards And Honors:
Academy Award (1944)
Academy Award (1944): Actress in a Leading Role
Golden Globe Award (1944): Best Actress in a Leading Role
Notable Family Members:
spouse David O. Selznick
Married To:
Norton Simon (1971–1993 [his death])
David O. Selznick (1949–1965 [his death])
Robert Walker (1939–1945)
Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):
"The Towering Inferno" (1974)
"Angel, Angel, Down We Go" (1969)
"The Idol" (1966)
"Tender Is the Night" (1962)
"A Farewell to Arms" (1957)
"The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (1957)
"The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1956)
"Good Morning, Miss Dove" (1955)
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (1955)
"Beat the Devil" (1953)
"Stazione Termini" (1953)
"Ruby Gentry" (1952)
"Carrie" (1952)
"The Wild Heart" (1952)
"Gone to Earth" (1950)
"Madame Bovary" (1949)
"We Were Strangers" (1949)
"Portrait of Jennie" (1948)
"Duel in the Sun" (1946)
"Cluny Brown" (1946)
"Love Letters" (1945)
"Since You Went Away" (1944)
"The Song of Bernadette" (1943)
"Dick Tracy's G-Men" (1939)
"New Frontier" (1939)

Jennifer Jones (born March 2, 1919, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.—died December 17, 2009, Malibu, California) was an American film actress known for her performances in roles that alternated between fresh-faced naifs and tempestuous vixens.

Jones attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and after appearing in a series of bit movie parts, she landed an audition with Hollywood mogul David O. Selznick, She was cast in her first leading role in The Song of Bernadette (1943). Her intense and sincere portrayal of a French peasant girl (St. Bernadette of Lourdes) earned Jones an Academy Award. She later received Oscar nominations for her work in Since You Went Away (1944), Love Letters (1945), Duel in the Sun (1946), and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955). Much of her career was molded by Selznick, whom she married in 1949 (she had divorced actor Robert Walker in 1945). After Selznick’s death in 1965, she retreated from acting, appearing in only three more films; her last movie was The Towering Inferno (1974). In later years she oversaw the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, which bore the name of her third husband.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.