Jane Powell
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Jane Powell (born April 1, 1928) is an American actress. She was the petite blonde with an operatic singing voice in many MGM musicals in the 1940s and 1950s.
Born Suzanne Burce in Portland, Oregon, USA, she sang on the radio as a child, and performed in theater before her film career began in 1944. She appeared in her first film, Song of the Open Road (1944), at age 15. Her first MGM musical was Holiday in Mexico (1946), which brought her to the public's attention, and she was later billed as the co-star in several films including A Date With Judy (1948), and Nancy Goes to Rio (1950).
Powell got the chance to sing and dance with Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding (1951), when she was brought in as a replacement for both June Allyson and Judy Garland. Her best known film is probably Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), which gave her the opportunity to play a more mature character than previous films. Her other films include: Rich, Young and Pretty (1951), Small Town Girl (1953), Three Sailors and a Girl (1953), Athena (1954), Deep in My Heart (1954), Hit the Deck (1955), and The Girl Most Likely (1957).
By the end of the 1950s, Hollywood musicals began to lose popularity, and her film career ended. Since then Powell has continued to work in television, radio, and live performances. Her stage roles include the touring productions of South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, Carousel, The Girl Next Door and How She Grew, and Irene.
Powell lives in Connecticut, with her fifth husband, Dick Moore, and still performs today.
Filmography
- Song of the Road (1944)
- Delightfully Dangerous (1945)
- Holiday in Mexico (1946)
- Luxury Liner (1948)
- Three Daring Daughters (1948)
- A Date with Judy (1948)
- Screen Snapshots: Motion Picture Mothers, Inc. (1949) (short subject)
- Nancy Goes to Rio (1950)
- Two Weeks with Love (1950)
- Royal Wedding (1951)
- Rich, Young and Pretty (1951)
- Small Town Girl (1953)
- Three Sailors and a Girl (1953)
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
- Athena (1954)
- Deep in My Heart (1954)
- 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration (1955) (short subject)
- Hit the Deck (1955)
- The Girl Most Likely (1957)
- The Female Animal (1958)
- Enchanted Island (1958)
- Tubby the Tuba (1976) (voice)
- Marie (1985)
- Picture This (1999)
- Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) (documentary)