Jean Porter

One of MGM's more vivacious secondary stars during the 40s, petite and lovely Jean Porter was born in Texas in 1925 but left the state while young to pursue her dream as an actress. Following some vaudeville experience, she made her uncredited film debut in 1939 (age 14) and slowly graduated to sweet-natured ingénues in light, wholesome "B" fare. Most were sentimental trifles, such as Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)and Easy to Wed (1946), or western action with such obvious titles as Heart of the Rio Grande (1942) and Home in Wyomin' (1942). Despite her promise and talent, none of her approximately 30 films managed to set her apart and top stardom remained elusive. Jean's finest screen roles probably came with The Youngest Profession (1943) and Till the End of Time (1946), where she met future husband, director Edward Dmytryk. They married in 1948 and had three children: Richard, Victoria and Rebecca, the latter becoming a wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator. Not long into their marriage, Dmytryk was branded a Communist as one of the "Hollywood Ten" (he was admittedly once a member of The American Communist Party) and the next decade or so would be a dark period of time for them. Unable to work, the blacklisted director moved his family to England where he found some employment. In 1951, however, Dmytryk decided to return to the States and was jailed for six months before giving testimony and being granted a reprieve. As a result, he was allowed to return to directing. Jean's last film, in fact, would be The Left Hand of God (1955) starring Humphrey Bogart and Gene Tierney, which was directed by her husband. Throughout their ordeal Jean and Edward remained a loyal couple and in later years wrote a book together "On Screen Acting" in 1984. Happily married until his death at age 90 of heart and kidney failure in 1999, Jean continues to be a regular attendee of film-related events and a by-line contributor for "Classic Images," the popular magazine for old-styled film fans, in which she reminisces of Hollywood back then. Date of Birth 8 December 1922, Cisco, Texas

Known For: Acting

Born: Cisco, Texas, USA, 1922-12-08

Died: 2018-01-13

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1932	The Gambling Sex	Classmate	60
2	1936	Song and Dance Man	Girl (uncredited)	0
3	1939	The Under-Pup	Penguin Girl	60
4	1940	One Million B.C.	Shell Person - Loana's Sister	58
5	1941	Kiss the Boys Goodbye	Girl Going to Audition (uncredited)	50
6	1941	Never Give a Sucker an Even Break	Passerby (uncredited)	69
7	1941	Hellzapoppin'	Chorine (uncredited)	72
8	1942	Heart of the Rio Grande	Pudge	80
9	1942	Two Pair of Shoes		0
10	1942	About Face	Sally	60
11	1942	Better Not Roll Those Eyes		0
12	1942	Fall In	Joan	60
13	1943	Calaboose	Major Barabara	0
14	1943	The Youngest Profession	Patricia Drew	52
15	1943	Nazty Nuisance	Kela	37
16	1944	Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble	Katy Anderson	58
17	1944	Bathing Beauty	Jean Allenwood	58
18	1944	San Fernando Valley	Betty Lou Kenyon	0
19	1945	Thrill of a Romance	Ga-Ga Bride (uncredited)	62
20	1945	Twice Blessed	Kitty	60
21	1945	Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood	Ruthie	57
22	1945	What Next, Corporal Hargrove?	Jeanne Quidoc	20
23	1946	Till the End of Time	Helen Ingersoll	67
24	1946	Betty Co-Ed	Joanne Leeds	0
25	1947	Little Miss Broadway	Judy Gibson	0
26	1947	Sweet Genevieve	Genevieve	45
27	1947	That Hagen Girl	Sharon Bailey	52
28	1947	Two Blondes and a Redhead	Catherine Abbott	40
29	1949	Roller Derby Girl		56
30	1951	Cry Danger	Darlene LaVonne	67
31	1951	Kentucky Jubilee	Sally Shannon	50
32	1951	G.I. Jane	Jan Smith	60
33	1955	The Left Hand of God	Mary Yin	64

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1952	The Abbott and Costello Show	Jean Wilson	71
2	1954	Climax!	Joan	33
3	1958	Sea Hunt		66
4	1958	77 Sunset Strip		67
5	1987	The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood	Self	80

Jean Porter

Film

Television