Russell and Barrett were only married for three months when Barrett suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack. After that, Russell took drama classes and appeared in school plays in high school, before going on to take acting lessons from acclaimed coaches. See more ideas about jane russell, jane, classic hollywood. She pushed her daughter toward the dramatic artsand then, tragedy struck. However, disappointment was just around the corner. The other original members were Connie Haines, Beryl Davis and Della Russell. [citation needed] Her brothers were Thomas, Kenneth, Jamie, and Wallace. [18] She had a cameo in Road to Bali (1953). [25], Russell died of breast cancer on November 28, 1976. The film was a huge success, Russell's biggest hit since The Outlaw, making over $5 million. Is Jane Russell related to Gail Russell? Released in 1966, this film stars Haley Mills, and Rosalind Russell as the Mother Superior of a rambunctious group of girls in a convent school. The type of films that Hughes cast Russell in focused only on her body, and she never really got a chance to show off her acting chops in those years. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was one of Russells most well-known films, but the ultimate fates of her and her co-star Marilyn Monroe were starkly different. The film was a smash at the box office.Jane did not make another film until 1945 when she played Joan Kenwood in Young Widow (1946). On March 22, Agns Varda's 1962 film "Cleo from 5 to 7" will be shown. In her autobiography, Russell said that she found Hughes baffling bra invention to be incredibly uncomfortableso she devised a way to get around wearing it. The Handbook is organized around three foundational questions: first, what . Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 - November 28, 1976) was a four-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning American film and stage actress, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday.She is tied with actress Meryl Streep) with the most Golden Globe Awards (for films) wins, with five. submissions or preferences. Her next movie, the 1946 drama Young Widow,was a failurebut it would take more than that to keep Jane Russell down. On top of that, she is the namesake for the Jane Russell Peaks in Alaska. He joked, "Culture is the ability to describe Jane Russell without moving your hands. [28], In October 1957, she debuted in a successful solo nightclub act at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Her buxom chest was so popular, variety show host Bob Hope even once introduced her by saying The two and only Jane Russell., Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, Glamorous Facts About Hollywood Actresses, These Bad Dates Are Straight Out Of Our Nightmares, Wild Facts About Howard Hughes, The Most Eccentric Man In Hollywood, Couldnt Pay Me To Go Back: Absolutely Wild Stories Of High School Drama, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, Frances Uncrowned Queen, Absolute Legends: The Wildest Pranks Ever Pulled. Here is a glamorous photo collection that shows classic beauties with cigarettes from the 1930s and 1960s. "Take the Stand, Rosalind Russell" by Ed Sullivan. Finally, in 1948, Russell began to make something of a comeback when she was cast as Calamity Jane in The Paleface. How does Shakespeare present the 2 different worlds of court life and the rural idyll of the "Golden Age" in As You Like It . One Tough, Funny Lady. A group of actress signed photographs. I dont think a star has any business posing in a vulgar way.. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. Sadly, the failure of The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown went far beyond disappointing ticket sales. Free shipping for many products! Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. New Duratec roof. Her publicist and mentor Howard Hughes was said to be apoplectic at the move but Russell stood her ground and refused to give the child up. Of course, that job ended up leading her back to the stage anyway, when Howard Hughes walked through the door of the doctors office where she worked and he discovered her. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Twentieth Century Fox, His Kind of Woman (1951), RKO Radio Pictures, The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957), United Artists, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Messy Facts About Cary Grant, The Iconic Leading Man, Rebellious Facts About Drew Barrymore, Hollywood's Comeback Kid, Tragic Facts About Lisa Marie Presley, The Tormented Heiress, Fierce Facts About Vivien Leigh, Hollywood's Tragic Star. When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946. Rosalind Russell, Chris Chase (1979). Illustrating just how "prominent" Jane's bust was to her public image, Bob Hope said as he introduced her, "The two and only Jane Russell." Hope joked about trying to describe Jane without using one's hands. . Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Her favorite co-star Bob Hope once introduced her as "the two and only Jane Russell". The family was well-to-do and although Jane was the only girl among four brothers, her mother saw to it that she took piano lessons. [19], Back at RKO, she was in Howard Hughes's production The French Line (1954), a musical. For more information on cookies please refer to our cookies During her contract with RKO Pictures, Russell was cast opposite Robert Mitchum and Vincent Price in His Kind of Woman. STROH Tracey Warr is the award-winning author of five historical novels set in medieval Europe and centred on strong female leads. Russell sang two songs in the movie. Jane Russell Facts. Rosalind Russell, (born June 4, 1907, Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.died November 28, 1976, Beverly Hills, California), American actress who was best remembered for her film and stage portrayals of witty, assertive, independent women. Sandra Storme, circa 1930s. For most of the next decade, she only occasionally appeared in films and mostly stuck to television and music, chalking it up to her advanced ageshe was in her mid-30s. I've seen plenty of pin-up pictures that have sex appeal, interest, and allure, but they're not vulgar. Haines was a former vocalist in the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, while Davis was a British emigrant who had moved to the United States after success entertaining American troops stationed in England during World War II. If the breakup of Russells 25-year marriage shocked her fans, they were in for even more surprise. Melissa RussellFeud2017WillGrace1998The Suicide Squad2021 . Tallulah Bankhead, 1932. Jane Russell may be best known for being the brunette in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The sultry role of Rio in The Outlaw made a breakout star out of Jane Russelleven though it was barely seen for nearly five years after its initial release. Russell, a popular Hollywood sex symbol in the 1940s and 1950s died, aged 89, yesterday. Upon its release, the Production Code once again pulled it. We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. She explained that the blonde bombshell had been preparing to remarry Joe DiMaggio, and had been excited about a new movie contract. Her last film of the decade was The Born Losers (1967). Russell made just . You couldn't go on acting in those years if you were an actress over 30. [10] Her screen test was directed by Harold S. Bucquet, and she later recalled that she was hired because of a closeup he took of her. [39] They spent the majority of their married life residing in Santa Maria, California. In 2006, her eyesight began to deteriorate. After starring in several films in the 1950s, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), Russell again returned to music while completing several other films in the 1960s. He was a UCLA All-American, Cleveland Rams quarterback, Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Los Angeles Rams head coach, and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. policy. 17 Feel-Good Romantic Movies to Watch on . Russell played Dorothy Shaw in the hit film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) opposite Marilyn Monroe for 20th Century Fox. Condition: New New. A star with her name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. He still lives in Arizona today. A collection of some of Russell's gospel and secular recordings was issued on CD in Britain in 2005, and it includes more secular recordings, including Russell's spoken-word performances of Hollywood Riding Hood and Hollywood Cinderella backed by a jazz group that featured Terry Gibbs and Tony Scott. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play in 1957 for her performance. First, because I want to improve my career and professional life and, secondly because I am tired of being a clothes horse a sort of hothouse orchid in a stand of wild flowers. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. But just how well she did, only those . Marilyn Monroe once said, "Jane tried to convert me (to religion), and I tried to introduce her to Freud". But she also had her limits and wasnt shy about speaking up when things went too far. The voluptuous Russell was a popular pin-up during the Korean War as wellso popular, that the forces there named a pair of embattled hills in her honor. Of course, Russell wasnt exactly sitting on her hands while she waited for the release of The Outlaw. [15] Russell found out about this while riding on a train to New York, when she read an article in The New York Times stating that she had been cast in the film and listing all the actresses who had turned the part down. After her disastrous and lengthy contract with Howard Hughes through RKO Pictures, Russell was finally able to strike out on her own. Search Amazon for Jane Russell. The terms of their custody agreement were far from conventional for that erawhile the eldest two children, Tracy and Thomas, went to live with Russell, custody of the youngest of their adopted brood, Robert John, was given to Waterfield. Her children, Thomas K. Waterfield, Tracy Foundas and Robert "Buck" Waterfield . [42] Russell appeared occasionally on the Praise the Lord program on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, a Christian television channel based in Costa Mesa, California. Catherine Rosalind Russell was one of seven children born in Waterbury, Connecticut, to James Edward, a lawyer,[6] and Clara A. Russell (ne McKnight),[7] a teacher. Her family was Irish Catholic and she was one of seven children. "Life is a Banquet". Her portrait and a description of her work hangs in the lobby, as Congress made a grant in 1979 to establish the research center, in honor of her Congressional appointment to the National Commission on Arthritis. If ever a woman was at risk of being reduced to her body parts, it was that star of the 1940s and 1950s, Jane Russell, who was initially subject to a level of . USD. 1941NGBT,,Humphrey Bogart,Walter Brennan,James Cagney,Jack Carson,Gary Cooper,Gino Corrado,Bette Davis,Rita Hayworth,Gene Lockhart,Brenda Marshall,George Raft,Claude Rains,Ronald Reagan,Rosalind Russell,Ann Sheridan,James Stewart,Jane Wyman,:NG Despite the uproar in the UK, Russells career made a quick recovery stateside. She was born into wealth and privilege but for Golden Age moviegoers, Rosalind Russell represented the epitome of the working woman. November 5, 1977. That didnt mean Russell had it made, though. Her family was a wealthy one and she enjoyed a comfortable childhood. In 1953, Russell and her first husband, former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bob Waterfield, formed Russ-Field Productions. [8] She was named after a ship on which her parents had traveled. Russell actually organized a weekly Bible study at her home which she named the Hollywood Christian group.. Russell is honored at the Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis. Instead of signing with another studio, Russell and her husband Bob Waterfield began Russ-Field Productions. Soon after that, they added to their family by adopting a baby boy, and a few years later, another son. