Jean Inness

Jean Inness
Inness (left) with Michael Hall in Stories of the Century, 1954
Born
Jean Spurney Inness

(1900-12-18)December 18, 1900
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1978(1978-12-27) (aged 78)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma materBryn Mawr College
Occupation(s)Film, stage and television actress
Years active1920–1971
Spouse
​
(m. 1928)​
Children2, including Jon Jory[1]

Jean Spurney Inness (December 18, 1900 – December 27, 1978) was an American film, stage and television actress. Inness played nurse Beatrice Fain in the American medical drama television series Dr. Kildare.[1][2]

Life and career

Inness was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] She attended Bryn Mawr College,[1] and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[3] Inness began her career in 1920 touring Indianapolis and Cincinnati with the Stuart Walker Stock Company.[1] She also starred with Stewart Walker in productions of The Cradle Snatchers and An Ideal Husband.[3]

Inness performed for 34 weeks with the Denham Stock Company in Denver, Colorado, and for 26 weeks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3] She performed at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, with leading roles in stage plays including Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Stages and Death of a Salesman.[1] Her son Jon Jory was a stage director at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.[1] In 1928, Inness was cast in the lead role of the stage play The Jest at the Pasadena Playhouse.[3]

Inness played the title role in the 1940 production of Ramona, starring with Onslow Stevens.[4]

Inness began her screen career in 1942, appearing in the film Not a Ladies' Man.[5] She appeared on television programs including Gunsmoke, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, The Virginian, The Big Valley and Rawhide.[1] Inness played Nurse Beatrice Fain in the medical drama television series Dr. Kildare.[1][2]

Death

Inness died in December 1978 at her home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 78.[1]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1959 Rawhide Carrie Hode S1:E19, "Incident of the Dry Drive"
1961 Rawhide Hattie S4:E4, "Judgement at Hondo Seco"
1962 Wagon Train Mrs Lathrop S5:E21, “The Daniel Clay Story”
1967 Ironside Dee Stowe S1:E13, "The Past Is Prologue"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Actress Jean Inness dies; was Jon Jory's mother". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. December 29, 1978. p. 14. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b Summers, Bill (February 16, 1962). "Jean Inness Dissolves Kildare's Shop". Orlando Evening Star. Orlando, Florida. p. 5. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  3. ^ a b c d "New Actress Is Cast For Leading Role". The Pasadena Post. Pasadena, California. June 12, 1928. p. 2. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Jean Innes, Stevens to Play Principal Roles". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. April 10, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved December 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (July 11, 2015). The Films of Fay Wray. McFarland. p. 162. ISBN 9781476604152 – via Google Books.