Jean Simmons Biography

Fast Facts

• In 1951, British film exhibitors voted her the third best British star at the box office
• The 2003 New Year Honours List named her an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her services to acting
• Started acting at 14, but didn't decide she wanted to do it long term until she worked with director David Lean in 1946's "Great Expectations․"
• Quote: "My career has had a lot of ups and downs, but basically it has been wonderful․"
• Made her mark as a demure heroine in the height of her career in the 1950s
• Often played characters with a slight rebellious streak, especially later in her career
• Hoping to inspire others suffering from addiction she admitted that in 1983, she underwent treatment for alcoholism at the Betty Ford Clinic, and later became the patron for Release, which campaigned for just, humane and effective drug policies
• Howard Hughes bought her contract from a British producer and forced her to star in four films that Simmons denounced as "so terrible they aren't even on videocassettes․"
• Her father, a bronze medal winner in the 1912 Summer Olympics in artistic gymnastics, died of an ulcer when she was only 13
• Though she was supposed to lip-sync her singing parts in 1955's "Guys and Dolls," the film's director changed his mind in favor of authenticity after hearing she and Marlon Brando rehearsing