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. [28] Russell had rheumatoid arthritis, and an arthritis research center at the University of California, San Francisco currently bears her name.[29]. In 1950s America, Jane Russells scandalous hour-glass figure caused an absolute frenzy. Russell was no fool, and she knew that Hughes and the rest of Hollywood were trading in on her curvaceous figure. Rosalind Russell. Grant sheepishly explained that the odd fellow was Freddie Brisson, the man whom he had mentioned so often, and they set off for dinner, with Freddie in tow. The Cambridge Handbook of Sexual Development is a carefully curated conversation that brings together the top researchers in child and adolescent sexual development to redefine the issues, conflicts, and debates in the field. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world. It turns out that both spouses had cheated on the other. services and The story was unearthed by Derry historian Willie Deery who said the move caused all sorts of problems for Russell at the time, according to the Belfast Telegraph. [citation needed], Perhaps her most memorable performance was in the title role of the long-running stage comedy Auntie Mame (based on a Patrick Dennis novel) as well as the 1958 film version, in which she played an eccentric aunt whose orphaned nephew comes to live with her. A Charmed Childhood. Russell said that she initially wore the bikini in front of her "horrified" movie crew while "feeling very naked". Growing up, Russell was always called Jane; apparently her mother, a former actress . Russell began her career as a fashion model and was in many Broadway shows. Jane Russell was born in Bemidji, Minnesota, on June 21, 1921. The subtly-named Boin-n-n-ng!. (1955), an adventure film with Russell and Richard Egan at RKO. Finally, the film gained general release in 1946. It also spelled the end of the production company that Russell began with her husband Bob Waterfield. Russell credits her marriage and family for keeping her in line in Hollywood. It was directed by George Cukor for MGM. "[12] She quickly rose to fame, and by 1935, was seen as a replacement for actress Myrna Loy, as she took many roles for which Loy was initially set.[13]. Russell moved from the Midwest to California, where she had her first film role in Howard Hughes' The Outlaw (1943). In December 1952, they adopted a 15-month-old boy, Thomas, whose birth mother, Hannah McDermott, had moved to London to escape poverty in Northern Ireland, and, in 1956, they adopted a nine-month-old boy, Robert John. Rosalind Russell (4. jun 1907 - 28. novembar 1976.) One British politician was so outraged that he called for baby Thomass return to the UK. It was reissued on CD in 2009 under the title Fine and Dandy, and the CD included some demo and soundtrack recordings, as well. Russell wrote an autobiography, Jane Russell: My Path and My Detours (1985). In her first years in Hollywood, Russell was characterized, both in her personal life and film career, as a sophisticated "lady". "I finally got to make a record the way I wanted to make it," she said of the MGM album in the liner notes to the CD reissue. Although the film was made in 1941, it was not released until two years later and then only on a limited basis due to the way the film portrayed Jane's assets. Two months after their divorce, Russell married actor Roger Barrett who died of a heart attack only two months later in November 1968. It was not as successful as the original.[26]. Had Jane not been wasted during the Hughes years, she could have been a bigger actress than what she was allowed to show. Her son married actress Patricia Morrow on March 15, 1975. Russell won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1953 for her portrayal of Ruth in the Broadway show Wonderful Town (a musical based on the film My Sister Eileen, in which she also starred). [citation needed], Russell continued to display her talent for comedy in the classic screwball comedy His Girl Friday (1940), directed by Howard Hawks. The film was finally fully released in 1946, and it was a hit. That year, she got married to her high school sweetheart, Bob Waterfield, who was a quarterback for the UCLA Bruins at the time. He joked, "Culture is the ability to describe Jane Russell without moving your hands.". Related articles Coronation Street's Simon Gregson 'couldn't leave the house' - anxiety Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 - November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer, known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday (1940), opposite Cary Grant, as well as for her portrayals of Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame (1958) and Rose in Gypsy (1962). posts, comments and submissions available. The film was intended to be released by Republic Pictures, but the producer