Jean Simmons - Guys and Dolls

Jean Simmons (Deceased) Jean Simmons was a British-American actress whose career spanned more than six decades in film, television, and theater. She was born on January 31, 1929, in London, England. Simmons began acting as a teenager and gained early acclaim for her performance as the young Estella in Great Expectations. She later received an Academy Award nomination for playing Ophelia in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet. After moving to Hollywood, Simmons became a major star of the 1950s and 1960s. Her notable films included Guys and Dolls, The Robe, Spartacus, The Big Country, Elmer Gantry, and The Happy Ending, for which she received a second Academy Award nomination. She worked opposite many leading actors, including Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Richard Burton. Simmons later enjoyed a successful television career and won an Emmy Award for her performance in the miniseries The Thorn Birds. Jean Simmons died on January 22, 2010, at age 80, from lung cancer.