Jan Sterling

Born: 1921-04-03

Most active in films during the 1950s, Jan Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty (1954), and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance. Her career declined during the 1960s, however she continued to play occasional roles for television and theatre. Sterling was born Jane Sterling Adriance in New York City, into a well-to-do family. She was educated in private schools before heading to Europe with her family. She was schooled by private tutors in London and Paris, and was enrolled in Fay Compton's dramatic school in London. As a teenager she returned to Manhattan, and using variations of her given name, such as Jane Adriance and Jane Sterling, began her career by making a Broadway appearance in Bachelor Born, and went on to appear in such major stage works as Panama Hattie, Over 21, and Present Laughter. In 1947, she made her film debut in Tycoon, billed as Jane Darian. Ruth Gordon reportedly insisted she change her stage name and they agreed upon Jan Sterling. She played a prominent supporting role in Johnny Belinda (1948). Alternating between films and television, Sterling appeared in several television anthology series during the 1950s, and played film roles in Caged (1950), Mystery Street (1950), The Mating Season (1951), Ace in the Hole (1951), Flesh and Fury (1952), The Human Jungle (1954), and Female on the Beach (1955). Often cast as hard and determined characters, she played a more sympathetic character in Sky Full of Moon (1952). In 1950, she was cast as Ruth in the ABC western series The Marshal of Gunsight Pass. The series was telecast live from a primitive studio lot at the Iverson Ranch at Chatsworth, California. In 1954 Sterling was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty. Later that year, she travelled to England to play the role of Julia in the first film version of George Orwell's 1984, despite being several months pregnant at the time. During the following years, she appeared regularly in films such as Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Kathy O, and The Female Animal. In late 1968, she began portraying the role of conniving Miss Foss in the long-running CBS soap opera The Guiding Light. She retired from films in favor of the stage in 1969 and returned to television in 1979 to portray Lou Henry Hoover in the miniseries Backstairs at the White House. Sterling's marriage to John Merivale ended in divorce, and her career began to decline after the death of her second husband, the actor Paul Douglas, in 1959. In the 1970s, she entered into a long-lasting personal relationship with Sam Wanamaker. Jan Sterling died in 2004 in Los Angeles, California, aged 82.


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The Harder They Fall

as Beth Willis
Released: 1956-05-08

Jobless sportswriter Eddie Willis is hired by corrupt fight promoter Nick Benko to promote his...

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as Julia of the Outer Party
Released: 1956-03-06

In a totalitarian future society, a man whose daily work is rewriting history tries to rebel by...

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See!

Ace in the Hole

as Lorraine
Released: 1951-06-29

An arrogant reporter exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career.

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Mystery Street

as Vivian Heldon
Released: 1950-06-23

When a young woman's skeletal remains turn up on a Massachusetts beach, Barnstable cop Peter...

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Caged

as Jeta "Smoochie" Kovsky
Released: 1950-05-19

A single mistake puts a 19-year old girl behind bars, where she experiences the terrors and...

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Pony Express

as Denny Russell
Released: 1953-06-15

Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok join forces to establish a mail route that can get mail from...

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The High and the Mighty

as Sally McKee
Released: 1954-07-03

Dan Roman is a veteran pilot haunted by a tragic past. Now relegated to second-in-command...

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The Incident

as Muriel Purvis
Released: 1967-11-05

Two hoodlums terrorize the passengers of a late-night New York City subway train.

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Johnny Belinda

as Stella McCormick
Released: 1948-09-14

A small-town doctor helps a deaf-mute farm girl learn to communicate.

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Appointment with Danger

as Dodie
Released: 1950-03-31

Al Goddard, a detective who works for the United States Postal Inspection Service, is assigned...

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Tycoon

as Dancer at Fiesta (uncredited)
Released: 1947-12-27

Engineer Johnny Munroe is enlisted to build a railroad tunnel through a mountain to reach mines....

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Union Station

as Marge Wrighter
Released: 1950-10-04

Police catch a break when suspected kidnappers are spotted on a train heading towards Union...

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First Monday in October

as Christine Snow
Released: 1981-08-21

For the first time in history a woman is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she becomes...

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Split Second

as Dorothy 'Dottie' Vale
Released: 1953-05-02

Escaped convicts hold hostages in a ghost town targeted for a nuclear bomb test.

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Slaughter on 10th Avenue

as Madge Pitts
Released: 1957-09-01

A rookie assistant DA is assigned to investigate the murder of a longshoreman, killed for...

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The Mating Season

as Betsy
Released: 1951-01-12

Ellen McNulty leaves her New Jersey hamburger stand and heads west to pay a surprise visit to...

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Man with the Gun

as Nelly Bain
Released: 1955-11-05

A stranger comes to town looking for his estranged wife. He finds her running the local girls....

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High School Confidential!

as Arlene Williams
Released: 1958-05-30

A tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. This is...

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The Angry Breed

as Gloria Patton
Released: 1968-06-07

In Vietnam, aspiring actor Johnny Taylor is given a prize film script after saving the life of a...

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Female on the Beach

as Amy Rawlinson
Released: 1955-08-19

Lynn Markham moves into her late husband's beach house the morning after former tenant Eloise...

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Rhubarb

as Polly Sickles
Released: 1951-08-29

Rich, eccentric T.J. Banner adopts a feral cat who becomes an affectionate pet he names Rhubarb....

