FOUND A GRAVE

James K. Hackett (1869 - 1926)

Actor. A classical stage actor, director, and silent film star, Hackett played the dual leading roles in the 1913 film version of “The Prisoner of Zenda”. The son of the celebrated American Shakespearean actor, James H. Hackett, who had been a favorite of both Davy Crockett and Abraham Lincoln, he was born in Wolfe Island, […]

Jane Ace (1900 - 1974)

Radio Actress. Born Jane Epstein in Kansas City, Missouri, together with her husband Goodman Ace, they were one of the most popular novelty teams during radio’s golden era. In 1930, when circumstances forced Goodman Ace to continue broadcasting after his show had finished on KMBC Radio Kansas City, he brought his wife Jane in for […]

Jane Gail (1890 - 1963)

Silent film actress of the 1910s, she was in over 80 movies. Some of her more famous roles were Dr. Jekyll’s fiancé, ‘Alice’, in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde”(1913), ‘Mary Barton’ in ‘Traffic in Souls” (1913), ‘Princess Flavia’ in “The Prisoner of Zenda” (1915), and ‘A Child of Nature’ in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”(1916) […]

Jane Hamilton (1915 - 2004)

Actress. Jane Hamilton started her career as a Goldwyn girl. She also worked as a model at Saks fifth avenue in Beverly Hills. She married millionaire William I. Hollingsworth in 1939. During the war, she worked for the Red Cross. In 1949 she married her second husband, Edward G. Wormhoudt. Jane appeared in several movies […]

Janet MacLachlan (1933 - 2010)

Actress. Born to parents of Jamaican descent, she initially studied psychology and received a BS degree from Hunter College. She worked as a secretary while acquiring acting experience in local theater, and also trained at The Actors Studio. After making her Broadway debut with a small part in the production “Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright” (1962 […]

Jean Acker (1892 - 1978)

Acker was born Harriet “Hattie” Ackers on October 23, 1893 in Trenton, New Jersey. Her father was Joseph Ackers, said to be of Cherokee descent. Her mother Margaret  was Irish. In the 1900 census, Hattie is with Joseph and her grandparents, but no wife of Joseph is listed. In fact, he is reported to be […]

Jean Gabin (1904 - 1976)

French Actor. He is considered one of the most important french actors of all times. He is remembered for his films “Pepé le Moko” (1937), “La Grande Illusion” (1937), “Quai des Brumes” (1937), “La Bête Humaine” (1938), “Martin Roumagnac” (1946), “French CanCan” (1955), “Maigret Tend un Piège” (1958), “Les Misérables” (1958), “Le Clan des Siciliens” […]

Jean Vander Pyl (1919 - 1999)

Actress. Born in Philadelphia, her career spanned many decades on both radio and television. She is most fondly remembered for the role and voice of ‘Wilma’ on the animated TV series “The Flinstones”. Her many credits included appearances on “Father Knows Best”, “Leave It to Beaver”, “Top Cat”, “The Fireside Thearte”, “The Donna Reed Show”, […]

Jeanne Aubert (1906 - 1988)

Actress. Fondly remembered in films such as: “The Gem of the Ocean,” “A New World,” “Love Is at Stake” and “Mirages de Paris.”

Jeanne Bates (1918 - 2007)

Actress. She began her career in radio soap operas and signed to Columbia Pictures in 1942. In 1943 she debuted in the Boston Blackie mystery “The Chance of a Lifetime”, followed by starring as heroine in “The Phantom”. Her notable film credits include “Death of a Salesman” (1951), “Blood Arrow” (1958), “Eraserhead” (1977), “Die Hard […]

Jeanne Eagels (1894 - 1929)

Actress. She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. Born Eugenia Eagles, the second of six children, she moved with her family at the age of 2 to Kansas City, Missouri where she often appeared in Kansas City pageants and […]

Jeanne Samary (1857 - 1890)

Actress, Artist’s Model. A noted performer of her time, today she is known for Pierre Auguste Renoir’s images of her. Born Leontine Pauline Samary to a theatrical family, she entered the Conservatoire de Paris at 14, a first-prize there leading to her professional debut at the Comedie-Francais as Dorine in Moliere’s “Tartuffe” on August 24, […]

Jeannette Batti (1921 - 2011)

Actress. She was seen in numerous French film and television features over a long career. Born Henriette Eugenie Genot, she made her silver screen bow as Lulu in 1945’s “The King of the Free Riders”. Jeannette eventually had roughly three dozen movie roles including Mona in the 1946 “Macadam”, Claudia in “Paris is Always Paris” […]

Jerry Orbach (1935 - 2004)

Actor. Although he had an acting career that began in the 1950s, he is best known for his portrayal of ‘Detective Lennie Briscoe’ in the NBC Police-Courtroom drama television series “Law and Order” from 1992 to 2004. He was nominated three times for an Emmy in that role. Spending much of his early career acting […]

Jessica Arthur (1912 - 2003)

Actress. Arthur was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1913. A stage actress, she appeared in the plays, “Roberta” and “Red, Hot And Blue” with the likes of bert Lahr, Bob Hope, and Fanny Brice. Later she appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies, George White’s Scandals, and several ‘fashion featurettes’ with actor Van Johnson. In the 1930s […]

Jessie Bonstelle (1871 - 1932)

Actress, Drama Coach. Her first appearance in public was at the age of 2 as a singer, and was featured on her first national tour aged 7. She appeared in leading roles in her teens with the Schubert Company and founded acting troupes in Rochester, Buffalo, Toronto and Detroit. She coached or otherwise assisted many […]

Jessie Kalmar (1892 - 1985)

Vaudeville dancer/entertainer. Married to famed songwriter/screenwriter Bert Kalmar, Sr.

