Jennifer Jones

American actress who won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1943 for her first important role in The Song of Bernadette. Her portrayal of the 19th century maid of Lourdes who claimed to see the Virgin Mary was an overnight sensation and propelled Jennifer Jones into the spotlight. Jones is among the youngest actresses to receive an Academy Award, having won on her 25th birthday. Her other films include Love Letters and Duel in the Sun. An extraordinarily beautiful child with dark eyes and dark hair, Phyllis Lee Isley was born in rural Oklahoma. Her parents, Phil and Flora Mae, had a small acting troop called the "Isley Stock Company," and performed in tent shows around the Midwest. While most children only dream of becoming a "star," little Phyllis was living that reality from the very beginning, and even learned to walk backstage. Her parents settled in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in September 1925, where Phyllis was soon enrolled at the Edgemere Public School. Her first role, at the age of six, was her portrayal of a candy cane in her first grade play. Sometimes shy and seemingly embarrassed by the fuss made over her by the actors in her parents’ company, Phyllis helped out during summer vacations and after school, by selling tickets and refreshments, and decided she would be an actress. Her father purchased several independent movie theaters in 1929, where she spent much of her time, increasing her determination to become an actress. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in Monte Cassino, a junior college for girls, run by Benedictine sisters. Phyllis was different from the other girls because she was more interested in her planned career than she was in dating. She appeared in several school plays, usually in the leading role. Her enthusiasm for acting was evident, and her father suggested she go to Hollywood and use his connections to try and land a movie contract. Phyllis, however, was fascinated with Broadway and a life in the theater; a trip to New York when she was nine had piqued her curiosity in that direction. She chose instead to enroll at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, because it was reported to have an excellent drama department, but her expectations were not fulfilled. Restless because she didn’t feel challenged by her studies, she decided to contact her idol, stage great Katherine Cornell and ask her advice whether she should continue her education or get stage experience. When Cornell replied and suggested that it was "cultural background" that was needed, Phyllis left Northwestern and enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. With her parents’ aid, she established a residence at the Barbizon Hotel for women, and planned her audition. Her chosen scene, from Romeo and Juliet, was well received, and she was admitted to the Academy in the fall of 1937. Phyllis met Robert Walker, her future husband, at the Academy. A fellow student, they became close friends who shared a passion for acting and a common dream; it wasn’t long until they were inseparable. When Robert quit the Academy in the fall of 1939, Phyllis quit as well. Unable to locate work and finding prospects in New York bleak, they moved to Tulsa and took a 13-week stint on a radio program, The Phyllis Isley Radio Theater, under her father’s guidance. Eventually they moved on to Hollywood, where Phyllis found work at the low budget Republic Studios. Her first film role consisted of a week’s work in a John Wayne "Three Musket Read less