Jane Greer
Jane Greer
Jane Greer was a film and television actress who was perhaps best known for her role as femme fatale Kathie Moffat in the 1947 film noir Out of the Past. A beauty-contest winner and professional model from her teens, Greer began her show-business career as a big-band singer. She sang in Washington, DC, with the orchestra of Enric Madriguera. She "sang phonetically in Spanish" with the group. Howard Hughes spotted Greer modeling in the June 8, 1942 issue of Life, and sent her to Hollywood to become an actress. Hughes lent her to RKO to star in many films (another source says Greer's husband, Rudy Vallee, "helped her get out of her contract with Hughes and secure another pact with RKO Studios") including Dick Tracy, Out of the Past, They Won't Believe Me, and the comedy/suspense film The Big Steal, with Out of the Past co-star Robert Mitchum. Hughes refused to let her work for a time; when she finally began film acting, she appeared in You're in the Navy Now, The Prisoner of Zenda, Run for the Sun, and Man of a Thousand Faces. In 1984, she was cast in Against All Odds, a remake of Out of the Past, as the mother of the character she had played in 1947. In 1952, Greer obtained a release from her contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. She said, "When there is a good role at MGM, the producers want Lana or Ava. There is no chance for another actress to develop into important stardom at the studio". Greer's noteworthy roles in television included guest appearances on episodes of numerous shows over the decades, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bonanza, Quincy, M.E., Murder, She Wrote, and a 1975 gig with Peter Falk and Robert Vaughn in an episode of Columbo titled Troubled Waters. She even got to make fun of Out of the Past in a parody with Robert Mitchum on TV's Saturday Night Live in 1987. Greer joined the casts of Falcon Crest in 1984 and Twin Peaks in 1990 in recurring roles until her retirement in 1996. Greer was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1634 Vine Street for her contributions to the motion picture industry. The star was dedicated on February 8, 1960. Greer died of cancer on August 24, 2001, at the age of 76, in Bel Air, Los Angeles. Her body was interred at Los Angeles' Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jane Greer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For Acting
Popularity 8.679
Birthday 1924-09-09
Place of Birth Washington, D.C., USA
Also Known As Bettejane Greer,
Out of the Past
1947

Out of the Past

Against All Odds
1984

Against All Odds

The Company She Keeps
1951

The Company She Keeps

They Won't Believe Me
1947

They Won't Believe Me

The Outfit
1973

The Outfit

The Prisoner of Zenda
1952

The Prisoner of Zenda

Station West
1948

Station West

Man of a Thousand Faces
1957

Man of a Thousand Faces

Sinbad the Sailor
1947

Sinbad the Sailor

Two O'Clock Courage
1945

Two O'Clock Courage

The Falcon's Alibi
1946

The Falcon's Alibi

Run for the Sun
1956

Run for the Sun

The Big Steal
1949

The Big Steal

You're in the Navy Now
1951

You're in the Navy Now

Where Love Has Gone
1964

Where Love Has Gone

Billie
1965

Billie

A Christmas for Boomer
1979

A Christmas for Boomer

The Clown
1953

The Clown

Desperate Search
1952

Desperate Search

The Bamboo Blonde
1946

The Bamboo Blonde

Dick Tracy
1945

Dick Tracy

Down Among the Sheltering Palms
1953

Down Among the Sheltering Palms

You for Me
1952

You for Me

Sunset Pass
1946

Sunset Pass

No Time at All
1958

No Time at All

George White's Scandals
1945

George White's Scandals

Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
1991

Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

Immediate Family
1989

Immediate Family

Just Between Friends
1986

Just Between Friends

Pan-Americana
1945

Pan-Americana

Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
2006

Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light

The Shadow Riders
1982

The Shadow Riders

Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998

Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero

Falcon Crest
1981

Falcon Crest

Murder, She Wrote
1984

Murder, She Wrote

Burke's Law
1963

Burke's Law

Twin Peaks
1990

Twin Peaks

Quincy, M.E.
1976

Quincy, M.E.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Thriller
1960

Thriller

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

The Ford Television Theatre
1952

The Ford Television Theatre

Columbo
1971

Columbo

Bonanza
1959

Bonanza

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood
1987

The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood

Playhouse 90
1956

Playhouse 90

The Insiders
1985

The Insiders

The Ford Television Theatre
1952

The Ford Television Theatre

Suspicion
1957

Suspicion