Jean Wallace

Jean Wallace
Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
Born
Jean Walasek

(1923-10-12)October 12, 1923
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 14, 1990(1990-02-14) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1941–1970
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1941; div. 1948)​
Jim Lloyd Randall
​
​
(m. 1950; annul. 1950)​
​
​
(m. 1951; div. 1981)​
Children3

Jean Wallace (born Jean Walasek or Wallasek;[1] October 12, 1923 – February 14, 1990) was an American television and film actress.

Early life

Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois to John T. Walaszek and Mary A. Walaszek (née Sharkey). Her grandfather Karol Walaszek emigrated from Galicia. She was Polish-American.[2]

Wallace graduated from Austin High School in Chicago[3] before the family moved to Hollywood in 1940.[4]

Career

Wallace in 1942

Wallace made her screen debut when she was 17, a bit part in Louisiana Purchase (1941).[5]

Personal life

Wallace married her Jigsaw costar Franchot Tone on October 18, 1941, in Yuma, Arizona.[3] They had two sons, Pascal "Pat" Franchot Tone, born July 29, 1943, and Thomas Jefferson Tone, born September 16, 1945. Wallace and Tone divorced in 1948, and Tone was awarded custody of their sons.[6]

Wallace attempted suicide in 1946 with sleeping pills. In 1949, she made another attempt with a self-inflicted knife wound, causing her to be replaced by Ella Raines as the star of A Dangerous Profession.[7][6]

In 1950, Wallace married former U.S. Army captain Jim Lloyd Randall, but the marriage was annulled later that year.[6]

Wallace's third marriage was to actor Cornel Wilde, her costar in The Big Combo, Storm Fear, Lancelot and Guinevere, Sword of Lancelot and Beach Red, from 1951 to 1981. She and Wilde had one son, Cornel Wallace Wilde, born on December 19, 1967.[6][5]

She sang the theme song from the movie Beach Red, which Wilde produced and directed as well as starred in.[8]

Wallace was a Democrat and supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election campaign.[9]

Wallace died from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on Valentine's Day, 1990, at the age of 66.[6]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1941 Ziegfeld Girl Ziegfeld girl Uncredited
Glamour Boy Girl Uncredited
Louisiana Purchase Louisiana Belle
1943 Salute for Three Hostess offering Buzz apple from basket
1944 You Can't Ration Love Madge
1946 It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog Bess Williams
1947 Blaze of Noon Poppy
1948 When My Baby Smiles at Me Sylvia Marco Uncredited
1949 Jigsaw Barbara Whitfield Alternative title: Gun Moll
The Man on the Eiffel Tower Edna Wallace
1950 The Good Humor Man Bonnie Conroy
1951 Native Son Mary Dalton Alternative title: Sangre negra
1954 Star of India Katrina Alternative title: Stella dell'India
1955 The Big Combo Susan Lowell
Storm Fear Elizabeth
1957 The Devil's Hairpin Kelly James
1958 Maracaibo Laura Kingsley
1963 Lancelot and Guinevere Guinevere Alternative title: Sword of Lancelot
1967 Beach Red Julie MacDonald Appears in flashback photos; sings the title song
1970 No Blade of Grass Ann Custance (Last appearance)
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1952 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars 1 episode
1955 General Electric Theater Leslie Mason 1 episode

References

  1. ^ Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 168.
  2. ^ Migrants, Immigrants, and Slaves: Racial and Ethnic Groups in America By Thompson Dele Olasiji. p. 118.
  3. ^ a b "Franchot Tone Weds 18 Year Old Chicago Actress in Arizona". Chicago Tribune. Illinois, Chicago. Associated Press. October 19, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Tone, Russell Pierced by Dart". Argus-Leader. South Dakota, Sioux Falls. Associated Press. October 19, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b Folkart, Burt A. (February 17, 1990). "Jean Wallace; Film Star, Wife of Late Cornel Wilde". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. A 36. Retrieved November 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ a b c d e Fowler, Glenn. The New York Times. Obituary, "Jean Wallace, 66, Screen Actress Known for 1940's and 50's Roles", February 18, 1990. Accessed: July 25, 2013.
  7. ^ "Franchot Tone's Ex-Wife Jean Wallace Stabs Self". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. November 21, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ Jean Wallace (Beach Red), August 2, 2022, retrieved March 19, 2024
  9. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers