Shirley Jones
Biography
Shirley Jones is an American actress and singer whose six decades in show business have included musical films and television. Born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, in 1934 and raised in nearby Smithton, she began singing at age six and took voice lessons from Ralph Lewando. She won the Miss Pittsburgh contest in 1952 and became the first singer to sign a personal contract with Rodgers and Hammerstein. Her film breakthrough was the lead in Oklahoma! (1955), followed by Carousel (1956) and The Music Man (1962), roles that often cast her as wholesome characters. Her performance in Elmer Gantry (1960) brought her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. On television, she played Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974. Later screen credits include The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) and Grandma's Boy (2006). In 2004 she acted on Broadway again in a revival of 42nd Street, and she earned an Emmy nomination for Hidden Places.
92years old
Turns 93 on March 31in 170 days
- Born Charleroi
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as Shirley Mae Jones
Movie Career
- Films
- 16
- Career span
- 61 years1955 to 2016
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First role
At a bi-weekly open casting call run by John Fearnley, who cast for Rodgers and Hammerstein, Shirley Jones auditioned for the first time. Fearnley was so impressed that he brought Richard Rodgers over, and Rodgers phoned Oscar Hammerstein at home.
Behind the award
Director Richard Brooks fought against casting Jones in Elmer Gantry, but after seeing her first scene he told her she would win an Oscar, which she did.
Shirley Jones movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Richard Brooks directed two of these films, George Sidney two. Eleven actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
James Stewart's page
John Qualen's page
John McIntire's page
Jean Simmons's page
Shirley Knight's page
Ron Howard's page
All films by Richard Brooks
All films by George Sidney
Also two films together5 more actors
- Bobby DarinThe Happy Ending (1969) and Pepe (1960)
- Gene CooganA Ticklish Affair (1963) and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
- Boyd CabeenA Ticklish Affair (1963) and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
- Gordon MacRaeCarousel (1956) and Oklahoma! (1955)
- Susan LuckeyThe Music Man (1962) and Carousel (1956)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Shirley Jones's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$64.0 million
6 of the 16 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 16 films: 6 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 6 figure not found.
- 6Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 6Figure not found
Highest grossing
The six biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$15M23.4% of the total
- 2$14M22.2% of the total
- 3$14M22.1% of the total
- 4$10M16.2% of the total
- 5$6.5M10.2% of the total
- 6$3.8M5.9% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1961 | Best Supporting Actress | Elmer Gantry | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.