Jean Hagen (August 3, 1923 — August 29, 1977) was an American film actress.
Jean Hagen | |
|---|---|
 from the trailer for the film Singin' in the Rain (1952). | |
| Born | Jean Shirley Verhagen |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1949–1977 |
| Spouse | Tom Seidel (1947—65) (divorced) 2 children |
Early life
Hagen was born as Jean Shirley Verhagen in Chicago, Illinois, to Christian Verhagen (born August 10 1890 — died April 1983), a Dutch immigrant, and his Chicago-born wife, Marie (born May 25, 1896 — died 19??). The family moved to Elkhart, Indiana when she was 12 and she subsequently graduated from Elkhart High School. She studied drama and worked as a theater usherette before making her Broadway theatre debut in Another Part of the Forest in 1946.
Career
Her film debut was as a femme fatale in Adam's Rib in 1949. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) provided Hagen with her first starring role beside Sterling Hayden, and excellent reviews. She is arguably best remembered for her comic performance in Singin' in the Rain. As the vain and talentless silent movie star Lina Lamont, Hagen received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
By 1953, she had joined the cast of the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy. As the first wife of Danny Thomas, Hagen received three Emmy Award nominations, but after three seasons she grew dissatisfied and left the series. Thomas, who also produced the show, reportedly didn't appreciate Jean's departing the successful series, and her character was killed off rather than recast. [citation needed] This was the first TV character to be killed off a family sitcom. [citation needed] Marjorie Lord was cast a year later as Danny's second wife and played against Thomas successfully for several seasons. Hagen appeared as Frida Daniels in The Shaggy Dog starring with Fred MacMurray. In 1960, she appeared as "Elizabeth" in the episode "Once Upon a Knight" of CBS's anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson.
Although she made frequent guest appearances in various television series, she was unable to successfully resume her film career, and for the remainder of her career played supporting roles, such as Marguerite LeHand, personal secretary to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello (1960), and the friend of Bette Davis in Dead Ringer (1964). In the 1960s, Hagen's health began to decline and she spent many years hospitalised or under medical care.
In 1976, she made a comeback of sorts playing character roles in episodes of the television series Starsky and Hutch and The Streets of San Francisco, and made her final film appearance in the 1977 television movie Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn.
Death
Hagen died of throat cancer in 1977, at age 54. She is buried in Chapel of the Pines Crematory.
Hagen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to television, at 1502 Vine Street.
Filmography
| Film | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam's Rib | 1949 | Beryl Caighn | film debut |
| The Asphalt Jungle | 1950 | Doll Conovan | |
| Singin' in the Rain | 1952 | Lina Lamont | nominated-Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| The Big Knife | 1955 | Connie Bliss | |
| The Shaggy Dog | 1959 | Freeda Daniels | |
| Sunrise at Campobello | 1960 | Marguerite "Missy" LeHand | |
| Dead Ringer | 1964 | Dede Marshall | last film |
Television Appearances
| Show | Role | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make Room for Daddy | Margaret Williams | 22 (3 seasons) | later called The Danny Thomas Show; first family sitcom character to be killed off |
External links
- Jean Hagen at IMDb
- Jean Hagen at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jean Hagen at Find a Grave