Jane Randolph (née Roemer; October 30, 1914 – May 4, 2009), was an American film actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Alice Moore in the 1942 horror film '' Cat People'', and its sequel, ''

The Curse of the Cat People ''The Curse of the Cat People'' is a 1944 American psychological fantasy thriller filmEggert, Brian (October 22, 2017)"The Curse of the Cat People" Deep Focus Review. Retrieved 2019-03-16. directed by Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise, produce ...

'' (1944). She was born in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

and died in

Gstaad Gstaad ( ; ) is a town in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society and the internati ...

, Switzerland, in 2009.

Biography

Early life

Randolph was born October 30, 1914 in

, and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana, where her hobbies included playing golf and flying airplanes. She attended

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the ...

, where she was a member of

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), also known simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The main arc ...

. She also studied at an acting school operated by

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born theatre and film director, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his innovative stage productions, he is regarded as one of the most pro ...

Film career

Randolph moved to Hollywood in 1939 in an attempt to start a movie career. She was eventually picked up by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

and appeared in bit movie roles in 1941. Her screen debut came in ''

Manpower Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ...

'' in 1941. In 1942,

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

picked up the contract of the poised actress and she received a leading lady role in ''Highways by Night'' (1942). She became known for her roles in film noir, which included ''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgus ...

'' (1945) and '' Railroaded!'' (1947), and in two of

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pain ...

's now well regarded B-picture horror films, '' Cat People'' (1942) and ''

'' (1944). Her last credited film role was ''

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton (director), Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) who has become partners with Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert), a ...

'' (1948).

Later life

Randolph was married to Bert D'Armand, an agent. They divorced in 1949. In 1949, Randolph married Jaime del Amo (grandson of

Manuel Dominguez Don Manuel Domínguez (1803–1882) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and a signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served as two terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). He was one of the largest landowners in Southern Califor ...

), retired to Spain and became a socialite. In later years she returned to Los Angeles periodically, but maintained a home in

. The trade publication Billboard reported that Randolph and del Amo were married April 20, 1948, in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. An additional source says that she and Del Amo were married in Las Vegas in 1948, and that it was her second marriage.

Death

Randolph died in Gstaad from complications of a broken hip, aged 94.

Filmography

Notes

References

Sources

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, Jane 1914 births 2009 deaths Actresses from Indiana American expatriates in Spain American expatriates in Switzerland American film actresses People from Kokomo, Indiana Actresses from Youngstown, Ohio DePauw University alumni Expatriate actors in Switzerland 20th-century American actresses Warner Bros. contract players RKO Pictures contract players 21st-century American women