Jane Greer

Birthday: 1924-09-09
Deathday: 2001-08-24
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

Jane Greer was a film and television actress who was perhaps best known for her role as femme fatale Kathie Moffat in the 1947 film noir Out of the Past.

A beauty-contest winner and professional model from her teens, Greer began her show-business career as a big-band singer. She sang in Washington, DC, with the orchestra of Enric Madriguera. She "sang phonetically in Spanish" with the group.

Howard Hughes spotted Greer modeling in the June 8, 1942 issue of Life, and sent her to Hollywood to become an actress. Hughes lent her to RKO to star in many films (another source says Greer's husband, Rudy Vallee, "helped her get out of her contract with Hughes and secure another pact with RKO Studios") including Dick Tracy, Out of the Past, They Won't Believe Me, and the comedy/suspense film The Big Steal, with Out of the Past co-star Robert Mitchum. Hughes refused to let her work for a time; when she finally began film acting, she appeared in You're in the Navy Now, The Prisoner of Zenda, Run for the Sun, and Man of a Thousand Faces. In 1984, she was cast in Against All Odds, a remake of Out of the Past, as the mother of the character she had played in 1947. In 1952, Greer obtained a release from her contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. She said, "When there is a good role at MGM, the producers want Lana or Ava. There is no chance for another actress to develop into important stardom at the studio".

Greer's noteworthy roles in television included guest appearances on episodes of numerous shows over the decades, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bonanza, Quincy, M.E., Murder, She Wrote, and a 1975 gig with Peter Falk and Robert Vaughn in an episode of Columbo titled Troubled Waters. She even got to make fun of Out of the Past in a parody with Robert Mitchum on TV's Saturday Night Live in 1987. Greer joined the casts of Falcon Crest in 1984 and Twin Peaks in 1990 in recurring roles until her retirement in 1996.

Greer was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1634 Vine Street for her contributions to the motion picture industry. The star was dedicated on February 8, 1960. Greer died of cancer on August 24, 2001, at the age of 76, in Bel Air, Los Angeles. Her body was interred at Los Angeles' Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

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Credits

Year Title Character
1989-10-27 Immediate Family Michael's Mother
1986-03-21 Just Between Friends Ruth Chadwick
1984-03-02 Against All Odds Mrs. Wyler
1982-09-28 The Shadow Riders Ma Traven
1979-12-06 A Christmas for Boomer
1973-10-19 The Outfit Alma
1965-12-13 Billie Agnes Carol
1964-11-02 Where Love Has Gone Marian Spicer
1958-02-13 No Time at All Karen
1957-08-15 Man of a Thousand Faces Hazel Bennet Chaney
1956-07-30 Run for the Sun Katherine 'Katie' Connors
1953-03-01 Down Among the Sheltering Palms Diana Forrester
1953-01-16 The Clown Paula Henderson
1952-11-19 Desperate Search Julie Heldon
1952-11-04 The Prisoner of Zenda Antoinette de Mauban
1952-07-19 You for Me Katie McDermad
1951-02-23 You're in the Navy Now Ellie C. Harkness
1951-01-27 The Company She Keeps Diane Stuart aka Mildred Lynch
1949-07-01 The Big Steal Joan 'Chiquita' Graham
1948-09-01 Station West Charlie
1947-11-25 Out of the Past Kathie Moffat
1947-07-16 They Won't Believe Me Janice Bell
1947-01-13 Sinbad the Sailor Pirouze
1946-07-15 The Bamboo Blonde Eileen Sawyer
1946-07-08 Sunset Pass Lolite Baxter
1946-04-12 The Falcon's Alibi Lola Carpenter
1945-12-01 Dick Tracy Judith Owens
1945-10-09 George White's Scandals Billie Randall
1945-04-13 Two O'Clock Courage Helen Carter (as Bettejane Greer)
1945-03-22 Pan-Americana Miss Downing (uncredited)