Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Early years

Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon.

Film

Beginning in 1937 with ''

New Faces of 1937 ''New Faces of 1937'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Joe Penner, Milton Berle and Harriet Hilliard. Its plot is similar to '' The Producers'' (1968). Intended as the first film of an annual RKO Pictures r ...

'' and ''

Stage Door ''Stage Door'' is a 1937 RKO film directed by Gregory La Cava. Adapted from the play of the same name, it tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film ...

'', Wiley appeared in 39 films in a mixture of lead, supporting and minor roles in Hollywood

B Movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

. She had a rare leading role as the title character in ''

A Fig Leaf for Eve ''A Fig Leaf for Eve'' is a 1944 American film directed by Don Brodie. The film is also known as ''Desirable Lady'', ''Flaming Girls'', ''Hollywood Nights'', ''Not Enough Clothes'', ''Reckless Youth'', ''Room for Love'', and ''Strips and Blondes ...

'' (1944) but is probably best remembered for the 1946 horror film '' She-Wolf of London''.

Personal life

Wiley was married to actor Roger Wister Clark; they were divorced July 19, 1945. She retired from acting after marrying Mort Green in 1947. They had two children and were divorced in 1971.

Death

On May 27, 1993, Wiley died of cancer at a retirement home in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. She was 77. Her body was cremated, and her ashes were scattered at sea off

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1937) - Showgirl * ''

'' (1937) - Madeline * '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940) - Miss Bala - Office Worker (uncredited) * '' Citizen Kane'' (1941) - Reporter at Xanadu (uncredited) * ''

Tonto Basin Outlaws ''Tonto Basin Outlaws'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by S. Roy Luby. The film is the tenth in Monogram Pictures' "Range Busters" series, and it stars Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Crash, John "Dusty" King as Dusty and Max "Alibi" Terhu ...

'' (1941) - Jane Blanchard * ''

Zis Boom Bah ''Zis Boom Bah'', also known as ''College Sweethearts'', is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by William Nigh, and starring Grace Hayes, Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy. The plot concerns a vaudeville singer who comes to a flounderin ...

'' (1941) - Annabella * ''

Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. ''Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.'' (1941) is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was directed by the team of William Witney and John English with Ralph Byrd reprising his role from the earlier serials. It was the last of ...

'' (1941) - June 'Eve' Chandler * '' Thunder River Feud'' (1942) - Maybelle Pembroke * '' The Strange Case of Doctor Rx'' (1942) - Lily (uncredited) * ''You're Telling Me'' (1942) - Girl Announcer (uncredited) * '' Almost Married'' (1942) - Louella Marvin * '' Top Sergeant'' (1942) - Army Press Photographer (uncredited) * ''

Parachute Nurse ''Parachute Nurse'' is a 1942 Columbia Pictures film about the Aerial Nurse Corps. The film was directed by Charles Barton. Plot Inspired by a visit from their old friend Lieutenant Mullins, an officer in the Aerial Nurse Corps, nurses Glenda W ...

'' (1942) - Tenderfoot (uncredited) * ''

City of Silent Men ''City of Silent Men'' is a 1942 American crime film directed by William Nigh and written by Joseph Hoffman. The film stars Frank Albertson, June Lang, Jan Wiley, Richard Clarke, William Gould and Emmett Lynn. The film was released on October ...

'' (1942) - Jane Muller * ''Criminal Investigator'' (1942) - Harriet Drake * ''

The Living Ghost ''The Living Ghost'' is a 1942 American mystery-drama film directed by William Beaudine and produced by Monogram Pictures. Starring James Dunn and Joan Woodbury, the film incorporates elements of the horror genre as it follows an ex-private dete ...

'' (1942) - Tina Craig * '' Rhythm Parade'' (1942) - Connie * ''

Dawn on the Great Divide ''Dawn on the Great Divide'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Howard Bretherton based on James Oliver Curwood's 1913 short story "Wheels of Fate". It was the final film of Buck Jones and the final film of Monogram Pictures ''Rough R ...

'' (1942) - Martha Corkle (uncredited) * ''Gals, Incorporated'' (1943) - Showgirl (uncredited) * '' Fired Wife'' (1943) - Leading Lady (uncredited) * ''

So Proudly We Hail! ''So Proudly We Hail!'' is a 1943 American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance – a ...

'' (1943) - Lt. Lynne Hopkins (uncredited) * '' The Underdog'' (1943) - Ämy Tate * ''Never a Dull Moment'' (1943) - Checkroom Girl (uncredited) * ''

Jive Junction ''Jive Junction'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and written by Irving Wallace, Walter Doniger and Malvin Wald Malvin Daniel Wald (August 8, 1917 – March 6, 2008) was an American screenwriter most famous for writin ...

'' (1943) - Miss Forbes * '' Law Men'' (1944) - Phyliss * '' Follow the Boys'' (1944) - Phone Operator (uncredited) * '' San Diego, I Love You'' (1944) - Receptionist (uncredited) * ''

'' (1944) - Eve Lorraine / Eve Westland * '' Adventures of Kitty O'Day'' (1945) - Carla Brant * '' There Goes Kelly'' (1945) - Rita Wilson aka Gladys Wharton * ''

The Cisco Kid Returns ''The Cisco Kid Returns'' is a 1945 American Western film. Released on April 3, 1945, it was the first of three Cisco Kid films made that year with Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Martin Garralaga as Pancho. In this release, Cisco's real name is Jua ...

'' (1945) - Jeanette * '' The Master Key'' (1945) - Janet Lowe * ''

Secret Agent X-9 ''Secret Agent X-9'' is a comic strip created by writer Dashiell Hammett ('' The Maltese Falcon'') and artist Alex Raymond (''Flash Gordon''). Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996. Premise and publ ...

'' (1945) - Lynn Moore * ''

Frontier Gal ''Frontier Gal'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Cameron. Plot Johnny Hart heads for Red Gulch, looking for the mystery man who murdered his partner. He quickly meets Lorena Dumon ...

'' (1945) - Sheila Winthop * '' I Ring Doorbells'' (1946) - Helen Carter * '' She-Wolf of London'' (1946) - Carol Winthrop * '' Below the Deadline'' (1946) - Vivian Saunders * ''

The Brute Man ''The Brute Man'' is a 1946 American horror thriller film starring Rondo Hatton as the Creeper, a murderer seeking revenge against the people he holds responsible for the disfigurement of his face. Directed by Jean Yarbrough, the film features ...

'' (1946) - Virginia Rogers Scott * ''

The Best Years of Our Lives ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Rus ...

'' (1946) - Perfume Saleswoman (uncredited) (final film role)

References

Bibliography

* Tom Weaver, Michael Brunas & John Brunas. ''Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946''. McFarland, 1990.

External links

*
Jan Wiley starring in ''Desirable Lady'' (1944) from YouTube
1916 births 1993 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-stub