Biography for
Jane Powell (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

1 April 1929, Portland, Oregon, USA

Birth Name

Suzanne Lorraine Burce

Height

5' 0½" (1.54 m)

Mini Biography

Jane Powell was singing and dancing at an early age. She sang on the radio and performed in theaters before her screen debut in 1944. Through the 1940s and 1950s, she had a successful career in movie musicals. However, in 1957, her career in films ended, as she had outgrown her innocent girl-next-door image. She has made brief returns to acting in front of the camera -- on television, in commercials, and in a workout video. She has had a variety of roles on stage since the end of her movie career, including the musicals "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma!," "My Fair Lady," "Carousel," and a one-woman show "The Girl Next Door and How She Grew," from which she took the title of her 1988 autobiography.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Melissa Portell

Spouse

Dickie Moore	(21 May 1988 - present)
David Parlour	(21 October 1978 - 1981) (divorced)
James Fitzgerald	(27 June 1965 - 1975) (divorced)
Patrick Nerney	(8 November 1954 - 1963) (divorced) 1 child
Geary Steffin	(5 November 1949 - 6 August 1953) (divorced) 2 children

Trivia

Is a coloratura soprano who started her career singing on the radio before age 13.

Her role model and favorite actress is the lyrical soprano/actress, Jeanette MacDonald.

Grew up watching Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy movies.

Best known as 'Milly' in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

Was bridesmaid for Elizabeth Taylor for her first marriage. Taylor was bridesmaid for Powell's first marriage.

Sang at the Inaugural Ball for President Harry S. Truman, January 20, 1949.

Roddy McDowall, a friend from the beginning of Jane's Hollywood career and the remainder of his life, was an usher at her first wedding.

Jane replaced June Allyson and Judy Garland for the part in Royal Wedding (1951), after June became pregnant and Judy became ill.

When the Burce family first arrived in Hollywood, they rented Donald Meek's house.

Learned and loved to cook before she was 10 years old.

At the age of 12, Jane Powell was selected "Oregon Victory Girl".

Her father worked for Wonder Bread for almost 2 decades, before the family moved to Oakland.

Appeared on stage with Howard Keel after her movie career was over. They performed together in I Do, I Do! and South Pacific among others.

Although one of the best singers of her time, Powell never learned to play an instrument or read music.

Attended Agnes Peters Dancing School as a child in Portland, Oregon.

Christened the ship Peter Skene Ogden on November 14, 1942. It was torpedoed and sank in WWII on February 22, 1944).

Dated dancer Stanley Catron after meeting on the set of Song of the Open Road (1944).

Her husband Patrick Nerney bought her a pair of diamond earrings and due to her fear of needles, she figured the only way she would have of wearing them was to have her ears pierced under anaesthetic. Upon discovering she was pregnant with her last daughter Lindsay, she explained to the doctor that he could only handle her case if he would pierce her ears while she was on the delivery table. He agreed, and she left the delivery room with a baby daughter and two pierced ears.

Beside actress Elizabeth Taylor, other bridesmaids at her wedding to Geary Anthony Steffen Jr. included Roddy McDowall's sister Virginia McDowall, Ed Sullivan's daughter Betty Sullivan and Powell's good friend Margie Dillon.

One of her hobbies is gardening.

First husband Geary Steffin gained fame as a professional figure skater partnering with Sonja Henie. They appeared in ice carnivals as well as motion pictures during the 1940s. He died on July 14, 2004 in Santa Monica, California.

Is portrayed by Marnette Patterson in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995) (TV).

Has performed before five U.S. Presidents and the Queen of England.

Had never met former child actor and future husband Dickie Moore until 1981 when he was researching his book on child stars, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.".

The character she played in the movie Song of the Open Road (1944) was named Jane Powell. MGM gave her the name of the character she played for her own stage moniker.

With the decline of movie musicals in the late 1950s, Jane left MGM before they could fire her. She resuscitated her career by making a move to the East Coast and appearing on the musical stage.

Son Geary Anthony Steffen III ("G.A.") born July 21, 1951. Daughter Suzanne Ilene Steffen ("Sissy") born November 21, 1952. Daughter Lindsay Averille Nerney born February 1, 1956.

In 2005, she served as mistress of ceremonies at the memorial service for the deceased author Evan Hunter also known as Ed McBain, and famous as the screenwriter for The Birds (1963) .

Personal Quotes

"I didn't quit movies. They quit me."

"The only thing I knew was MGM, where I had worked since I was 14. Unions were not even a part of my vocabulary. SAG meant a gravity problem. EQUITY meant owning a house."

Where Are They Now

(March 2007) Powell and child star husband, Dickie Moore, call a quaint cottage in Fairfield County, Connecticut home.

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