Jane Powell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jane Powell
Powell in 1952
Born	Suzanne Lorraine Burce (1929-04-01)April 1, 1929 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	September 16, 2021(2021-09-16) (aged 92) Wilton, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer dancer
Years active	1941–2007
Spouse(s)	Geary Steffen ​ ​ (m. 1949; div. 1953)​ Patrick Nerney ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1963)​ James Fitzgerald ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1975)​ David Parlour ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1981)​ Dickie Moore ​ ​ (m. 1988; died 2015)​
Children	3

Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce; April 1, 1929 – September 16, 2021) was a famous American actress, singer, and dancer. She became well-known in the 1940s and 1950s for her roles in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) musicals. With her beautiful singing voice and friendly image, Jane Powell starred in many films, TV shows, and stage productions. Some of her most famous musicals include A Date with Judy (1948), Royal Wedding (1951), and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).

Later in the 1950s, her film career slowed down. However, she took on different kinds of roles in films like The Female Animal and Enchanted Island (both 1958). She also performed on stage in popular shows like My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. Jane Powell made occasional TV appearances too, including on The Love Boat (1981–1982) and Growing Pains (1988–1992). She was a true star from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

In the 2000s, Powell returned to the stage. She performed in Off-Broadway shows like Avow and Bounce. In 2007, she sang with the musical group Pink Martini in her hometown of Portland. She continued to act in local theater productions in Wilton, Connecticut, until her death.

Life and Career

Early Life and Start

Jane Powell was born Suzanne Lorraine Burce on April 1, 1929, in Portland, Oregon. She was the only child of Paul Emerson Burce and Eileen Baker Burce. Jane started taking dance lessons when she was just 2 years old. By age 5, she was already on a children's radio show in Portland called Stars of Tomorrow.

Her family moved to Oakland, California, for a short time to try and get her noticed by Hollywood talent agents. After they returned to Portland, Jane took singing lessons. When she was 12, she became the "Oregon Victory Girl." She sang on the radio and traveled around Oregon for two years, helping to sell war bonds.

In 1943, while on vacation in California, Jane won a Hollywood talent show. The very next day, at age 14, she signed a contract with MGM Theaters in Hollywood. She wanted to finish high school and go to university, but her mother wanted her to focus on her successful career.

Becoming a Star

After signing with MGM, Jane Powell was first loaned to United Artists for her very first film, Song of the Open Road (1944). In this movie, she played a character named Jane Powell, and she liked the name so much that she decided to use it as her professional stage name.

In 1945, she sang at the wedding of famous actress Esther Williams. Jane's second film was Delightfully Dangerous (1945). She then appeared in Holiday in Mexico (1946), where she met Roddy McDowall, who became a lifelong friend.

Powell with Elizabeth Taylor in A Date with Judy (1948)

More movies followed, including Three Daring Daughters (1948), A Date with Judy (1948), Luxury Liner (1948), Nancy Goes to Rio (1950), and Two Weeks with Love (1950). Jane often played teenage girl roles, even when she was older and had her own children. She accepted these roles to support her family. In 1949, Jane Powell sang at President Harry S. Truman’s special ball. She sang for five U.S. presidents and even the Queen of England during her career.

Big Musicals and New Roles

Powell in 1953

In 1951, Jane Powell starred in the musical comedy Royal Wedding and also in Rich, Young and Pretty. She continued to make films like Small Town Girl and Three Sailors and a Girl in 1953.

A very important role for her was in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1954. This movie was later named one of the greatest American musicals of all time by the American Film Institute. Also in 1954, Powell starred in Athena and Deep in My Heart.

In 1955, she starred in Hit the Deck. The next year, she recorded the song "True Love," which became her only song to appear on the music charts. In 1956, Jane also performed the song "I'll Never Stop Loving You" at the 28th Academy Awards. She then appeared in the musical comedy The Girl Most Likely, which was released in 1958.

Known mostly for musicals, Powell took on a different kind of role in the drama The Female Animal (1958). This was a rare non-musical part for her.

Stage and TV Career

By the late 1950s, Jane Powell's movie roles became less frequent. She decided to try theater instead. Her first stage role was in Oklahoma! in Dallas, Texas, in 1958. The next year, she appeared in a TV musical remake of Meet Me in St. Louis. She also starred in a stage show called The Most Happy Fella (1962). From 1962 to 1972, Powell made many appearances on The Red Skelton Show on television.

