Jo Ann Sayers
| Jo Ann Sayers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Miriam Lucille Lilygren 22 October 1918 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died |
14 November 2011 (aged 93) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1938-1953 |
| Spouse(s) |
Anthony A. Bliss (1942–1967) (3 children) Charles K. Agle (1968–1987) (his death) |
| Children |
Eileen B. Andahazy-Chevins Anthony A. Bliss Jr.[1][2] |
Jo Ann Sayers (October 22, 1918 – November 14, 2011)[3] was an American actress who was active in Broadway and in Hollywood films. Her film career spanned the 1930s through the 1950s.
Biography
Sayers was born as Miriam Lucille Lilygren in Seattle, Washington.[4] She was a budding actress as a child, participating in dances, taking piano and violin lessons, and acting in school plays. She enrolled in Pre-law at the University of Washington, also taking drama classes. A talent scout noted her in a student production and invited her to Hollywood for a screen test. She was offered a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her first credited film role was in 1938.
In 1940, she was selected for the titular role in the Broadway production of My Sister Eileen, opposite Shirley Booth, who was two decades Sayers' senior, which opened on December 26, 1940.[5]
Marriages
She remained in the Broadway cast until June 1942, when she left to marry Anthony A. Bliss (1913-1991), a New York lawyer and patron of the performing arts.[6]
They married on June 10, 1942 and had three children, but later divorced. Sayers later worked in summer theater, radio and television. She married a second time in 1968 to architect Charles K. Agle;[4] they remained together until his death in Princeton, New Jersey.
Affiliations
Sayers continued to support the arts and was a member of the Princeton University Concerts Committee, the president of Friends of Music at Princeton University, and a community fellow of Mathey College at the University.
Death
Sayers died on November 14, 2011, aged 93, in Princeton, New Jersey.[7]
Selected filmography
- Main Street to Broadway (1953) (uncredited) .... Bride in Musical Number
- The Light of the Western Stars (1940) .... Majesty Hammond
- The Man With Nine Lives (1940) .... Nurse Judith Blair
- Drunk Driving (1939) .... Mrs. Jones
- The Women (1939) (uncredited) .... Debutante
- Fast and Loose (1939) .... Christina 'Chris' Torrent
- Honolulu (1939) .... Nurse
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) .... Susan
- Young Dr. Kildare (1938) .... Barbara
References
- ↑ http://www.towntopics.com/dec0711/obits.php#obit5
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/12/arts/anthony-a-bliss-is-dead-at-78-an-executive-in-opera-and-dance.html
- ↑ "Obituary - Jo Ann S Agle". Town Topics. December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- 1 2 Lentz, Harris M. III (2012). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011. McFarland. p. 305. ISBN 9780786491346. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ↑ Playbill magazine excerpt
- ↑ Anthony A. Bliss Papers
- ↑ "Obituaries". Town Topics. towntopics.com. Retrieved 11 January 2016.