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Jan Sterling

Jan Sterling

Highest Rated: 100% The Harder They Fall (1956)

Lowest Rated: 46% The High and the Mighty (1954)

Birthday: Apr 3, 1921

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

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."

Highest rated movies

100% The Harder They Fall
92% Johnny Belinda
90% Ace in the Hole
88% The Incident
70% High School Confidential!
50% Caged
46% The High and the Mighty

Photos

APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER, from left, Alan Ladd, Jan Sterling, 1951 MAN WITH THE GUN, Robert Mitchum, Jan Sterling, 1955 RHUBARB, Jan Sterling, Rhubarb the Cat, Ray Milland, 1951 RHUBARB, Ray Milland, Rhubarb the cat, Jan Sterling, 1951 JOHNNY BELINDA, from left: Stephen McNally, Jan Sterling, 1948 MYSTERY STREET, Jan Sterling, 1950 FLESH AND FURY, Jan Sterling, 1952 SKY FULL OF MOON, from left, Keenan Wynn, Jan Sterling, Carleton Carpenter, 1952 MYSTERY STREET, Elsa Lanchester, Jan Sterling, 1950 FLESH AND FURY, Tony Curtis, Jan Sterling, 1952 MYSTERY STREET, Marshall Thompson, Jan Sterling, 1950 SKY FULL OF MOON, from left: Jan Sterling, Carleton Carpenter, 1952 SKY FULL OF MOON, Jan Sterling, Carleton Carpenter, 1952 SKY FULL OF MOON, Carleton Carpenter, Jan Sterling, 1952 ACE IN THE HOLE, (aka THE BIG CARNIVAL), Kirk Douglas, playfully threatening to punch out costar Jan Sterling, as she has her hair done on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1951 FLESH AND FURY, Jan Sterling, Tony Curtis, 1952 JOHNNY BELINDA, Jan Sterling, 1948 PONY EXPRESS, Charlton Heston, Jan Sterling, 1953 RHUBARB, Jan Sterling, Rhubarb the Cat, Ray Milland, 1951 SKY FULL OF MOON, from left, Carleton Carpenter, Jan Sterling, 1952
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 17% Dangerous Company Ray's Mother (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet 45% First Monday in October Christine Snow (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sammy Somebody Unknown (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Having Babies Mrs. Fontreil (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% 87% 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% 47% 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 43% Slaughter on Tenth Avenue Madge Pitts (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 71% 1984 Julia of the Outer Party (Character) - 1956
100% 80% The Harder They Fall Beth Willis (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet 47% Female on the Beach Amy Rawlinson (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet 26% Women's Prison Brenda Martin (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet 44% Man With the Gun Nelly Bain (Character) - 1955
46% 59% 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 33% Split Second Dottie Vale (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 24% 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 75% Flesh and Fury Sonya Bartow (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet 29% Appointment With Danger Dodie (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 56% Rhubarb Polly Sickles (Character) - 1951
90% 92% Ace in the Hole Lorraine Minosa (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet Le Gouffre aux chimères Unknown (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 60% The Mating Season Betsy (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet 68% Mystery Street Vivian Heldon (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 64% Union Station Marge Wrighter (Character) - 1950
50% 83% Caged Smoochie (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Skipper Surprised His Wife Rita Rossini (Character) - 1950
92% 89% Johnny Belinda Stella McCormick (Character) - 1948

TV

Credit
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 76% 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 85% 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