Legendary British Actress Jean Simmons Died At The Age of 81 in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Actress Jean Simmons, whose beauty entranced actors from Kirk Douglas to Sir Laurence Olivier, died Friday evening at her Santa Monica home, the Los Angeles Times reported. Simmons, 81, died of lung cancer, her agent told the paper. 

Jean Merilyn Simmons was born Jan 21, 1929 in London. She starred in several British movies at age 15. She later followed future husband Stewart Granger to the US and became a US citizen in 1956.

The dark-haired young actress shot to fame in 1948, starring as Ophelia along with Olivier, in his version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. That performance earned her the first of two Oscar nominations.

In the 1950s and 60s she made more than 30 movies such as Stanley Kubrick’s “Spartacus”, “Guys and Dolls”, and “Elmer Gantry”. During her 60-year career, she appeared in more than 50 feature films, and almost as many television productions.

She co-starred with actors such as Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck and Marlon Brando.

Simmons received her second Academy Award nomination for 1969’s “The Happy Ending”, directed by then-husband Richard Brooks, in which she portrayed an alcoholic.

Also in real life, Simmons had a drinking problem and underwent treatment.

In later years, Simmons turned to television, taking roles in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the historical drama “North and South”. Her performance in the 1980s mini-series “The Thorn Birds” earned her an Emmy Award.