Jennifer Jones Biography

Jennifer Jones was an American actress, who dominated the silver screen during the Hollywood golden years. Having starred in more than 20 films in a career spanning three decades, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in ‘The Song of Bernadette’ and was nominated for her performances in four other films. She was exposed to the show business at a young age as her parents owned and operated a traveling tent show. After attending Northwestern University in Illinois, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, she proceeded to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She began her career in a 13-week radio program and soon ventured into Hollywood. A meeting with the producer David O. Selznick who recognized the potential the young woman possessed set the foundation for her future career. Selznick took her under his wing and groomed her into one of the most successful actresses of her era. Their professional collaboration turned into a personal one and duo entered into a romantic relationship despite both of them already being married. Eventually both Jones and Selznick divorced their respective spouses and wed each other. Later in her life, she founded the Jennifer Jones Simon Foundation for Mental Health and Education in the memory of her daughter who had committed suicide.