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Jessie Royce Landis

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Jessie Royce Landis
Born
Jessie Royce Medbury

(1896-11-25)November 25, 1896
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 2, 1972(1972-02-02) (aged 75)
Danbury, Connecticut
Resting placeBranchville Cemetery, Ridgefield, Connecticut
Spouse(s)Perry Lester Landis (1923-1935)
Rex Smith (1937-1944)
Maj. Gen. J. F. R. Seitz (1956-1972)

Jessie Royce Landis (November 25, 1896 – February 2, 1972) was an American actress.

Early Life

Jesse Royce Landis was born Jessie Royce Medbury in Chicago, Illinois.[1] Her father, Paul, was an orchestra musician.

Career

Landis was a stage actress for much of her career. In the 1950s, she began appearing in movies as a character actress, most notably in To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959), both starring Cary Grant and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In North by Northwest she played Grant's character's mother, and in To Catch a Thief and the The Swan she played Grace Kelly's mother. She also made many television appearances.

Age Controversy

Landis's appearance in North by Northwest earned her publicity for portraying Cary Grant's mother despite claiming to be nearly a year younger. Landis listed 1904 as the year of her birth, a date now given by many printed biographies and online sources.[1][2] However, in the tradition of many Hollywood actors, Landis had actually shaved years off her age – in this instance, eight. She appears in the 1900 U.S. Census as a 3-year-old born in November, 1896,[3] and so was actually seven years older than Grant.

Personal life and death

She was married three times. Her third husband was Major General J.F.R. "Jeff" Seitz. He died in 1978.[4] Her autobiography, titled You Won't Be So Pretty (But You'll Know More) was published in 1954.

Landis died of cancer in Danbury, Connecticut on February 2, 1972.[1]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1949 Mr. Belvedere Goes to College Mrs. Chase
1949 It Happens Every Spring Mrs. Greenleaf
1949 My Foolish Heart Martha Winters
1955 To Catch a Thief Jessie Stevens
1956 Climax! Olivia Chesney Episode: "An Episode of Sparrows"
1956 The Swan Princess Beatrix
1957 My Man Godfrey Angelica Bullock
1958 I Married a Woman Mrs. Blake, Janice's Mother
1959 North by Northwest Clara Thornhill
1960 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Claire Crane Episode: "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?"
1960 Thriller Mrs. Killburn Episode: "The Mark of the Hand"
1961 Goodbye Again Mrs. Van der Besh
1962 Boys' Night Out Ethel Williams
1963 Critic's Choice Charlotte Orr aka Charlie
1963 Gidget Goes to Rome Albertina Blythe
1965 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Madame Olga Nemirovitch Episode: "The Adriatic Express Affair"
1970 Airport Mrs. Harriet DuBarry Mossman
1971 Columbo Mrs. Chadwick Episode: "Lady in Waiting"

References

  1. ^ a b c Nissen, Axel (2006). Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties. McFarland. p. 95. ISBN 0-7864-2746-9.
  2. ^ The New York Times Biographical Service. Vol. 3. New York Times & Arno Press. 1972. p. 353.
  3. ^ Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Year: 1900; Census Place: Chicago Ward 4, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 248; Page: 16A; Enumeration District: 96; FHL microfilm: 1240248.
  4. ^ "US Army Officers 1939-1945". Retrieved 22 February 2011.

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