sold the film to RKO, who released it in 1952. Today's Netflix Top 10 Rankings; One critic wrote: "Rosalind Russell as the 'other woman' in the story gives an intelligent and deft handling to her scenes with Young. First, she urged her young daughter to take piano lessons. Her MA in Art History is from Concordia University, where her area of study was contemporary Canadian art. In her autobiography, Russell said that the revealing outfit was an alternative to Hughes' original suggestion of a bikini, a very racy choice for a movie costume in 1954. She did not act in films in 1944. ACTRESS JANE RUSSELL, who died yesterday, adopted an Irish baby in the early 1950s causing acontoversy that nearly ended her career. They later divorced in the 1980s. News images provided by Press Association Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death. Russell performed the role of Joanne for almost six months. When a reporter asked her about her reputation for being hard-nosed about her faith, she had a sassy retort: Christians can have big breasts too.. She admitted that she had a drinking problem and entered rehaball at the age of 79 years old. As a result, Russell just didnt think Monroe took her own life. Many expected the young couple to start a family, but sadly, Russell was hiding a dark secret. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away. "[31], Russell was referenced in a 1956 episode of The Honeymooners. [35], Russell was portrayed by Renee Henderson in the CBS miniseries Blonde (2001), based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates and portrayed leaving her imprints at Grauman's along with Marilyn Monroe in the HBO film Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996), starring Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino. As the oldest, Jane decided that shed get a job as a receptionist to support her family. Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. [1], Russell's mother arranged for her to take piano lessons. Russells career began in a way that seems like a classic old Hollywood clich. Russells sensational life ended in February 2011. Registered office: 3rd floor, Latin Hall, Golden Lane, Dublin 8. By Nancy Collins. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. She called it the World Adopting International FundAKA Waif. Since its inception, the organization has helped over 50,000 children get adopted. The couple wed in 1974, and unlike Russells other walks down the aisle, this one was built to last. Her next project was the Hughes-produced Macao, and this time she had to deal with temperamental Austrian director Josef von Sternberg, who quickly made enemies of most of the castbut who had a special dislike for Russell. Following the success of The Outlaw, Russell tried her hand at a musical careerbut it didnt exactly go as she planned. The Hollywood stars son was adopted from an Irish family in the 1950s in a move that nearly ended Russells career. [9][10], Russell's measurements were 38-24-36, and she stood 5ft 7in (97-61-91cm and 1.7m), making her more statuesque than most of her contemporaries. The problem is how to remain an artist once he or she grows up. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. Thankfully, the flick was a massive hit for Paramount that yearbut for Russell, the best was yet to come. [4] Her handprints and footprints are immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre,[33] and she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6850 Hollywood Boulevard. Sadly, just three months after Russells wedding to her second husband, tragedy struck. ( :Kirk douglas), 9 1916 5 , 2020 . She died at her home in 507 Boscoe Ct, Santa Maria. Russell was born on June 21, 1921, at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center in Bemidji, Minnesota. Hughes infamous invented bra now lives in a Hollywood museum. Actress #3494. [16], She continued to appear in movies through the mid-1960s, including Picnic (1955), A Majority of One (1961), Five Finger Exercise (1962), Gypsy (1962), The Trouble with Angels (1966), and its sequel Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968). Russ-Field also made some films without Russell for United Artists: The King and Four Queens (1956) starring Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker (co-produced with Gable's company), and Run for the Sun (1956) starring Richard Widmark and Jane Greer. . Shes also worked as a translator, editor, and writer for a stable of commercial clients. [10], Under contract to MGM, Russell debuted in Evelyn Prentice (1934). The procedure was difficult, and afterexperiencing severe complications, Russell went to see her family doctor for a check-up. Jane did continue to make films throughout the 1950s, but the films were at times not up to par, particularly with Jane's talents being wasted in forgettable movies to show off her sexy side. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 - February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. Russell actually dreamed of becoming a fashion designer rather than an actress, but her mother had different ideas. Four years later she was . Patrick Dennis dedicated his second Auntie Mame novel Around the World with Auntie Mame to "the one and only Rosalind Russell" in 1958. Fifties movie bombshell Jane Russell died Monday morning at her home in Santa Maria, California, her family said. The screen siren was 89 years old. It made $2 million but because of its large cost was a financial flop. Introduction to. As Monroe put it, Jane tried to convert me (to religion), and I tried to introduce her to Freud. Obviously, neither woman budged in her beliefs. It was yet another setback for Russell, but her patience would soon pay off. Russell and McDermott came to an agreement over little Thomas and soon after, Russell took him home and the Waterfields became a family of four. According to Russell, when the doctor took a look at her that day, he asked her a terrifying question:What butcher did this to you? As it turned out, the botched procedure had left the young girl infertile. [citation needed]. Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 - November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and singer, known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday (1940), as well as for her portrayals of Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame (1958) and Rose in Gypsy (1962). Her parents thought Russell was studying to become a teacher and were unaware that she was planning to become an actress. We want our readers to trust us. [citation needed]. I don't think a star has any business posing in a vulgar way. On the sitcom Maude (the episode "The Wallet"), Walter Findlay (played by Bill Macy) carries a lipstick impression and autograph of Jane Russell on a cocktail napkin in his wallet as a good luck charm. Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, All of them refused. Her favorite co-star Bob Hope once introduced her as "the two and only Jane Russell". Jane Russell(born on 21st June 1921) was a legendary actress, singer, and model of Hollywood from the United States. Geraldine Russell had been an actress before starting their family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Upon hearing that Grant was making the movie with Russell, Brisson asked his friend if he could meet her. . Brisson had been traveling from England to the United States by ship in 1939, and The Women was playing on an endless loop during the voyage. At 5'7" and sporting measurements of 38D-24-36, Russell quickly became a Hollywood sex symbol. Carl Lance Brisson -- Son. Six years after the loss of her second husband, she fell for an estate agent named John Calvin Peoples. Is keri Russell related to Kurt Russell? Health Care. Russell and Peoples remained together until his passing in 1999. When she plead ignorance of Hollywood (while wearing her worst-fitting clothes), Universal released her and she signed with MGM for seven years.For some time she was used in secondary roles and as a replacement threat to limit Myrna Loy's salary demands. Learning that her brother was experiencing medical issues, she sought to discover the root cause of her problem's medical maladies, thus leading . "Trouble with Angels," on March 15, is a light-hearted comedy from director Ida Lupino. It shouldve been the happiest time of their lives, but instead, it stirred up a dark controversy that nearly ruined Russells life. After being reminded by his wife, Alice, of his reluctance to attend even a party that Jane Russell was throwing, an insulted Kramden rants, "I was talking about Jane Russell: I said nothing about any party that Norton's running!". Howard Hughes bought RKO Pictures, and would be Russell's main employer for the next few years. The timing revealed the dark side of her previous marriage. Jane Russell during Exclusive Photo Shoot with Jane Russell - October 1, 1985 at A New York City Hotel in New York City, New York, United States. There is no relation between Keri Russell and Kurt Russell. Speaking about her sex appeal, Russell later said, "Sex appeal is good but not in bad taste. However, Russell later revealed the truth about the whole thing. [9], In the early 1930s, Russell went to Los Angeles, where she was hired as a contract player for Universal Studios. [38] of a respiratory-related illness on February 28, 2011. Her father was a United States Army lieutenant and her mother had been a student of drama and an actress with a traveling troupe. 3 1,200YouTubeFunnyorDie . With filming on His Kind of Woman completed, the cast looked forward to moving on to the next film project, but there was a dark twist around the corner. [1][2] She was the eldest child and only daughter of the five children of Geraldine (ne Jacobi) and Roy William Russell, who married on March 22, 1918, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The film was supposed to come out in 1941, but the Hollywood Production Code Administration objected to the amount of skin that was shown, particularly by Russell. George Cukor told her to "play her as a freak". Russell was married three times, first to Bob Waterfield, from 1943 until their divorce in July 1968. She is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. As a young girl she was an adventurous tomboy who loved to climb . Contrary to countless incorrect reports in the media since the release of The Outlaw,[citation needed] Russell did not wear the specially designed underwire bra that Howard Hughes had designed and made for her to wear during filming. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress four times during her career before being awarded a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1973. 13,14 One trial compared helmet noninvasive ventilation with high-flow nasal oxygen alone; the other, with mask noninvasive ventilation with lower PEEP than what was used in the control group in the current . Catherine Rosalind Russell was born in 1907, in Waterbury, Connecticut. She perished young, at just 53and the circumstances are chilling. Jane Russell was one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood during the 1940's and 1950's. After coming to the public's attention for her appearance in Howard Hughes's 'The Outlaw' in 1943, she became known more for her voluptuous 38D-24-36 figure than for her acting ability.