- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGrace Bailey
- Jane Cowl was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 14, 1884. Jane was one of the fine stage actresses of her time, who eventually found her way onto the silver screen in 1915 in Garden of Lies (1915). She appeared (and became a playwright) on Broadway from 1903-47; acted in The Spreading Dawn (1917) in 1917 but she stepped away from films for a long time. She concentrated on not only her stage acting, but also her career as a playwright. She penned five plays between 1918 and 1941. In 1943, 28 years after her second film, Jane returned to the big screen with a small role in Stage Door Canteen (1943). Years later, in 1949, she was in Once More, My Darling (1949). After 1950's The Secret Fury (1950), Jane realized she had cancer. She died on June 22, 1950 in Santa Monica, California. She was 67 years old. Her last film, Payment on Demand (1951), was released the following year.
- IMDb mini biography by: Denny Jackson
- SpouseAdolph Klauber(June 19, 1906 - December 7, 1933) (his death)
- Wrote with Jane Murfin under the pseudonym Alan Langdon Martin.
- Originated the role of Dolly Levi on Broadway in 1938, when Dolly was just a minor character in Thornton Wilder's original play "The Merchant of Yonkers." Seventeen years later, Wilder reworked the play as "The Matchmaker" with Mrs. Levi as the main character, and that became the source of the musical "Hello, Dolly!".
- Has a species of hibiscus and dahlia named after her.
- One of Broadway's most renowned dramatic stars of the early 20th century, her early work was guided by stage impresario David Belasco.
- Influential Broadway director, playwright and actress; active there from 1903- 47 (see "Other Works").
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