Sybil Jason (born Sybil Jacobson; 23 November 1927 – 23 August 2011) was an American child film actress who, in the late 1930s, was presented as a rival to

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was na ...

Career

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 23 November 1927, Sybil Jason began playing the piano at age two and, a year later, began making public appearances doing impersonations of

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

. She was introduced to the theatre-going public of London by way of her uncle, Harry Jacobson, a then-popular London orchestra leader and also pianist for

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

. The apex of her career came with a concert performance with

Frances Day Frances Day (born Frances Victoria Schenk; December 16, 1907April 29, 1984) was an American actress and singer who achieved great popularity in the UK in the 1930s. Her career began as a nightclub cabaret singer in New York City and London. ...

at London's Palace Theatre. Her theatre work led to appearances on radio and phonograph records as well as a supporting role in the film '' Barnacle Bill'' (1935). Irving Asher, the head of

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

' London studio, saw Jason's performance in ''Barnacle Bill'' and arranged for her to make a screen test for the studio. The test was a success, resulting in Warner Bros. signing her to a contract. Her American film debut came as the lead in '' Little Big Shot'' (1935), directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...

and co-starring

Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classic Hollywood films. Her career spanned more than 50 years, and she appeared in numerous Broadwa ...

, Robert Armstrong, and

Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton, Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor and comedian. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born March 18 ...

. Jason followed this with supporting roles opposite some of Warner Bros. most popular stars, including

Kay Francis Kay Francis (born Katharine Edwina Gibbs; January 13, 1905 – August 26, 1968) was an American stage and film actress. After a brief period on Broadway in the late 1920s, she moved to film and achieved her greatest success between 1930 an ...

in '' I Found Stella Parish'' (1935),

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

in ''The Singing Kid'' (1936), Pat O'Brien and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

in ''The Great O'Malley'' (1937), and again with Kay Francis in '' Comet Over Broadway'' (1938). Warners also starred her in ''The Captain's Kid'' (1937), and four

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National Pictures, First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone is the last major analog sound-on-disc sys ...

two-reelers filmed in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

: ''Changing of the Guard'', ''A Day at Santa Anita'', '' Little Pioneer,'' and ''The Littlest Diplomat''. Jason never became the major rival to Shirley Temple that Warner Bros. had hoped, and her film career ended after playing two supporting roles at 20th-Century Fox. These films — '' The Little Princess'' (1939) and '' The Blue Bird'' (1940) — supported Temple, who became her lifelong friend.

Personal life

Jason married Anthony Albert Fromlak (aka Anthony Drake) on 30 December 1950. He died in 2005. Their daughter, Toni Maryanna Rossi, is married to Phillip W. Rossi, producer of '' The New Price Is Right''. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1952.

Death

Sybil Jason died in 2011 and was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Legacy

* Sybil Jason was an active member in the International Al Jolson Society and made frequent appearances at celebrity shows throughout the United States. * Her autobiography ''My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood'' was published in 2004. She also wrote a stage musical, ''Garage Sale''.

Filmography

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jason, Sybil 1927 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century South African actresses American child actresses 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American film actresses South African child actresses South African emigrants to the United States 20th-century South African women singers South African film actresses Warner Bros. contract players Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Actresses from Cape Town 21st-century American women