Actress

Gloria Jean Net Worth

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Gloria Jean was born on April 14, 1926 in Buffalo, New York, United States, is Actress, Soundtrack. Gloria Jean Schoonover was born on April 14, 1926 in Buffalo, New York. Her family moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania shortly after that; this is where Gloria spent the early part of her childhood. Her father owned a music store, while her mother, who had been a bareback rider in a circus, took care of Gloria and her three siblings.Gloria's singing ability was discovered at a young age, and by age five she was singing in the Scranton area. At age twelve, Gloria was taken to an audition by Universal director Joe Pasternak, who was looking for a new child singer to replace studio icon Deanna Durbin, who was being steered into adult and ingénue roles. Although hundreds of Shirley-Temple-perfect girls competed, the natural-looking Gloria was chosen, and she and her mother were soon on their way to Hollywood.In 1939, Gloria made her first film: "The Under-Pup", which made her an instant hit with moviegoers. Happy with their young coloratura soprano, Universal cast her in "If I Had My Way", which co-starred Bing Crosby. Following that was what many consider Gloria's best movie: "A Little Bit of Heaven". Following this was a co-starring role with W.C. Fields in "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break", which is the most seen of her movies today.At this point in 1941, Gloria was at the pinnacle of her career, and one would imagine that her star would soar. Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. Gloria had outgrown her Little Miss Fixit roles (as had Durbin a few years earlier), but Durbin was in command of the older-girl roles for the better pictures. At a loss for what to do with Jean, Universal moved her to the "Hepcat" movies, which appealed to the teenagers of that day. "What's Cooking", "Get Hep to Love", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", and "It Comes Up Love," were all shot in 1942. "Mr. Big," and "Moonlight in Vermont" followed in 1943. All of the above were stock B films which appealed to teenagers of the time. Gloria (as did many Universal stars) had a few seconds on-screen in the war-effort picture, "Follow the Boys", in 1944. After that came a rather good picture "Follow My Rhythm" with Mel Torme, who became a close friend. Then, in "Ghost Catchers", she was teamed with popular comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. The rather forgettable "Reckless Age" was next, its main distinction being that it was the first movie in which Gloria played a more mature role.Gloria was to star in one of four episodes of the Julien Duvivier's "Flesh and Fantasy," alongside such stars as Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, and Barbara Stanwyck. But the movie was deemed to be too long, and Gloria's segment was cut out. Some awful footage was added, and the end result was "Destiny". Gloria's performance was given rave reviews, but the movie itself met with modest success. Following this, Gloria did three more films at Universal: "I'll Remember April", "River Gang", and "Easy to Look at".At this point, upon the (bad) advice of her agent, Gloria decided not to renew her contract at Universal, opting instead to go on tour. The tour did not work out as well as expected, and Gloria returned to the Hollywood in 1947, but she found virtually nobody interested in her services. Groucho Marx gave her a minor role in his picture "Copacabana". This appearance ultimately landed her four more roles in: "I Surrender, Dear", "Manhattan Angel", "An Old Fashioned Girl" and "There's a Girl in My Heart".As the 1950's began, television was taking off in popularity. Gloria made several singing shorts that were aired during television's early days. Other than that and a few guest appearances on TV series, Gloria's acting career was virtually finished. She appeared in the forgettable "Air Strike" in 1955 and she worked in a couple of movies that were never released.Jerry Lewis found her working as a restaurant hostess and gave her a part in his movie "The Ladies' Man", which was meant to re-launch her career. Unfortunately, her scenes were cut from the final release. Gloria married shortly after that movie, a short-lived marriage which happily produced a son. At that point, Gloria virtually retired from the screen. She went to work for Redken (a cosmetics firm) until her retirement in 1993.Gloria was reintroduced to a limelight of sorts by the magic of Ebay, where her movies (many of which are in the public domain) were being sold. Through the help of her sister Bonnie (who handled the computer end of things: Gloria didn't do "Windows"), Gloria got onto Ebay herself, selling copies of the movies she appeared in, as well as signed photographs (copies of old publicity shots) of herself. Spurred by the popularity of these, Gloria published her autobiography "Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven" in 2005.After her sister Bonnie's death in 2007, Gloria moved to Hawaii, where she now lives with her son and his family.
Gloria Jean is a member of Actress

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it?	Actress, Soundtrack
Birth Day	April 14, 1926
Birth Place	Buffalo, New York, United States
Age	97 YEARS OLD
Birth Sign	Taurus
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1939–1962
Spouse(s)	Franco Cellini (m. 1962–1966)(divorced)
Awards	Young Artist Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award

💰 Net worth

Gloria Jean, a well-known actress and soundtrack artist in the United States, is estimated to have a net worth ranging from $100K to $1M in the year 2024. Over the years, she has garnered immense fame and recognition for her versatile talent in both acting and contributing to soundtracks. Through her dedication and hard work, Gloria Jean has managed to establish herself as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, earning a significant amount of wealth in the process. Her success is a testament to her undeniable talent and her ability to captivate audiences with her performances.