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The Costume Designer

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1950-07-13

This short focuses on the job of the costume designer in the production of motion pictures. The...

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Women's Prison

as Brenda Martin
Released: 1955-02-01

A crusading psychiatrist battles a sadistic female warden to improve conditions at a women's prison.

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Alaska Seas

as Nicky Jackson
Released: 1954-01-27

A crooked salmon fisherman tries to steal his best friend's fiancée and put him out of business.

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Dangerous Company

as Ray's Mother
Released: 1982-02-09

The true story of Ray Johnson, a convict who spent most of his life in and out of prison until...

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Kathy O'

as Celeste Saunders
Released: 1958-09-24

A movie publicist is assigned to keep the public from learning that a beloved child star is an...

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The Female Animal

as Lily Frayne
Released: 1958-01-22

Jaded movie star Vanessa Windsor, saved from a studio accident by handsome extra Chris Farley,...

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The Human Jungle

as Mary Abbott
Released: 1954-10-03

Danforth is assigned to take over the police department in a section of a large city saddled...

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The Vanquished

as Rose Slater
Released: 1953-06-03

A man returns to his home -- a post Civil-War village -- and finds the law is in the hands of a...

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Love in a Goldfish Bowl

as Sandra Slide
Released: 1961-07-12

Two platonic college friends spend a weekend away together. One is romanced by a member of the...

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The Skipper Surprised His Wife

as Rita Rossini
Released: 1950-06-29

A captain tries to keep home as tight as his ship.

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Return from the Sea

as Frieda
Released: 1954-07-28

A hardened career navel officer must come to terms with adapting to civilian life with the help...

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Sky Full of Moon

as Dixie Delmar
Released: 1952-12-12

A cowboy seeks fame and fortune in Las Vegas where he meets a girl working in a casino.

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Flesh and Fury

as Sonya Bartow
Released: 1952-06-26

Deaf boxer Paul Callan captures the interest of gold-digging blonde Sonya Bartow and retired...

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The Minx

as Louise Baxter
Released: 1969-11-21

A businessman hosts a hunting party at a remote lodge, and hires three prostitutes to take care...

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Having Babies

as Mrs. Fontreil
Released: 1976-10-17

The story of four couples who are about to have children using the Lamaze method.

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Gunfire

as Flo
Released: 1950-08-12

Tubercular Frank James has become a born again and retired from his career as an outlaw with his...

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American in Paris

as Gloria Miles
Released: 1964-08-03

The owner of a travel agency in Paris tries to help fellow Americans in trouble.

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My Kidnapper, My Love

as Letty Fairlain
Released: 1980-12-08

Small-time crook Rooney cons his crippled brother, a street-wise news vendor, into snatching a...

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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight...

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Bonanza

as Dianne Jordan
First aired: 1959-09-12

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch...

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The Virginian

as Mary Beth Stanton
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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Little House on the Prairie

as uncredited
First aired: 1974-09-11

Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael...

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Burke's Law

as Devora Cato
First aired: 1963-09-20

Burke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on...

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Burke's Law

as Vera Selby
First aired: 1963-09-20

Burke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on...

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Mannix

as Anne Marion
First aired: 1967-09-16

Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS....

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The Incredible Hulk

as uncredited
First aired: 1977-11-04

During an experiment gone bad, radiation turns a scientist into a raging green behemoth whenever...

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Climax!

as Dinah Lake
First aired: 1954-10-07

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was...

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Climax!

as Audrey Caldwell
First aired: 1954-10-07

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was...

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Three's Company

as Judge Sheffield
First aired: 1977-03-15

Three's Company is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March...

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The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

as Beatrice Bartel
First aired: 1962-09-20

A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of...

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Medical Center

as Florence Brent
First aired: 1969-09-24

Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976. It was produced...

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The Name of the Game

as Elsa Roarke
First aired: 1968-09-20

The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and...

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Naked City

as Myrtle Tiloff
First aired: 1958-09-30

Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network....

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Adventures in Paradise

as Topaz Harmony
First aired: 1959-10-05

Adventures in Paradise is an American television series created by James Michener which ran on...

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Riverboat

as Lorna Langton
First aired: 1959-09-13

Riverboat is a 44-episode western television series starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds...

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Run for Your Life

as Clara Mallory
First aired: 1965-09-13

Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only...

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The Oscars

as Self
First aired: 1953-03-19

An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The...

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Fran Holland
First aired: 1955-10-02

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Wanda Ferlini
First aired: 1955-10-02

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

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Suspicion

as Georgiana
First aired: 1957-09-30

Suspicion is the title of an American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC...

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Breaking Point

as uncredited
First aired: 1963-09-16

Breaking Point is an American medical drama that aired on ABC from September 16, 1963, to April...

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The Jackie Gleason Show

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-09-17

The prodigiously talented Gleason became a TV icon after he joined CBS from DuMont, where his...

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The Brian Keith Show

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-09-15

The Brian Keith Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1972 to March 1974....

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Backstairs at the White House

as Lou Hoover
First aired: 1979-01-29

Behind the scenes at the White House during eight administrations, as told by the people who...

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Letter to Loretta

as Lucia
First aired: 1953-09-20

Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to...

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Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

as uncredited
First aired: 1951-10-05

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS....

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General Electric Theater

as Gloria Miles
First aired: 1953-02-01

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was...

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Kung Fu

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-10-14

The adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in...

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