Powell plays a girlfriend to Red Skelton's "Junior" on The Red Skelton Show, 1968

In 1964, Jane Powell played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in Los Angeles. This show was very popular. She also toured in a musical show called Just 20 Plus Me!. She played the main role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1966. She also starred in Carousel and The Boy Friend in 1967. Later, she played Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music in 1968.

Besides her stage work, Powell was in three TV movies: Wheeler and Murdoch (1972), The Letters (1973), and Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976). In 1973, Jane made her Broadway debut in Irene. Critics praised her performance. She also performed on stage with Howard Keel in revivals of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, I Do! I Do!, and South Pacific.

Later Years and Return to Stage

In the early 1980s, Jane Powell toured in comedies like Same Time, Next Year and Chapter Two. She also had guest roles on TV shows such as The Love Boat (1981–1982) and Fantasy Island.

In 1985, she had a nine-month role on the TV soap opera Loving. She then had another guest role on Murder, She Wrote in 1985. From 1988 to 1992, Powell had a recurring role on the popular sitcom Growing Pains, playing Irma Seaver. In May 1988, Jane married her longtime partner, former child actor Dickie Moore.

Powell in September 1998

In the early 1990s, Powell filled in for another actress on the soap opera As the World Turns. In 1996 and 1997, she appeared in an Off-Broadway show called After-Play. She also played the Queen in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the New York City Opera. In 2000, Powell was in the Off-Broadway play Avow. She also performed in 70, Girls, 70 that same year. In 2002, she guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2003, she returned to the stage in the musical Bounce. She said she auditioned just to meet the famous composer Stephen Sondheim. On New Year's Eve 2007, Jane Powell returned to her hometown of Portland, Oregon. She narrated Peter and the Wolf with the musical group Pink Martini. She performed with Pink Martini again in New York City in 2008 and at the Hollywood Bowl in 2010. In 2011, Powell was a guest host on Turner Classic Movies.

Personal Life

Jane Powell had three children. Her first two children, Gearhardt Steffen III and Suzanne Ilene Steffen, were from her first marriage to Gearhardt Anthony Steffen. They married in 1949 and divorced in 1953.

She then married Patrick W. Nerney in 1954. Their daughter, Lindsay Averill Nerney, was born in 1956. Powell and Nerney divorced in 1963. Jane married and divorced two more times. In 1982, she met former child star Dickie Moore, and they married six years later in 1988. They were together until Dickie's death in 2015. After her husband passed away, Jane Powell moved to their home in Wilton, Connecticut. She died there on September 16, 2021, at the age of 92.

Legacy

Powell's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Jane Powell is remembered as one of the last big stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her role in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers helped make her a lasting part of movie history. She was known for her "girl-next-door" image, which made her a symbol of simpler times.

In 1960, Jane Powell was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California.

Filmography

Short Subjects

• Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. (1949)
• 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955)

Stage Work

• Allegro (1951)
• Oklahoma! (1958)
• The Most Happy Fella (1962)
• The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1963; 1966; 1981)
• Carousel (1966)
• The Boy Friend (1967)
• The Sound of Music (1968; 1972)
• My Fair Lady (1969; 1971)
• I Do! I Do! (1970)
• Meet Me in St. Louis (1972)
• Brigadoon (1973)
• Irene (1974; 1975–76)
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1978)
• South Pacific (1978)
• The Marriage-Go-Round (1981)
• Sweethearts (1983)
• Cinderella (1995)
• After-Play (1996)
• Ancestral Voices (2000)
• Avow (2000)
• Nothing Like a Dame (2000)
• 70, Girls, 70 (2000)
• Bounce (2003; 2004)

Radio Appearances

• 1944 — Powell played the main character in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Screen Guild Theatre (CBS radio).
• 1947 — Powell co-starred with Frank Sinatra on Songs by Sinatra.
• 1952 — Lux Radio Theatre (episode Royal Wedding)

Music Recordings

• 1949: Romance — Columbia Masterworks LP (ML 2034)
• 1949: A Date with Jane Powell — Columbia Masterworks LP (ML 2045)
• 1956: Can't We Be Friends? — Verve Records LP (MGV 2023)
• 1956: Something Wonderful (with David Rose and His Orchestra) — MGM Records (E3451)
• 2000: Hansel and Gretel/Alice in Wonderland — Collectables Records CD
• 2001: Romance/A Date with Jane Powell — Collectables Records CD (COL-CD-6670 / Sony A-50271)

Images for kids

• 

  Powell in Three Daring Daughters

• 

  Powell in 1951

• 

  Jane Powell in an MGM publicity photo for Three Daring Daughters

See also

In Spanish: Jane Powell para niños