Remembering Icon Jean Simmons
by Fred T. Beeman

British-born former child actress Jean Simmons passed away on January 22, 2010 after a brave battle against lung cancer, at age 80.

Already looking remarkably adult-like at the tender age of 14, she was quickly cast as Heidi in the 1944 British production "Give Us the Moon," and made several appearances in movies of the mid-to-late 1940s, as a precocious, young (teenage) woman. Her big break came in 1946, when director David Lean cast her in the role of the younger Estella in his production of "Great Expectations." She was nominated as best supporting actress for her performance as Ophelia in the Laurence Olivier-directed “Hamlet” (1948), and was nominated for a second Oscar®, for best actress in “The Happy Ending" (1969). Her career also included a role in "The Robe" (1953), the first movie shot in CinemaScope®. Among her many accolades and awards was being made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2003. Her last role was in 2009.

Born in London in 1929, she migrated to the USA in 1950, along with her fiancé at that time, Stewart Granger (whose real name was James Stewart). The reclusive Howard Hughes (only a multimillionaire in those days) became a close friend of theirs, and footed the bill for their Tucson, Arizona wedding (the marriage lasted until 1960).

We join with her many friends, family members and fans who, like us, mourn the loss of this truly charming and gifted thespian.