Jean Simmons: Rest in Peace, Pretty Lady

Old Hollywood will always have a place in the media’s psyche. Think Marilyn Monroe; she continues to fascinate, as do James Dean and Audrey Hepburn. Together, those three make up the most well known of old Hollywood stars. Unfortunately, sometimes they’re the only ones remembered.

As talented and remarkable as Monroe, Dean and Hepburn were, they overshadow so many other actors and actresses. You won’t find many people under the age of forty who respect and admire George Sanders. Nor will you encounter many who adore Carole Lombard, as beloved by old movie buffs today as she was in the thirties.

Sure, people with a real knowledge of old Hollywood know Sanders and Lombard but others who “LOVE MARILYN MONROE” or “LOVE AUDREY HEPBURN” do not. It’s amazing how people treat them as if they were the only stars of the fifties (Ava Gardner anyone)? Do yourself a favor and Google that name, she was arguably the most beautiful woman to act in films.

But this article isn’t about Gardner, or anyone mentioned above. It’s about another star of the fifties, a luminous British beauty named Jean Simmons. Simmons passed away on January 22 of this year from lung cancer. She was 80 years old.

The people you will find mourning her death are other 80 year old movie fans, or young fans of old Hollywood and the films she appeared in. I am a part of the latter group.

Simmons was born on January 31, 1929 in the London suburb of Cricklewood, England. Her first substantial acting role was in the 1946 film version of the novel “Great Expectations.” Director David Lean, responsible for such epics as “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), goaded Simmons into believing acting offered a serious career opportunity. Two years later, Laurence Olivier cast her as Ophelia in “Hamlet” (1948), where her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Simmons continued to make more films in the early fifties, while held under contract by billionaire aviator/film producer Howard Hughes. Hughes proved to be a tyrannical manager. As Simmons tried to break free from her contract, Hughes prevented her from starring in the timeless 1953 classic, “Roman Holiday” as Princess Ann. That role, instead, went to another slender, doe eyed beauty (Audrey Hepburn) who in turn won an Oscar and became a star.

A major role didn’t come until 1955’s “Guys and Dolls,” an adaptation of the stage play which also starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. Simmons played the uptight Sergeant Sarah Brown, a role that is her most well known. She was adorable, charming, and unforgettable. A memorable scene occurs when she completely shocks audience members in a hilarious drunken fight. Suddenly the proper English lady is replaced by a wild and fierce young woman. That scene is not only indicative of Sarah Brown’s ability to let loose, but of Simmons’ remarkable range. (Off screen, she was demure and delightfully lady like, a trademark of her English roots).

The role I believe is her best is that of Sister Sharon in “Elmer Gantry” (1960). Her role, or rather her portrayal, was inspired. It was a role that she breathed such verve and nuance into. Sister Sharon was a woman with passion, both pious and headstrong. Simmons pulled together such a convincing portrayal that it’s amazing she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar. Film historian Robert Osborne rightly pointed out that she was the heart and soul of the picture.

Jean Simmons was the heart and soul of every picture she appeared in. Her acting was powerful, but she was still able to inflect shades of subtlety. As Alan K. Rode wrote, “Jean Simmons’s jaw dropping beauty often obscured a formidable acting talent.”

Simmons was also, in addition to being a great actress, the definitive classic movie star. She was an impeccable, well presented woman with natural style, beauty and class. Though she struggled with alcoholism, she overcame it with the kind of grace and privacy that is missing in today’s Hollywood. It’s imperative that women like Jean are remembered. Not only did she leave behind a wealth of film and television work, but an example of how to live.