Sybil Jason

Birthday: 1927-11-23
Deathday: 2011-08-23
Birthplace: Cape Town, South Africa
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sybil Jacon was a South African-born, American child film actress who, in the late 1930s, was presented as a rival to Shirley Temple.

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, she began playing the piano at age two and, a year later, began making public appearances doing impersonations of Maurice Chevalier. She was introduced to the theatre-going public of London by way of her uncle, Harry Jacobson, a then-popular London orchestra leader and also pianist for Gracie Fields. The apex of her career came with a concert performance with Frances Day at London's Palace Theatre. Her theatre work led to appearances on radio and phonograph records as well as a supporting role in the film Barnacle Bill.

Irving Asher, the head of Warner Bros.' London studio, saw Jason's performance in Barnacle Bill and arranged for her to make a screen test for the studio. The test was a success, resulting in Warner Bros. signing her to a contract. Her American film debut came as the lead in Little Big Shot, directed by Michael Curtiz and co-starring Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong, and Edward Everett Horton.

Jason followed this with supporting roles opposite some of Warner Bros. most popular stars, including Kay Francis in I Found Stella Parish, Al Jolson in The Singing Kid, Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart in The Great O'Malley, and again with Kay Francis in Comet Over Broadway. Warners also starred her in The Captain's Kid, and four Vitaphone two-reelers filmed in Technicolor: Changing of the Guard, A Day at Santa Anita, Little Pioneer, and The Littlest Diplomat.

Jason never became the major rival to Shirley Temple that Warner Bros. had hoped, and her film career ended after playing two supporting roles at 20th-Century Fox. These films — The Little Princess and The Blue Bird — were supported Temple, who became her lifelong friend.

Credits

Year Title Character
1944-09-09 Musical Movieland Scottish Girl
1940-01-15 The Blue Bird Angela Berlingot
1939-03-17 The Little Princess Becky
1939-02-06 Woman Doctor Elsa Graeme
1938-12-03 Comet Over Broadway Jackie
1937-09-06 The Littlest Diplomat Sybil Hardwick
1937-06-25 Little Pioneer Betsy Manning
1937-05-22 A Day at Santa Anita Peaches Blackburn
1937-02-13 The Great O'Malley Barbara 'Babs' Phillips
1936-11-14 The Captain's Kid Abigail Prentiss
1936-06-05 Changing of the Guard Sybil
1936-04-10 The Singing Kid Sybil Haines
1935-11-16 I Found Stella Parish Gloria Parish
1935-09-07 Little Big Shot Gloria Gibbs
1935-07-01 Dance Band Little Girl On Train
1935-01-01 Barnacle Bill Jill as a Child