Gene Marilyn Simmons is an American actress. She has been one of the brightest stars in Hollywood for more than half a century. There are still millions of fans of her talent all over the world.
British beauty was born in London on Crouch Hill. Gene Simmons was born on the last day of January to an extremely poor family in 1929. Jin became the youngest of four children.
Artistic career
As an actress, the girl made her debut at fifteen. A charming dance school student played in 1945 the sister of Margaret Lockwood in the movie "Give Us the Moon".
The hearts of the English audience were instantly won. Jean left her studies and completely immersed herself in the world of cinema. From 1945 to 1948 she participated in Caesar and Cleopatra, Great Expectations, and Hamlet.
After the choice of the girl for the role of Ophelia by Laurence Olivier himself, the young actress honestly admitted to the director that she did not understand Shakespeare at all. But under the direction of Sir Lawrence, Jean has perfectly embodied the image on the screen.
In her artistic career, Ophelia has become a great achievement. For her brilliant performance, nineteen-year-old Simmons received an Oscar, her photo graced the cover of Time. In addition, the charming performer was recognized as the best actress at the Venice Festival.
The production won hearts not only in Great Britain, but also in the United States. The performer chose an unusual interpretation: obedient daughter and confusion. Critics called the debutante talented, the only performer to play with the immediacy of life itself.
In 1949 Simmons starred in Blue Lagoon, and a year later played in Farewell to the Fair.
Family life and cinema
The personal life of a celebrity was also very successful. Fifteen-year-old Jean met in 1944 while working on a film with Stuart Granger.
In 1950, the lovers became husband and wife. A child appeared in a happy family. Jean gave birth to daughter Tracy. She later became a film editor. The acting couple moved to the States.
Simmons signed a contract with RKO. Due to constant delays, the film "Androcles and the Lion" began to be filmed much later than the agreed date. As a result, the actress tired of waiting filed a lawsuit and won the case. She won the right to participate in the films "20th Century Fox".
The Hollywood career was skyrocketing. For four years, the artist starred in "Angelic Face", "Love for a Stranger", "Actress", "Little Bess", "Shroud", "Egyptian", "Demetria and the Gladiators", "Desiree".
Jean played with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra in 1955 in Boys and Dolls, Sarah Brown. There, for the first time, she herself performed all the musical parts. The work was awarded a Golden Globe and a BAFTA nomination.
This was followed by Hilda Crane, Until They Sailed, The Great Land, and This Land is Mine. In 1956, the talented performer was awarded a special prize, the David di Donatello Prize. While the spouse became one of the most demanded actresses at the Star Factory. Her husband's career was failing. As a result, the couple broke up.
Almost immediately after the divorce in 1960, Simmons married Richard Brooks, a screenwriter and director. In marriage, a daughter, Kate, appeared. She became a successful producer. A happy family life brought a new career rise. Jean starred in Elmer Gantry with Bert Lancaster, starred in Spartacus with Kirk Douglas, and worked with Cary Grant in Greener Grass. For several years, the famous artist left the big cinema.
New takeoff
However, to the great delight of the fans, she returned again in 1963. The triumphant return was marked by her reincarnation as a mother for the painting "All the way home." The adaptation of James Agee's Death in the Family was staged with great taste. It became more and more difficult for the actress to find quality projects.
She participated in the work on "Life from above", "Mr. Badwing", "American Divorce", "Happy Ending". The last film brought an Oscar nomination. Films of a passing character, the actress considered the subsequent "Mister Sycamore", "Dominic" and "Say hello to yesterday".
Beginning in 1970, Simmons switched to television. Seven years later, she broke up with her husband. Retirement The actress starred in the TV movie "Valley of the Dolls", the mini-series "North and South" and "Great Expectations", the film "Perry Mason: The Case of Lost Love".
Fiona Cleary's performance for the 1983 TV series The Thorn Birds earned Jean an Emmy. The actress participated in episodes of the 1991 soap opera Dark Shadows.
Simmons decided to return to the big screen. She accepted an offer to star in Breaking Dawn and Working Underground with Hugh Grant and Anthony Hopkins. However, they did not leave the joy of shooting. The last film role was the work for the British film "Shadows in the Sun" in 2009.
The magnificent artist reincarnated as Hannah, an old woman whose son and grandchildren come to visit at the end of her life. Due to the lack of suitable roles, Jean became depressed. For his outstanding contribution to the development of the cinema, Simmons was elected a Fellow of the British Film Institute.
In 2003, the actress became a Dame of the Order of the British Empire. Towards the end of her career, Jean starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation. For the English version of the Japanese anime "Howl's Moving Castle" she voiced Sophie's grandmother, became the voice of the hero of the computer game "Final Fantasy: Spirits Within Us". Accepting American citizenship, Simmons moved to Santa Monica. She lived there until her death on January 22, 2010.
