Jayne Meadows

Jayne Meadows
Meadows and Steve Allen, September 1987
Born	Jayne Cotter September 27, 1920 (1920-09-27) (age 89) Wu-ch'ang, Heilongjiang, China
Occupation	Actress, author
Years active	1946–present
Spouse(s)	Steve Allen (1954–2000)
Official website

Jayne Meadows (born September 27, 1920) is an American stage, film and television actress.

Early life

Jayne Meadows was born as Jane Cotter in Wu-ch'ang (now Wuchang), in Heilongjiang, China, to Episcopal missionary parents, the Rev. Francis James Meadows Cotter and his wife, the former Ida Miller Taylor.^[1] Ms. Meadows is the older sister of Audrey Meadows. Besides Audrey, she has two other siblings. The family later returned to their home in Sharon, Connecticut.

Career

Meadows' most famous movies include: Song of the Thin Man (with William Powell and Myrna Loy), David and Bathsheba (with Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward and Raymond Massey), Lady in the Lake (with Robert Montgomery and Audrey Totter), Enchantment (with David Niven and Teresa Wright). and City Slickers (as the voice of Billy Crystal's oversolicitous mother).

Meadows was a regular panelist on the original version of I've Got a Secret and an occasional panelist on What's My Line?, the latter alongside husband Steve Allen. She also appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood. During the early days of the burgeoning live entertainment scene in Las Vegas, the Allens occasionally worked together as an act.

Family

Jayne Meadows is the sole survivor of four siblings. Her younger sister, actress Audrey Meadows, and two brothers, are all deceased.

Marriage

She was married to Steve Allen from 1954 until his death in 2000. They had one son, Bill. Allen's three children from his first marriage (Stephen Jr., Brian and David) are her stepchildren. ^[2]

Filmography

The handprints of Jayne Meadows in front of the Theater of the Stars (Beauty and the Beast) at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

• Undercurrent (1946)
• Lady in the Lake (1947)
• Dark Delusion (1947)
• Song of the Thin Man (1947)
• The Luck of the Irish (1948)
• Enchantment (1948)
• The Fat Man (1951)
• David and Bathsheba (1951)
• It Happened to Jane (1959)
• College Confidential (1960)
• Norman... Is That You? (1976)
• Da Capo (1985)
• Murder by Numbers (1990)
• City Slickers (1991)
• The Player (1992)
• For Goodness Sake (1993)
• City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994)
• Casino (1995)
• The Story of Us (1999)

Television work

• I've Got a Secret (panelist from 1952 – 1959)
• To Tell the Truth (regular panelist from 1957 – 1961)
• The Judy Garland Show (ep. 11, 1963)
• The Eleventh Hour (guest star, 2-part episode, 1964)
• Medical Center (cast member from 1969 – 1972)
• James Dean (1976)
• Meeting of Minds (1977 – 1981)
• Sex and the Married Woman (1977)
• The Gossip Columnist (1980)
• Trivia Trap (panelist Celebrity Week from 1984)
• Miss All-American Beauty (1982)
• It's Not Easy (1983) (canceled after 4 episodes)
• The Ratings Game (1984)
• Alice in Wonderland (1985)
• A Masterpiece of Murder (1986)
• The Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989)
• The Jackie Bison Show (1990) (voice) (unsold pilot)
• High Society (1995 – 1996)
• The Nanny (1997)

References

External links

• Jayne Meadows official website
• Jayne Meadows at the Internet Movie Database
• Jayne Meadows at TV.com