Jane Russel
Jane Russel news. Jane Russell, who passed away today at the age of 89. Ms. Russell, famous for her roles in the 1940′s and 1950′s in classics such as The Outlaw (1941) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), was discovered by Howard Hughes at the age of 19. Russell had a great film career that spanned decades and included parts portraying famous cowgirls Calamity Jane (Paleface) and Belle Starr (Montana Belle), and playing opposite such greats as Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, and Roy Rogers. While her career died out a bit in the 1960′s, it was revitalized in the 1970′s when she became a spokesperson for Playtex. Russell married three times and adopted several children and, in 1955, founded the World Adoption International Fund.
For her achievements in film, she received several accolades including having her hand and foot prints immortalized in the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She died at her home in Santa Maria, California of a respiratory-related illness on February 28, 2011.
