Dean Jagger

Overview

Dean Jagger was born in Lima, Ohio, on November 7, 1903. He dropped out of high school twice before finally graduating from Wabash College. Working first as a school teacher, he soon became interested in acting and enrolled at Chicago's "Lyceum Art Conservatory". Mr. Jagger made his first movie and only silent film, The Woman from Hell (1929) in 1929, starring Mary Astor. During 1929 he also appeared in the film Handcuffed (1929). He quickly found his niche as a character actor and the highlight of his career was winning an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor," in the 1949 movie Twelve O'Clock High (1949). Dean played Principal Albert Vane on TV for the 1963-1964 season of Mr. Novak (1963). Dean Jagger died in Santa Monica, California, on February 5, 1991.
- IMDb mini biography by: Ron Hall/RHall96319@aol.com

Spoke with a pronounced "lisp" in real life every-day speech. This characteristic only disappeared in front of the camera.
He and Laraine Day were the first Mormon actors to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Their induction was on February 8, 1960.
Jagger was very taken by the character of Brigham Young, reacting warmly when his performance was praised by then President of the LDS Church, Heber J. Grant. This led to a careful study of the Mormon faith for Jagger, who was ultimately baptized a member of the faith in 1972. Subsequently, he willed his personal papers and movie memorabilia to the Harold B. Lee library at Brigham Young University.
He has appeared in four films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Twelve O'Clock High (1949), The Robe (1953), The Nun's Story (1959) and Elmer Gantry (1960).
Jagger and Gloria Ling, a national magazine researcher in NY, were denied a marriage license in Santa Monica, California because of a California law forbidding the marriage of Caucasians and Mongolians, and Miss Ling's father was born in China. They flew to Albuquerque, NM where there was no such bar to interracial marriage.

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