Jan Sterling (born Jane Sterling Adriance; April , â€" March , ) was
an American film, television and stage actress.At her most active in
films during the s (immediately prior to which she had joined the
Actors Studio), Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best
Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty (),
and she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for the same performance. Her best performance is often recognized as
the "opportunistic wife" opposite Kirk Douglas in Billy Wilder's Ace
in the Hole. Although her career declined during the s, she continued
to play occasional television and theatre roles.[citation needed]Born
in New York City, Sterling was the daughter of Eleanor Ward (née
Deans) and William Allen Adriance Jr, an architect and advertising
executive. She had a younger sister, Ann "Mimi" Adriance, a model and
businesswoman. Jane grew up in a wealthy household and attended
private schools before moving with her family to Europe and South
America. In London and Paris she was schooled by private tutors, and
in London she attended Fay Compton's dramatic school. During the
taping of the pilot of a game show in , she told the story of having
been sent airfare to fly back to the United States; seeing some
lingerie she liked in a shop window, she used the last of her money to
buy it, then traded in the airfare and booked aboard a steamship.
Midway through the voyage, she found out that the airship she had
originally been booked on, the Hindenburg, had been destroyed in a
massive fire upon arriving in New Jersey.As a teenager, she returned
to the borough of Manhattan, and using variations of her given name,
including "Jane Adriance" and "Jane Sterling", she began her acting
career in by performing on Broadway as the character Chris Faringdon
in Bachelor Born. She then appeared in a variety of other Broadway
productions during the s, such as When We Were Married, This Rock, and
The Rugged Path. In 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 (). Alternating between films and television,
Sterling appeared in several television anthology series during the s,
and played film roles in Caged (), Mystery Street (), Union Station
(), The Mating Season (), Ace in the Hole (), Flesh and Fury (), The
High and the Mighty (), Female on the Beach (), and High School
Confidential ().
an American film, television and stage actress.At her most active in
films during the s (immediately prior to which she had joined the
Actors Studio), Sterling received a Golden Globe Award for Best
Supporting Actress for her performance in The High and the Mighty (),
and she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for the same performance. Her best performance is often recognized as
the "opportunistic wife" opposite Kirk Douglas in Billy Wilder's Ace
in the Hole. Although her career declined during the s, she continued
to play occasional television and theatre roles.[citation needed]Born
in New York City, Sterling was the daughter of Eleanor Ward (née
Deans) and William Allen Adriance Jr, an architect and advertising
executive. She had a younger sister, Ann "Mimi" Adriance, a model and
businesswoman. Jane grew up in a wealthy household and attended
private schools before moving with her family to Europe and South
America. In London and Paris she was schooled by private tutors, and
in London she attended Fay Compton's dramatic school. During the
taping of the pilot of a game show in , she told the story of having
been sent airfare to fly back to the United States; seeing some
lingerie she liked in a shop window, she used the last of her money to
buy it, then traded in the airfare and booked aboard a steamship.
Midway through the voyage, she found out that the airship she had
originally been booked on, the Hindenburg, had been destroyed in a
massive fire upon arriving in New Jersey.As a teenager, she returned
to the borough of Manhattan, and using variations of her given name,
including "Jane Adriance" and "Jane Sterling", she began her acting
career in by performing on Broadway as the character Chris Faringdon
in Bachelor Born. She then appeared in a variety of other Broadway
productions during the s, such as When We Were Married, This Rock, and
The Rugged Path. In 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 (). Alternating between films and television,
Sterling appeared in several television anthology series during the s,
and played film roles in Caged (), Mystery Street (), Union Station
(), The Mating Season (), Ace in the Hole (), Flesh and Fury (), The
High and the Mighty (), Female on the Beach (), and High School
Confidential ().
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