Cowl, Jane (1884–1950), actress. Born in Boston, she studied at Columbia then began her career under the aegis of David Belasco, appearing first in his 1903 production of Sweet Kitty Bellairs and then in The Music Master, The Rose of the Rancho, A Grand Army Man, The Easiest Way, and Is Matrimony a Failure? Leaving Belasco, she became a major star as the wronged, vengeful Mary Turner in Within the Law (1912), then scored another success as another wronged woman: Ellen Neal in Common Clay (1915). Cowl starred in and co‐wrote Lilac Time (1917), Information Please (1918), and the hugely successful tearjerker Smilin' Through (1919). Her classical roles included Juliet, Melisande, and Shakespeare's Cleopatra. Stark Young observed in the New Republic, “Miss Cowl's Juliet is beautiful, first of all, to see. She is a child, a tragic girl, a woman convincing to the eye as few Juliets ever have had the good fortune to be.” Her later successes included the mismarried heroine Larita in Easy Virtue (1925), the noble beauty Amytis in The Road to Rome (1927), a puppet come to life in The Jealous Moon (1928), and the glamorous actress Jenny (1929). The failure of her Viola in 1930 signaled a series of disappointments before she again scored as Katherine Markham, the dedicated writer, in Old Acquaintance (1940). Her last appearance was in a 1947 revival of The First Mrs. Fraser. To the end she remained a slim, dark‐haired, dark‐eyed beauty, her eyes “so black, so limpid, it was a wonder they didn't dissolve and run down her cheeks.”
Jane Cowl
| American Theater Guide: Jane Cowl |
| Actor: Jane Cowl |
- Born: Dec 14, 1884
- Died: Jun 22, 1950
- Occupation: Actor
- Active: teens-'50s
- Major Genres: Romance, Drama
- Career Highlights: Lilac Time, No Man of Her Own, Smilin' Through
- First Major Screen Credit: Lilac Time (1928)
Biography
American supporting actress Jane Cowl has appeared in both silent and sound films. She only worked in two silent films and then didn't return to movies until she was much older. Cowl has also co-penned many plays. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide| Filmography: Jane Cowl |
| Wikipedia: Jane Cowl |
Jane Cowl (December 14, 1883 - June 22, 1950) was born as Grace Bailey in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a successful early American film and stage actress and playwright.
Contents |
Biography
She made her Broadway debut in New York City in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall in 1903, the play opened on the night of her twentieth birthday. Her first leading role was Fanny Perry in 1909 in Leo Ditrichstein's Is Matrimony a Failure?, produced by David Belasco, and then she played stock. This was followed by The Gamblers(1910), her first great success, and by Within the Law(1912), Common Clay, and other successes (New International Encyclopedia). She was known for her interpretation of Shakespearean roles, playing Juliet, Cleopatra and Viola on Broadway. She made Broadway history by playing Juliet over 1000 consecutive performances in 1923.
In 1934 she created the role of Lael Wyngate in S. N. Behrman's Rain from Heaven opposite actor John Halliday. Noting the challenges posed by Behrman's heightened dialogue, critic Gilbert Gabriel noted approvingly that their scenes together were "models of aristocratic parlando."[1]
She was the lead in two silent films, Garden of Lies (1915) and The Spreading Dawn (1917). Then, after taking nearly 30 years off from films, Cowl returned for several supporting roles in the 1940s. Her final film was Payment on Demand (1951) with Bette Davis.
Family
Cowl married theater critic Adolphe Klauber on June 18 1906. They were married until his death in 1933[2].
Death
Jane Cowl died of cancer in Santa Monica, California on June 22, 1950, aged 66 and her ashes following cremation were buried at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery. She and Klauber had no children.
Works
Jane Cowl wrote the following plays:
- Lilac Time - 1917 (under the pseudonym "Alan Langdon Martin")
- Daybreak - 1917 (co-written with Jane Murfin)
- Information Please - 1918
- Smilin' Through - 1919 (co-written with Jane Murfin under the pseudonym "Alan Langdon Martin")
- The Jealous Moon - 1928
References
- ^ Gilbert W. Gabriel, "Rain from Heaven—Theatre Guild's Yule Present in S. N. Behrman's Play". New York American: 26 December 1934.
- ^ marriage to Adolphe Klauber
External links
- Jane Cowl at the Internet Movie Database
- Jane Cowl at Women in American History website
- Jane Cowl at Find a Grave
- Jane Cowl at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jane Cowl portrait gallery at NYP Library
- first of three pages of photos shot by Nickolas Muray devoted to Jane Cowl
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Stage Women's War Relief (American Theater)
- Orme Caldara (American Theater)
- Players Equal Suffrage League (American Theater)
- George Le Guere (Actor, Crime/Mystery)
- Daybreak (1918 Film)
- Edgar Macgregor (American Theater)
- Jane Murfin (Writer, Director, Drama/Romance)
- Common Clay (American Theater)
- Adolph Klauber (American Theater)
- Antoinette Perry (American Theater)
- The Road to Rome (American Theater)
- Smilin' Through (1941 Musical Film)
- Smilin' Through (1932 Drama Film)
- Garden of Lies (1915 Film)
