Anne Jeffreys

Anne Jeffreys

Jeffreys in I Married an Angel (1942)
Born Anne Carmichael
(1923-01-26) January 26, 1923
Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Other names Anne Jeffries, Ann Jeffries
Occupation Actress, singer
Years active 1941–2015
Spouse(s) Joseph R. Serena (1945-1949, annulled)
Robert Sterling (1951-2006, his death, 3 sons)
Children Jeffrey (1954), Dana (1958), Tyler (1959)
Relatives Tisha Sterling (stepdaughter)
Website http://www.annejeffreys.com/

Anne Jeffreys (born Anne Carmichael; January 26, 1923) is an American actress and singer.

Career

Born Annie Carmichael[1] on January 26, 1923, in Goldsboro, North Carolina,[2] Jeffreys entered the entertainment field at a young age, having her initial training in voice (she was an accomplished soprano). "She became a member of the New York Municipal Opera Company on a scholarship and sang the leades at Carnegie Hall in such things as La bohème, Traviata, and Pagliacci."[3] However, she decided as a teenager to sign with the John Robert Powers agency as a junior model.

Her plans for an operatic career were sidelined when she was cast in a staged musical review, Fun for the Money. Her appearance in that revue led to her being cast in her first movie role, in I Married an Angel (1942), starring Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. She was under contract to both RKO and Republic Studios during the 1940s, including several appearances as Tess Trueheart in the Dick Tracy series, and the 1944 Frank Sinatra musical Step Lively. She also appeared in the horror comedy Zombies on Broadway with Wally Brown and Alan Carney in 1945 and starred in Riffraff with Pat O'Brien two years later. Jeffreys also appeared in a number of western films and as bank robber John Dillinger's moll in 1945's Dillinger

When her Hollywood career faltered, she instead focused on the stage, playing lead roles on Broadway in productions such as the 1947 opera Street Scene, the 1948 Cole Porter musical Kiss Me, Kate (having replaced Patricia Morison) and the 1952 musical Three Wishes for Jamie.[4] With long-term husband Robert Sterling, who was first married to Ann Sothern, she appeared in the CBS sitcom Topper (1953–1955), in which she was billed in a voiceover as "the ghostess with the mostest".

On December 18, 1957, Jeffreys and her husband played a couple with an unusual courtship arrangement brought about by an attack of the fever in the episode "The Julie Gage Story", broadcast in the first season of NBC's Wagon Train.

After a semi-retirement in the 1960s, she appeared on television, appearing in episodes of such series as Love, American Style (with her husband), L.A. Law and Murder, She Wrote. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in The Delphi Bureau (1972). From 1984 to 1985, she starred in the short-lived Aaron Spelling series Finder of Lost Loves.[2] She also appeared in Baywatch as David Hasselhoff's mother, and also had a recurring role in the night-time soap Falcon Crest as Amanda Croft.

In 1979, she guest starred as Siress Blassie in the Battlestar Galactica episode "The Man with Nine Lives" as a love interest of Chameleon, a part played by Fred Astaire. She was the last person to dance with him onscreen. She also guest starred as Prime Minister Dyne in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode "Planet of the Amazon Women" as the leader of the titular planet.

Her most recent career has been in daytime television; From 1984 to 2004, she appeared on the soap opera General Hospital[2] (as well as its short-lived spinoff, Port Charles) in the recurring role of wealthy socialite Amanda Barrington, a long-time board member of both the hospital and ELQ. In her initial storyline, she was part of a blackmail scheme which led to the murder of Jimmy Lee Holt's mother, Beatrice, of whose death she was a suspect in.[5] In the last year of "Port Charles", Amanda briefly became a vampire after being attacked. The character last appeared on screen in 2004 when Amanda attended Lila Quartermain's funeral.

Recognition

Jeffreys' star in the Television category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 1501 Vine Street. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.[6] In 1997, she was a recipient of a Golden Boot Award as one who "furthered the tradition of the western on film and in television."[7] In 1998, she received the Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center.[8]

Personal life

Jeffreys in 2010

Jeffreys has been married twice. Her first marriage, to Joseph Serena, was annulled in 1949.[9] They had no children.

She married actor Robert Sterling in 1951. Sterling appeared with Jeffreys in the series Topper. In January 1958, the duo tried another series, Love That Jill. It ran only a few months, with 13 episodes shot. They had three sons: Jeffrey, Dana and Tyler. Robert Sterling died on May 30, 2006 at age 88.

In July 1956, Jeffreys' mother, Kate Jeffreys Carmichael, 67, was run down and killed by her own automobile in the driveway of the home of her daughter. Police said Carmichael was taking books from the car's trunk when the emergency brake apparently slipped. The car rolled down the sloping driveway, dragging the actress' mother 26 feet.[10]

Filmography

With Pat O'Brien in Riffraff (1947)
Year Title Role
1942 Billy the Kid Trapped Sally Crane
Yokel Boy Witness at wedding
Tarzan's New York Adventure Young woman
Moonlight Masquerade Singer at Trio
Olaf Laughs Last (short subject) Ivey Brown
I Married an Angel Polly
The Old Homestead Goldie
Joan of Ozark Marie Lamont
Flying Tigers Nurse
X Marks the Spot Lulu
1943 Chatterbox Vivan Gale
Calling Wild Bill Elliott Edith Richards
The Man from Thunder River Nancy Ferguson
Crime Doctor Reporter on telephone
Bordertown Gun Fighters Anita Shelby
Wagon Tracks West Moon Hush
Overland Mail Robbery Judy Goodrich
Death Valley Manhunt Nicky Hobart
1944 Mojave Firebrand Gail Holmes
Hidden Valley Outlaws June Clark
Step Lively Miss Abbott
Nevada Julie Dexter
1945 Dillinger Helen Rogers
Zombies on Broadway Jean La Danse
Those Endearing Young Charms Suzibelle, officer's club waitress
Sing Your Way Home Kay Lawrence
Dick Tracy Tess Trueheart
1946 Ding Dong Williams Vanessa Page
Step by Step Evelyn Smith
Genius at Work Ellen Brent
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball Tess Trueheart
Vacation in Reno Eleanor
1947 Trail Street Ruby Stone
Riffraff Maxine Manning
1948 Return of the Bad Men Cheyenne
1962 Boys' Night Out Toni Jackson
1968 Panic in the City Myra Pryor
1976 Southern Double Cross
1994 Clifford Annabelle Davis
2008 Richard III Duchess of York
2012 Sins Expiation Susanna
2015 Le Grand Jete Millie Halifax

Television work

Stage work

References

  1. ↑ US Federal Census1930; Census Place: Goldsboro, Wayne, North Carolina; Roll: 1728; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 12; Image: 51.0; FHL microfilm: 2341462
  2. 1 2 3 Buck, Jerry (July 16, 1980). "Actress Anne Jeffreys juggles two television roles". Pennsylvania, Indiana. The Indiana Gazette. p. 9. Retrieved January 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Boesen, Vic (June 28, 1942). "Meet the Stars". California, San Bernardino. The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 16. Retrieved December 12, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Anne Jeffreys". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Soap opera scenes". Boca Raton News. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Anne Jeffreys". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Golden Boots Go To Film Greats". American Cowboy. September 1997. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Anne Jeffreys". Women's International Center. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "Divorces-Anne Jeffreys". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. October 11, 1947. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ Article in the Bartlesville (Oklahoma) Daily Enterprise, July 5, 1956, page 20.

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