
Person
Jane Powell
Acting · 1929–2021 · Portland, Oregon, USA
Biography
Jane Powell was singing and dancing at an early age. She sang on the radio and performed in theaters before her screen debut in 1944. Through the 1940s and 1950s, she had a successful career in movie musicals. However, in 1957, her career in films ended, as she had outgrown her innocent girl-next-door image. She has made brief returns to acting in front of the camera -- on television, in commercials, and in a workout video. She has had a variety of roles on stage since the end of her movie career, including the musicals "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma!," "My Fair Lady," "Carousel," and a one-woman show "The Girl Next Door and How She Grew," from which she took the title of her 1988 autobiography. From the 1980s to the 2010s, Powell lived with her fifth husband, former child star Dickie Moore, in New York City and Connecticut, active in television and theater through the 2000s. Moore passed away in 2015 and Powell moved full-time to Wilton, Connecticut after that. Jane Powell passed away on September 16, 2021, of natural causes, at the age of 92. Despite the same last name she is not related to actors William Powell, Dick Powell, or Eleanor Powell.
Known for

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Bess Sherman

The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host

Murder, She Wrote
Rev. Mother Claire

The Love Boat
Aunt Loretta

The Merv Griffin Show
Self

What's My Line?
Self

The Ed Sullivan Show
Self

The Oscars
Self

Fantasy Island
Joan Wade

Growing Pains
Irma Seaver Overmier
Filmography
- 2021Broadway: Beyond the Golden AgeSelf
- 2014Private Screenings: Robert OsborneSelf
- 2011Don Knotts: Tied Up with LaughterHerself
- 2009Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1950s: The Golden Era of the MusicalSelf (archive)
- 2007Royal Wedding: June, Judy and JaneSelf
- 2003Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were ThereSelf
- 2000The Sandy Bottom OrchestraDelia Ferguson
- 2000Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of BoulderKit Andre
- 1999Law & Order: Special Victims UnitBess Sherman
- 1997Sobbin' Women: The Making of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'Herself
- 1996Private ScreeningsSelf
- 1994That's Entertainment! III(archive footage)
- 1992Nelson and Jeanette: America's Singing SweetheartsHost
- 1991Burt Reynolds' Conversations with...Self
- 1987Happy 100th Birthday, HollywoodSelf
- 1985Growing PainsIrma Seaver Overmier
- 1985Night of 100 Stars IISelf
- 1985That's Dancing!
- 1984Murder, She WroteRev. Mother Claire
- 1982Night of 100 StarsSelf
- 1978Fantasy IslandJoan Wade
- 1977The Love BoatAunt Loretta
- 1977Mayday at 40,000 FeetKitty Douglass
- 1975Tubby the TubaCeleste (voice)
- 1974That's Entertainment!(archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1973The LettersElaine Anderson
- 1964The Hollywood PalaceSelf
- 1963The Judy Garland ShowSelf
- 1962The Merv Griffin ShowSelf
- 1961The Mike Douglas ShowSelf - Co-Host
- 1961FeathertopJulie Balfour
- 1959The DuPont Show with June AllysonLois Walters
- 1959Meet Me in St. LouisEsther Smith
- 1959The Bell Telephone HourSelf
- 1958The All-Star Christmas ShowSelf
- 1958Enchanted IslandFayaway
- 1958The Girl Most LikelyDodie
- 1958The Female AnimalPenny Windsor
- 1957Alcoa TheatreJulie Kingstone / Hilde Frenz
- 1956The Dinah Shore Chevy ShowSelf
- 1956The Steve Allen ShowSelf
- 1955Hit the DeckSusan Smith
- 1954Deep in My HeartPerformer (segment "Maytime")
- 1954AthenaAthena
- 1954Seven Brides for Seven BrothersBride Milly Pontipee
- 1953Three Sailors and a GirlPenny Weston
- 1953Small Town GirlCindy Kimbell
- 1953The OscarsSelf
- 1951Rich, Young and PrettyElizabeth Rogers
- 1951Royal WeddingEllen Bowen
- 1950Two Weeks with LovePatti Robinson
- 1950Nancy Goes to RioNancy Barklay
- 1950What's My Line?Self
- 1948Luxury LinerPolly Bradford
- 1948A Date with JudyJudy Foster
- 1948The Ed Sullivan ShowSelf
- 1948Three Daring DaughtersTess Morgan
- 1946Holiday in MexicoChristine Evans
- 1945Delightfully DangerousSherry Williams
- 1944Song of the Open RoadJane Powell
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