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| Actresses Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell putting signatures, hand and foot prints in cement at Grauman's Theater, 1953. (Photo: Los Angeles Times photographic archive, UCLA Library) |
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
U.S. actress Jane Russell, the brunette who shot to fame as the star of Howard Hughes' 1943 movie,The Outlaw, has died in California. She was 89 years old.
Russell's relatives say the actress died at her home Monday of respiratory problems.
Russell gained stardom after billionaire Howard Hughes cast her in The Outlaw, her first movie.
Although reviews were unfavorable, the movie launched Russell's career and her reputation as a sex symbol.
Russell later starred with Bob Hope in the 1948 movie The Paleface and in the 1953 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which featured Marilyn Monroe.
Although Russell made only a handful of films after the 1960s, she later appeared on television screens advertising a brand of brassieres for “full-figured” women. She was also involved in children's charities over many years.
Married three times, Russell's first marriage ended in divorce. She was widowed twice.
