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Jane BryanAmerican actress
Date of Birth: 11.06.1918
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Jane Bryan
Jane O'Brien, nicknamed Punky, was born on June 11, 1918, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up with her brothers Donald and William. As a young girl, Jane showed an interest in acting, and as a teenager, she signed a contract with Warner Bros. attracted by her lively appearance and freckled face. As per the terms of the contract, her name was changed.
Early Career
Without wasting any time on her training, the studio immediately introduced the promising actress into the cast of the 1936 film about the lawyer Perry Mason, "The Case of the Black Cat," where Jane played a suspect. The handsome Ricardo Cortez starred as the unbeatable lawyer, and June Travis played his faithful secretary, Della Street. Her next film was "The Captain's Kid" in 1936, followed by the historical drama "Under Southern Stars" in 1937. Jane's fourth film, "Marked Woman" in 1937, stood out as it was the first film in which she acted alongside Bette Davis. Bette Davis did not see the young actress as a threat to her success or as a replacement. On the contrary, she warmly embraced Jane, who played her naive younger sister in the film, and became her friend for many years, even after Jane Bryan stopped acting.
Personal Life and Marriage
Despite the studio's plan to make Jane a movie star and hand her career to her on a silver platter, Jane chose to get married and stopped appearing in films in 1940. Her chosen partner was wealthy industrialist and pharmacist Justin Dart Sr. The marriage, which took place on New Year's Eve of 1939, lasted for 44 years until Dart Sr.'s death. Jane Bryan-Dart never looked back or regretted her decision.
Later Years and Legacy
Jane Bryan was known for her impeccable work in the Western film "The Cherokee Strip" in 1937 and another drama with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, "Kid Galahad" in 1937, as well as the drama "Confession" in 1937. She showed her ability to play different roles in the crime comedy "A Slight Case of Murder" in 1938. Prior to that, she played roles as proper ladies in dramas, with characters having sweet names like Mary, Betsy, Betty, and Marie, which didn't fully showcase the young actress's talent.
On set, Jane Bryan met and befriended future U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman. Jane and Ronald portrayed a romantic couple in the crime film "Girls on Probation" in 1938. Later, Jane, Reagan, and Wyman starred together in the popular 1938 comedy "Brother Rat." In the following years, Jane and her husband, both Republicans, provided significant support to Reagan in his political career, with Dart Sr. becoming a trusted advisor to the president.
Jane Bryan is hailed for her strongest and most memorable role in the drama "We Are Not Alone" in 1939. Possessing a modest and shy character, Jane avoided publicity in Hollywood and after her marriage, and in her later years, she gave no interviews. In her marriage to Whitlock Dart, who was 11 years her senior, Jane gave birth to three children. Both Jane and her husband were licensed pilots, and they would fly across the country in their private plane during business trips.
Jane Bryan passed away on April 8, 2009, at her home in Pebble Beach, California, after a prolonged illness. She left behind three children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