Jessie Ralph (1864 - 1944)

Actress. She was routinely cast as kindly grandmothers, sagacious maids, and stern but loving governesses. Her most acclaimed performances were as ‘Nurse Peggotty’ in “David Copperfield” (1935) and as ‘Fairy Berylune’ in “The Blue Bird” (1940). 

Jester Hairston (1901 - 2000)

Actor, Musician. An arranger, composer, traveling choir leader, actor and story teller, his career took him all over the world. Best remebered for his TV role as Rolly Forbes on the TV show “Amen.” The grandson of slaves, he was born in 1901 in Belews Creek, north Carolina. A star athlete in high school and […]

Jill Banner (1946 - 1982)

Actress. She is best known for her role as Virginia in the 1964 cult film “Spider Baby”. Born Mary Kathyrn Molumby in Bremerton, Washington, she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School in 1964. Her other films include “C’mon Let’s Live a Little”, “The President’s Analyst”, “Candy”, “The Stranger Returns”, “Shadow Over Elvron”, and “Hunters are […]

Jimmy Wakely (1914 - 1982)

Singer. Born James Clarence Wakely in Mineola, Arkansas, he was a country music entertainer and one of the last vocalists to make it in movies as a singing cowboy. In 1937, he formed The Bell Boys, a country Western singing group which toured and evolved into the Jimmy Wakely Trio and was featured on CBS […]

Joan Tabor (1932 - 1968)

Actress. Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, she made her feature film debut in “The Teenage Millionaire” (1961). She was most noted for her many television series appearances on programs such as “Have Gun Will Travel”, “Bat Masterson”, “Perry Mason, “Laramie”, “Bachelor Father”, “Mister Ed” and “Arrest and Trial”. From 1962 to 1967, she was […]

Joan Banks (1918 - 1998)

Actress. Born in Petersburg, West Virginia, she became a regular on the 1930s radio series “Gangbusters”, where she met and married actor Frank Lovejoy. For feature films, she appeared in dramas with her husband in “Cry Danger” (1951) and “Washington Story” (1952). She became better known as a supporting actor on various television series such […]

Joan Barclay (1914 - 2002)

Actress. Born Mary Elizabeth Greear, she made her screen debut in “The Gaucho,” which starred Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Later she co-starred in several B-Westerns including: “Six-Gun Rhythm” with Tex Fletcher; and “Riding the Wind.” Also she was the heroine in serials such as “The Shadow of Chinatown” and “Blake of Scotland Yard.”

Joan Brickhill (1924 - 2014)

Actress. Called the “First Lady Of South African Musical Theatre”, she is remembered for starring in dozens of stage productions. Raised within the show business milieu, she made her professional bow at two and proved to be one of the rare child prodigies with staying power; over the coming decades she was a constant presence […]

Jobyna Ralston (1900 - 1967)

Actress. Wife of actor Richard Arlen and mother of actor Richard Arlen Jr., Ralston began her career at the beginning of the 1920s. Ralston starred with one of the most popular stars of the silent movie era, Harold Lloyd, in “The Freshman,” “The Call of Home,” “Girl Shy,” and “For Heaven’s Sake.” Ralston retired at the advent of […]

Johanna Sallstrom (1974 - 2007)

Actress. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, she is best known for her role as Victoria Barnsten in the 1990s television series, “Tre Kronor”, and for that of police agent Linda Wallander in the filmsations of Henning Mankell’s books about crime investigator Kurt Wallander. In 1997, she was named best female and awarded the Guldbagge Award […]

John Ingle (1928 - 2012)

American Actor. Ingle, who will best be remembered for his role as scheming patriarch Edward Quartermaine on the long-running ABC soap opera, ‘General Hospital’, taught drama at Hollywood High School, Beverly Hills High School, Occidental College, Los Angeles City College and UCLA. His students included Richard Dreyfuss, Nicolas Cage, Albert Brooks, Barbara Hershey and David […]

John Abineri (1928 - 2000)

Born in London, he attended the Old Vic drama school and described himself as “Well educated from the age of five to eighteen”. He spoke a number of languages (including German, Russian and French) fluently, which led to him being cast as a number of different nationalities. His extensive television performances included a regular role […]

John Arledge (1907 - 1947)

Actor. Born Johnson Lundy Arledge, he performed in vaudeville and on stage, making his big screen debut in “King of Jazz” (1930). A veteran of nearly fifty films, his credits included “Heart Break” (1931),”County Fair” (1937), “Gone With the Wind” (1939), “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), “Ski Patrol” (1940), “Cheers for Miss Bishop” (1941) and […]