Born Suzanne Burce, she began singing on radio while still a child, then entered films in musical roles at age 15; she soon became popular for her appealing screen persona and coloratura soprana voice. Powell played leads in a number of films, usually portraying sweet maidens in the midst of a first love. She peaked around 1954, then as she grew older she was unable to find suitable roles. She retired from the screen in 1958 but appeared in stock, nightclubs, and on TV. In 1973 she starred in the Broadway revival of the musical Irene. Married several times, her husbands have included writer-producer David Parlour and former child star Dickie Moore. She authored an autobiography, The Girl Next Door ... And How She Grew (1988).
Jane Powell
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- Began taking dance lessons at age three.
- Became a radio personality in Oregon by age 11, and toured as the state's "Victory Girl" During WWII, selling war bonds.
- Got her stage name from her character's name in her film debut, Song of the Open Road (1944).
- Was a bridesmaid at Elizabeth Taylor's 1950 wedding to Conrad Hilton.
- Starred in a Broadway revival of Irene in 1973.
- Met husband Dickie Moore when he interviewed her for his 1984 book Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, But Don't Have Sex or Take the Car.
- Published her autobiography, The Girl Next Door and How She Grew, in 1988.