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

film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early years

Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in

Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Indiana, United States, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 28,310 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from ...

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 American Tragicomedy, tragicomedy film directed by Gregory La Cava, and starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier, Andrea Leeds, Samuel S. Hinds, and Lucille Ball. Adapt ...

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

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

B Movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, ...

. She had a rare leading role as the title character in '' A Fig Leaf for Eve'' (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 on 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 ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1937) - Showgirl * ''

'' (1937) - Madeline * '' Kitty Foyle'' (1940) - Miss Bala - Office Worker (uncredited) * ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...

'' (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'' (1941) - Annabella * '' Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.'' (1941) - June 'Eve' Chandler * ''

Thunder River Feud ''Thunder River Feud'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by S. Roy Luby and written by John Vlahos and Earle Snell. The film is the twelfth in Monogram Pictures' " Range Busters" series, and it stars Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Crash, John ...

'' (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'' (1942) - Tenderfoot (uncredited) * '' City of Silent Men'' (1942) - Jane Muller * ''Criminal Investigator'' (1942) - Harriet Drake * '' The Living Ghost'' (1942) - Tina Craig * '' Rhythm Parade'' (1942) - Connie * '' Dawn on the Great Divide'' (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 from a screenplay by Allan Scott based on the book ''I Served on Bataan'' by Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Redmond. Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, an ...

'' (1943) - Lt. Lynne Hopkins (uncredited) * '' The Underdog'' (1943) - Ämy Tate * ''Never a Dull Moment'' (1943) - Checkroom Girl (uncredited) * '' Jive Junction'' (1943) - Miss Forbes * '' Law Men'' (1944) - Phyliss * '' Follow the Boys'' (1944) - Phone Operator (uncredited) * ''

San Diego, I Love You ''San Diego, I Love You'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Jon Hall, Louise Allbritton and Edward Everett Horton. The screenwriters for the film included Ruth McKenney, author of '' My Sister Eileen'' ...

'' (1944) - Receptionist (uncredited) * '' A Fig Leaf for Eve'' (1944) - Eve Lorraine / Eve Westland * ''

Adventures of Kitty O'Day ''Adventures of Kitty O'Day'' is a 1945 American comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by William Beaudine and starring Jean Parker, Peter Cookson and Tim Ryan (actor), Tim Ryan. It was a sequel to the 1944 film ''Detective Kitty O'Day''. The ...

'' (1945) - Carla Brant * '' There Goes Kelly'' (1945) - Rita Wilson aka Gladys Wharton * '' The Cisco Kid Returns'' (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 ...

'' (1945) - Lynn Moore * '' Frontier Gal'' (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'' (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 drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Ru ...

'' (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

* 1916 births 1993 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-stub