BORN in Minnesota, Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell – plain old Jane Russell to her friends and fans – made an early mark as a model.
Although she merely saw it as a way of making some money on the side, her voluptuous figure meant she was very much in demand.
Encouraged by her mother, she saved up for drama school and later got her big break in The Outlaw (1943).
Although not viewed as a classic film, it certainly helped show off Jane’s striking assets.
It was actually made in 1941, but its release was delayed by two years – and even then it received only limited screenings, due, it is said, to Jane’s very noticeable presence . . .
Censorship was a hot issue and the movie only gained general release in 1946, when it was a smash hit.
But the highlight of Jane’s career was probably her appearance in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), in which she starred as Dorothy Shaw, alongside another screen goddess – Marilyn Monroe.
Two years later, the brunette was able to have more fun with a certain debate in the film Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.
But critics feel too many movie-makers wasted her acting talents by concentrating on her other talents.
In the 1970s, meanwhile, she became a spokeswoman for . . . Playtex bras.