Biography/Timeline

1938

Gloria Jean was being trained as a coloratura Soprano, when her voice Teacher, Leah Russel, took her to an audition held by Universal Pictures movie Producer Joe Pasternak in 1938. Pasternak had guided Deanna Durbin to stardom, and with Durbin now advancing to ingénue roles, Pasternak wanted a younger singer to make the same kind of musicals. Up against hundreds of others, Gloria Jean won the audition.

1939

Under contract to Universal, she was given the leading role in the feature The Under-Pup (1939), and became instantly popular with moviegoers. Universal's publicity department initially claimed the singer was 11 years old instead of 13; her actual age was not well known for many decades. For her next two vehicles, she co-starred with Bing Crosby in If I Had My Way (1940) and starred in the well-received A Little Bit of Heaven (also 1940), which reunited her with many from the Under-Pup cast. Her best-known picture is her fourth, Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941), in which she co-starred with W. C. Fields.

1943

Gloria Jean made a successful transition to young adult roles. Her dramatic tour de force, as a blind girl being menaced by an escaped killer, was filmed as one of four vignettes for Julien Duvivier's Flesh and Fantasy (1943). Her performance won raves at the film's advance preview, and her segment was the best-received of the four. However, Universal removed the half-hour sequence and shelved it until 1944, when it was expanded into a feature-length melodrama, Destiny. She co-starred with Olsen and Johnson in the big-budget Ghost Catchers (1944), and in her last two Universal features, released in 1945, she was teamed with singer-actor Kirby Grant.

1944

When Gloria Jean's Universal contract expired at the end of 1944, she was persuaded by her agent to not renew it, citing the need for "a transition period to make the change from child to adult roles." Instead, she made personal appearances across America. The successful tour prompted a new tour of Europe. In England, her rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" (and the lyric "forgive us our debts") was taken by some critics as a pointed comment about America's lend-lease policy. Thus the European tour ended abruptly and Gloria Jean returned to Hollywood.

1947

Gloria Jean's films are beginning to receive new exposure: If I Had My Way has been restored to its original length and issued on DVD, followed by the DVD release of Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. (Latter-day documentaries about W. C. Fields include recent clips of Gloria Jean, reminiscing about working with him.) Universal Pictures has also struck new 35mm prints of Mister Big and Get Hep to Love for theatrical use. Her 1947 film Copacabana is widely available on home video.

1951

Gloria appeared in many television shows, both as a singer and as a dramatic Actress. She sang on The Colgate Variety Hour, You Asked for It, and Showtime (a syndicated collection of musical performances filmed as Snader Telescriptions in 1951). Her dramatic credits included Death Valley Days, Annie Oakley, Lockup, and The Dick Powell Show.

1959

After Air Strike Gloria Jean was hired by the owner of the Tahitian restaurant in Studio City, California, as a hostess, greeting and seating dinner guests. She enjoyed the experience and occasionally ran the restaurant in her employer's absence. Show-business patrons were surprised that a film star was now involved in restaurant work, resulting in sympathetic feature stories in the national press. Veteran Hollywood Producer Edward Finney, himself a Gloria Jean fan, saw one of these reports and hired her to star in the lightweight comedy Laffing Time (filmed in 1959, re-released as The Madcaps in 1964). Jerry Lewis also read that Gloria Jean was working in a restaurant, and signed her for a singing role in his latest production, The Ladies Man (1961). Lewis removed almost all of her footage from the finished film; she appears only as an extra and has no dialogue. It was her last theatrical motion picture.

1962

Newspaper columnist Bob Thomas reported that Gloria was engaged to a pilot, but he was killed in the Korean War. Gloria herself denies this, dismissing it as mistaken identity. She was engaged only once, to the man she ultimately married in 1962. The marriage was not successful; her husband was frequently absent, living apart from his wife and son. Gloria Jean obtained a divorce and began a second career with Redken Laboratories, a national cosmetics firm, where she worked until 1993.

1991

In December 1991, Gloria Jean was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award, recognizing her achievements within the film industry as a Juvenile performer. Gloria Jean has also participated in various nostalgia and autograph shows, meeting fans and displaying memorabilia.

2007

After her retirement from Redken, Gloria Jean lived in California with her sister, Bonnie. After Bonnie died in 2007, she moved to Hawaii, where she now lives with her son and his family. Her authorized biography, Gloria Jean: A Little Bit of Heaven, was published in 2005. A tribute website, GloriaJeanSings.com, followed, again with Gloria Jean's cooperation. Her Internet presence includes a new series of videos showing the Actress as she appears today.

Some Gloria Jean images

Tags 1926 births Living people Actresses from New York (state) Actresses from Pennsylvania American child actresses American female singers American film actresses American radio actresses Actresses from Buffalo, New York Actors from Scranton, Pennsylvania Musicians from Scranton, Pennsylvania

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.