"The girl with the summer-hot lips and the winter-cold heart."
"There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough."
- Howard Hughes, as quoted in Robert Hale's "The Humour of Sex"
Jane Russell was born on June 21, 1921, in Bemidji, Minnesota. Born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell, Jane tried on many "stage names"- she has also been credited as Connie Haines, and Beryl Davis Trio-before deciding on Jane Russell as her herald to celebrity.
Daughter of a U.S. lieutenant father, Jane was one of five Russell children, and beside her mother, the only other Russell girl. It seems Jane was to take after her mother, however, whose love of drama rubbed off on the young Jane at an early age. After relocating from Canada to California, Jane found herself enrolling in her Van Nuys High School drama department, participating in several high school play productions.
After high school, Jane took menial jobs, finding work as a model because of her curvaceous figure; her earnings often went to supporting her family after the death of her father. Eventually, Russell's mother urged her to enroll in drama school, hoping she would find a way to support herself on her artistic merit. Jane's "big break," however, allegedly came while working as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, where the notorious Howard Hughes purportedly "discovered" her.
Consequently, Jane’s first role was as the foxy "Rio," starring opposite Jack Beutel (Billy the Kid), in the Howard Hughes film, THE OUTLAW (1943). Ironically, because of the film's brazen portrayal of Jane’s assets, the film was not released to the public until 1946, whereupon it was an instant success at the box office; Russell and her buxom figure soon became a household name. During her career, Russell signed a 7-year contract with Hughes, quickly becoming somewhat of a "Hugh's Girl." However, it seems most of Jane's roles in Hugh’s films were more aesthetic than artistic; Hughes most often concentrated on Russell’s figure, rather than her acting abilities. Nonetheless, the curvaceous starlet quickly became a pinup favorite shortly thereafter, magazines adorned their covers and spreads with tempting pictures of the buxom beauty. Still, it is films like GENTLEMEN MARRY BRUNETTES (1955) that really showcase the artist behind Russell's aesthetic exterior.
At 5'7” tall, Russell has a statuesque appearance that has not gone unnoticed by many an admirer. Throughout most of her career, her measurements were reportedly an astounding 38D-25-26 (Source: Celebrity Magazine)! Consequently, her curves were recognized as a geographical landmark, literally; the "Jane Russell Peaks" in Alaska attest to the notoriety Russell's figure portended at the “peak” (pun aside) of her stardom. Rumor has it that Russell's peaks also have been honored as the name of two famous battle hills in the Korean War by fellow American troops.
Despite her sexy status, however, Jane Russell is an infamous "born again" Christian, she has been known to lead many a bible study of which celebrity and neighbor alike partake. Russell is also a self proclaimed conservative Republican. When speaking about her views, she once allegedly stated:
"My son said, 'Mother you can't say the word bigot because that has to do with nationalities and things.' I said, 'No darling, it's a verb. It means I can't stand these people who are trying to take the Ten Commandments off the wall, take prayer out of school and take prayer out of football games.' It's too ridiculous. The Lord put this country together or we wouldn't be like we are."
Definitive of American "iconoclasm," Russell has been repeatedly portrayed in American historiographic or biographic films, such as the 1977 TV movie, THE AMAZING HOWARD HUGHES; NORMA JEAN & MARILYN (1966); the most recent portrayal of Jane Russell was in 2001 in the TV mini-series, BLONDE; Russell was played by Renee Henderson.
Russell has also been known to dapple in advertisements, posing as a spokeswoman for Playtex bras in the 1970s/80s and as a Lustre Crème’s shampoo model in the early 1950s.
Russell married her first husband and high school sweetheart, Bob Waterfield, in 1943, Waterfield also went on to become an actor, appearing in films like JUNGLE MANHUNT and TRIPLE THREAT. In 1955, the husband-wife acting duo collaborated to form the Russ-Field Production Company, under which films such as GENTLEMEN MARRY BRUNETTES (1955)-among one of Russell’s best works-and THE KING AND FOUR QUEENS (1956) were produced. Together, the Waterfield’s adopted several children; Jane is the mother of three total adopted children.
Because of her inability to bear children, Russell not only adopted children, but has also been involved extensively in American adoption programs, launching the World Adoption International Fund program; to date, the organization has placed over 50,000+ children in adoptive homes. Russell also helped influence the passing of the 1953 Federal Orphan Adoption Amendment, which enabled overseas-born children of Americans to be viable candidates for adoption in the States. In 1989, the Women's International Center recognized Russell for her selfless contributions to this field of work, awarding her with a Living Legacy Award.
After the dissolution of her marriage to Waterfield in 1967, Russell went on to marry two additional times. Her second marriage to Roger Barrett lasted only several months; Barrett died only two months later. Her final marriage to John Calvin Peoples in 1974 lasted until his death in 1999. Russell has yet to remarry.
Her most recent project was her self-produced 2006 musical, THE SWINGING FORTIES, which is a bi-monthly production at her local Radisson Hotel.
Of all of her performances, it was her role in the 1953 classic GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES that really made Russell an American starlet.
Jane Russell's other notable credits include...
Jane Russell - MovieActors.com
