Jeanne Crain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeanne Crain
Crain in 1954
Born	Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (1925-05-25)May 25, 1925 Barstow, California, U.S.
Died	December 14, 2003(2003-12-14) (aged 78) Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Resting place	Santa Barbara Cemetery
Other names	Jeanne Crain Brinkman
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1943–1972
Known for	Pinky In the Meantime, Darling State Fair Leave Her to Heaven Margie A Letter to Three Wives
Spouse(s)	Paul Brinkman ​ ​ (m. 1945; his death 2003)​
Children	7

Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (born May 25, 1925 – died December 14, 2003) was a famous American actress. She was known for her roles in many movies, especially Pinky (1949). For her role in Pinky, she was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, which is a very important award in movies.

Jeanne Crain also starred in other popular films like State Fair (1945), Leave Her to Heaven (1945), and Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). She was a big star during the 1940s and 1950s.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Jeanne Crain was born in Barstow, California. Her father was a high school English teacher, and her mother's name was Loretta. Her family was Roman Catholic and had Irish roots.

When Jeanne was young, her family moved to Inglewood, California. After her parents divorced in 1934, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother and sister.

Discovering Her Talents

Jeanne started acting in school plays when she was 14 years old. She also won beauty contests at 15. She was a very good ice skater! She first became known when she won the "Miss Pan-Pacific" contest in Los Angeles.

She went to Inglewood High School. While still in high school, she had a chance to audition for a movie with the famous director Orson Welles, but she didn't get the part. After high school, she studied drama at UCLA. In 1943, when she was 18, she had a small role in the movie The Gang's All Here.

Becoming a Movie Star

Jeanne Crain in 1946

Jeanne Crain's first movie, The Gang's All Here, was made by a big company called 20th Century Fox. The studio quickly saw her talent.

Early Roles at 20th Century Fox

When she was 19, Fox gave Jeanne her first important role in the movie Home in Indiana (1944). She played the main character's love interest. This movie was filmed in Technicolor, which made it look very colorful and beautiful. It was popular and helped Jeanne become known in Hollywood.

The head of Fox, Darryl F Zanuck, was very happy with her. He gave her the top role in In the Meantime, Darling (1944). In this movie, she played a war bride. Even though some critics didn't love her acting in this film, she became famous across the country.

Jeanne received good reviews for her acting in Winged Victory (1944).

Rising to Stardom

Jeanne Crain in the trailer for State Fair (1945).

In 1945, Jeanne starred in the musical movie State Fair. She often had singing parts in her movies, but her singing was usually done by another singer named Louanne Hogan.

State Fair was a big success. So was Leave Her to Heaven (1945). In this movie, Jeanne played the "good" sister. These movies made Jeanne one of Fox's biggest stars.

Jeanne also starred in Centennial Summer (1946) and Margie (1946). Margie showed off her ice skating skills! She made two more films in 1948: You Were Meant for Me and Apartment for Peggy.

Peak of Her Career

In 1949, Jeanne Crain starred in three movies. One of them, A Letter to Three Wives (1949), was a huge hit and is still considered a classic film today.

Another important movie was Pinky (1949). This film earned Jeanne a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Pinky was a very popular movie, but it was also controversial. It told the story of a light-skinned African American woman who pretended to be white. The studio chose a white actress for the role to avoid problems with racial tensions at the time.

Jeanne had another big success with Cheaper by the Dozen (1950). She also starred with Cary Grant in the movie People Will Talk (1951).

She continued to star in films like The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951) and Belles on Their Toes (1952), which was a sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen.

While still at 20th Century Fox, Jeanne played a young wife in Dangerous Crossing (1953). She also starred in Vicki (1953) and a Western called City of Bad Men (1954). After these films, Jeanne left 20th Century Fox.

Later Films and Television

Jeanne Crain made Duel in the Jungle (1954) in Britain. Then she starred in Man Without a Star (1955) with Kirk Douglas. In this Western, she played a strong ranch owner.

She showed her dancing skills in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955) with Jane Russell. This movie was filmed partly in Paris. Later, Jeanne, Jane Russell, and another actress even performed a singing and dancing show in Las Vegas!

Jeanne starred with Glenn Ford in the hit movie The Fastest Gun Alive (1956). She also appeared in The Tattered Dress (1957) and The Joker Is Wild (1957).

Around this time, Jeanne started working in television. She played Daisy in a TV version of The Great Gatsby (1958) and Rose in Meet Me in St. Louis (1959).

In the 1960s, Jeanne appeared in fewer films as she started to slow down her acting career. She played Nefertiti in an Italian movie called Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile (1961). She also starred in Madison Avenue (1962). She made guest appearances on TV shows like Riverboat and Burke's Law.

Her last films were Hot Rods To Hell (1967), The Night God Screamed (1971), and Skyjacked (1972) with Charlton Heston.

Personal Life

Jeanne Crain dancing with her husband Paul Brinkman in 1946.

Jeanne Crain was known for being very social during her peak acting years. She once said she was invited to hundreds of parties each year!

On December 31, 1945, Jeanne married Paul Brinkman. He was also an actor for a short time and later became a business executive. They had seven children together.

Their marriage had some ups and downs, but they stayed together. Paul Brinkman passed away in October 2003. Jeanne Crain died two months later, on December 14, 2003, from a heart attack. She was buried at the Santa Barbara Cemetery under the name Jeanne Crain Brinkman.

Legacy

Jeanne Crain's acting career and life are remembered through a special collection of items. This collection is kept at the Cinema Archives at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Her son, Paul F. Brinkman Jr., became a television executive. He is well-known for his work on the TV series JAG.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio Performances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jeanne Crain para niños