Jan Sterling
While she hailed from a well-to-do NYC family, actress Jan Sterling carved a niche playing tough-as-nails women in 1950s films noir. While still in her teens, she made her Broadway debut (billed as Jane Sterling) in 1938's "Bachelor Born." Over the next decade, the actress amassed an impressive resume of parts in drama and musicals, notably supporting Ethel Merman in "Panama Hattie" (1941) and touring as Billie Dawn in "Born Yesterday" in 1947. That same year, Sterling (billed as Jane Adrian) made her feature debut in "Tycoon." Often a peroxide blonde, the actress went on to essay the wife of a rapist in "Johnny Belinda" (1948) and gave strong performances as a corrupt inmate in "Caged" (1950) and a floozy who meets an untimely end in "Mystery Street" (also 1950). Billy Wilder elicited one of her best screen portrayals as the uncaring spouse of a man (Richard Benedict) trapped in a cave-in in "The Big Carnival/Ace in the Hole" (1951). Three years later, Sterling garnered her only Oscar nomination as a mail-order bride with a past in "The High and the Mighty."
Photos
Jan Sterling
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
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No Score Yet |
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Dangerous Company | Ray's Mother (Character) | - | 1982 |
No Score Yet |
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First Monday in October | Christine Snow (Character) | - | 1981 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Having Babies | Mrs. Fontreil (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sammy Somebody | Unknown (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Minx | Louise Baxter (Character) | - | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Angry Breed | Gloria Patton (Character) | - | 1968 |
88% |
|
The Incident | Muriel Purvis (Character) | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Love in a Goldfish Bowl | Sandra Slide (Character) | - | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Female Animal | Lily Frayne (Character) | - | 1958 |
70% |
|
High School Confidential! | Arlene Williams (Character) | - | 1958 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Kathy O' | Celeste Saunders (Character) | - | 1958 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Clipper Ship | Helen Ott (Character) | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet |
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Slaughter on Tenth Avenue | Madge Pitts (Character) | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet |
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1984 | Julia of the Outer Party (Character) | - | 1956 |
100% |
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The Harder They Fall | Beth Willis (Character) | - | 1956 |
No Score Yet |
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Female on the Beach | Amy Rawlinson (Character) | - | 1955 |
No Score Yet |
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Women's Prison | Brenda Martin (Character) | - | 1955 |
No Score Yet |
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Man With the Gun | Nelly Bain (Character) | - | 1955 |
46% |
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The High and the Mighty | Sally McKee (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Return From the Sea | Frieda (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Human Jungle | Mary Abbott (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Alaska Seas | Matt Kelly (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet |
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Split Second | Dottie Vale (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet |
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Pony Express | Denny Russell (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Vanquished | Rose Slater (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sky Full of Moon | Dixie Delmar (Character) | - | 1952 |
No Score Yet |
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Flesh and Fury | Sonya Bartow (Character) | - | 1952 |
No Score Yet |
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Appointment With Danger | Dodie (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet |
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Rhubarb | Polly Sickles (Character) | - | 1951 |
90% |
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Ace in the Hole | Lorraine Minosa (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Le Gouffre aux chimères | Unknown (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet |
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The Mating Season | Betsy (Character) | - | 1951 |
No Score Yet |
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Mystery Street | Vivian Heldon (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet |
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Union Station | Marge Wrighter (Character) | - | 1950 |
50% |
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Caged | Smoochie (Character) | - | 1950 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Skipper Surprised His Wife | Rita Rossini (Character) | - | 1950 |
100% |
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Johnny Belinda | Stella McCormick (Character) | - | 1948 |
TV
Credit | ||||
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No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Baby Boom | Barbara (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Riptide | Unknown (Character) | 1985 |
No Score Yet | 74% | Incredible Hulk | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1981 |
No Score Yet | 95% | Three's Company | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1980 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Little House on the Prairie | Laura Colby Ingalls (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | 100% | Kung Fu | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | What's My Line? | Guest | 1969 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Name of the Game | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mannix | Anne Marion (Guest Star) | 1968 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Unknown (Character) | 1962 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Wagon Train | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1959 1961 |
No Score Yet | 87% | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Fran Holland (Character) | 1958 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bonanza | Dianne Jordan (Guest Star) | 1960 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Untouchables | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1960 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Climax! | Unknown (Character) | 1956-1957 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Star and the Story | Unknown (Character) | 1955 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Stage 7 | Marge (Character) | 1955 |