Her father was a gymnast who won a bronze medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics and later worked as a gymnastic instructor and physical education teacher. Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. 42-year-old Liverpool native Kate Brooks works as a series producer on ITV soap Emmerdale, after being promoted from her assistant producer role on the show in April 2018. When one considers that she was barely past 25 in 1955, it is all the stranger that her films slipped so far in quality: Hilda Crane; as secretary to gangster Paul Douglas in This Could Be the Night; with Paul Newman in Until They Sail; with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston in the big western, The Big Country; This Earth is Mine. But its the guy she chose that got me. 1st September 1975: Actress Jean Simmons, with her daughters, Kate and Tracy, on a boat trip on the River Thames in London. One notable exception to this trend was Home Before Dark (1958), where Simmons was outstanding as a woman who has had a nervous breakdown. Star Perdita Weeks' Bikini Photos, See Your Favorite Celebrity Couples in Swimsuits: Best Beach Photos, She Loves Being a Mom! In the cute shot, Michelle rocks a white flared jumpsuit that Elvis himself would be proud of as well as some killer sunglasses. The producer, Sam Goldwyn, had wanted Grace Kelly for the part. She had the lead in Columbia's A Bullet Is Waiting (1954). It was successful, as was Spartacus (1960), where she played Kirk Douglas' love interest. Jean certainly had a revolving door of leading men to choose from, but she only had eyes for screenwriter and director Richard Brooks, Jeans second husband and Kates father. The marriage to Brooks came to an end in 1977, and there were stories that she was drinking too much. Can you imagine anyone wanting to marry Richard. Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE (31 January 1929 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. This image could have imperfections as its either historical or reportage. Jan. 23, 2010. Her TV films include The Easter Promise (1975), A Small Killing (1981), Inherit the Wind (1988) and Shadows in the Sun (2009). Im not sure what they were expecting, some diva from Sunset Boulevard perhaps, she told me. Granger was philosophical, declaring: I dont mind Jean leaving me. Lea n was. But that was not before three 1950 films - So Long at the Fair, a period thriller in which she was romantically paired with Dirk Bogarde; Cage of Gold; and The Clouded Yellow, in which she established a fascinating mood with Trevor Howard. She received treatment at the Betty Ford clinic. Im proud shes my mom., Jean Simmons is remembered as a luminary of the, , she played her most cherished role behind the scenes as a doting mother and wife. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. The brilliant picture was directed by Otto Preminger and photographed by the great veteran Harry Stradling. The actress, who plays Vanessa Woodfield in the ITV soap, tied the knot with Emmerdale. Initially she had. She liked her privacy. Yet, even in her twilight years, Jeans values held strong. Ive had a lovely life. Recalling those fond memories she told me: I didnt even know who Howard Hughes was at the time. Simmons won her fi rst Oscar nomination for Hamlet when she was just 19 and moved to Hollywood in 1950 with first husband Stewart Granger, who was 16 years her senior and already married when they fi rst met. AKA Jean Merilyn Simmons. (Photo by Gary Merrin/Keystone/Getty Images). Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Simmons went over to 20th Century Fox to play the female lead in The Robe (1953), the first CinemaScope movie and an enormous financial success. She lived in Santa Monica with her pets, a . She was a very exuberant and lively child and grew up with her three siblings Edna, Lorna and Harold. I thought the script by David Rocksavage was wonderful and that Hannah was such an interesting character, she said. She got an Oscar nomination for it (she lost to Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), but rather more out of respect than conviction. And so, aged only 21, she went to Hollywood. Jean would seek treatment years later at the Betty Ford Center, quipping, All I can say is thank God for Mrs. Ford!, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), What Happened to the Matsumoto Family After Fixer Upper? Jean and Richard Brooks divorced in 1977 shortly after her lengthy London stage triumph in A Little Night Music. She followed it with The Woman in the Hall (1947). Fans want to know more about producer Kate Brooks, the wife of Emmerdale actress Michelle Hardwick after she took to Instagram to announce the birth of their son yesterday. He would have these long, long speeches and when he delivered them it was as if he were thinking these thoughts and saying the words for the very first time. Jean named her first daughter Tracy Granger in his honour. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British actress Jean Simmons, who starred opposite Laurence Olivier in Hamlet during a career spanning 60 years, has died in California, Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday. As a 14-year-old dance student she was plucked from her school to play Margaret Lockwoods precocious sister in Give Us the Moon (1944), according to a biography of the actress on IMDb.COM movies website. She toured the United States in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, then took the show to London, thus originated the role of Desire Armfeldt in the West End. Have something to tell us about this article? She made it to the covers of the Time and Life magazines in her twenties. In 1961, their daughter Kate Brooks was born. She took a risk, singing If I Were a Bell and The Eyes of a Woman in Love, to be Sister Sarah in the movie of Guys and Dolls (1955). She performed in the musical for three years that include the shows production in the West End of London. So, who is Kate Brooks? Her marriage to Brooks ended in divorce in 1977. Sharing a snap of herself and Kate on the steps of Gracelands, she gushed: In over 100 degrees heat, on Tuesday 10th September, I became Mrs Brooks., The 42-year-old added the captions: #graceland #chapelinthewoods #memphis #nextstopnashville.. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. 2023 Getty Images. [12][6], Simmons was top-billed for the first time in the drama Uncle Silas (1947). [6] Her father, a physical education teacher,[7] taught briefly at Sidcot School, and some time during this period, Simmons followed her eldest sister onto the village stage and sang popular songs such as "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow". Jean and Richard Brooks divorced in 1977 shortly after her lengthy London stage triumph in A Little Night Music. Even in the age of Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor, she was an authentic beauty. She was then in Cage of Gold (1950) with David Farrar and Ralph Thomas' The Clouded Yellow (1950) with Trevor Howard. Spouse/Ex-: Richard Brooks, Stewart Granger, siblings: Edna Simmons, Harold Simmons, Lorna Simmons, place of death: Santa Monica, California, United States, Notable Alumni: Aida Foster Theatre School, (Adventure, War, Biography, History, Drama), (Crime, Thriller, Film-Noir, Romance, Drama), See the events in life of Jean Simmons in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2wxy4Il9KA. Jean certainly had a revolving door of leading men to choose from, but she only had eyes for screenwriter and director Richard Brooks, Jeans second husband and Kates father. MGM cast her in the lead of Young Bess (1953) playing a young Queen Elizabeth I with Granger. Is the actress Jean Simmons still alive? In 2003 she was honoured with OBE for her contributions and services to films. She was born on January 31, 1929, in Lower Holloway, London, United Kingdom. When Hughes finally assigned her a role in Angel Face (1952), opposite. Showing a good deal of flesh for its day (Brooke Shields took her role in the 1980 remake), this was reckoned as a rather daring film and it was almost certainly viewed, and re-viewed, by Howard Hughes. Her other film appearances include Young Bess (1953), The Robe (1953), The Big Country (1958), Elmer Gantry (1960), Spartacus (1960), and the 1969 film The Happy Ending, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2005, she signed a petition to British Prime Minister Tony Blair asking him not to upgrade cannabis from a class C drug to class B. She had lung cancer. Her favorite role, though , was Sister Sarah in the 1955, Singing with Marlon Brando and acting with. But around 75, she changed: she did a wonderful voice performance in Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle (2004), and she was deeply touching as a dying poet in Shadows in the Sun (2009). After the 1970s she concentrated more on television and stage performances. The marriage to Granger ended in 1960 when she met and fell in love with director Richard Brooks while making Elmer Gantry with Burt Lancaster. I dont think people would find my life very interesting.. Jean Simmons's net worth, height, age, weight, affair, relationship, family, movie update, and more . Her net worth is Under review in 2021. Unsurprisingly, Kate met Michelle while they were both working at Emmerdale. I would always tease her and say, Mom, which one?. My father was a gentle, softly spoken man. Simmons played the title role in Hilda Crane (1956) at Fox, a box-office disappointment. Id whine: Im afraid. And hed say: Never be afraid to fail. While the actress, who has starred in Emmerdale since 2012, is happy to gush over her partner on Instagram, she previously admitted she gets scared to hold hands in public for fear of homophobic taunts. I didnt do anything, she confessed. The movie was the third-most popular film at the British box office in 1947, and Simmons received excellent reviews. Thereafter, she sportingly played the female lead in Spartacus, and had some overlong, giggle-making love scenes with its star, Kirk Douglas "Put me down, Spartacus, I'm having a baby!". In 1969, he cast her in the role of an alcoholic wife in his film, , a not so-subtle hint at his concern for her. Her other notable performances during this period includes films like Black Narcissus and Uncle Silas in 1947; and The Blue Lagoon and Adam and Evelyne in 1949. But then David Lean cast her as Estella in Great Expectations (1946); Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger chose her to be the temple dancer with a jewel in her nose for Black Narcissus (1947); and Laurence Olivier borrowed her away from her J Arthur Rank contract so that she could be a blonde Ophelia in his Hamlet (1948). Jean Merilyn Simmons, actor, born 31 January 1929; died 22 January 2010, British-born film star known for her roles in Great Expectations and Spartacus, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Jean Simmons as Varinia in Spartacus, 1960, directed by Stanley Kubrick. Simmons was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Hamlet (1948), and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Guys and Dolls (1955). Kate Brooks was born on 9 July 1961 in Los Angeles, California, USA. M mike Old Hollywood Stars Hollywood Icons Hollywood Legends Hollywood Actor Classic Hollywood Old Movie Stars You've been trained to act so act!" MORE : Gemma Collins blames full moon as she crashes car into plant pot after sunflower field yoga session, MORE : Jesy Nelson gains an army of supporters as fans react to suicide attempt reveal in Odd One Out, Includes exclusive content, spoilers and interviews before they're seen on the site. Who is Kate Brooks? She returned to California, settling in Santa Monica, California, where she lived until her death. Simmons, who herself faced challenges and fought her own battle with alcohol addiction, never shied away from speaking publicly about her own ordeal due to the addiction. Captions are provided by our contributors. 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