Jane Bryan
Encyclopedia
Jane Bryan was an American actress who was being prepared by the Warner Bros.
studio to become one of their leading ladies until she married a drugstore magnate in 1940 and retired.
She was born Jane O'Brien in Hollywood, California. Her screen career lasted only four years, but she appeared in prominent roles in several memorable films, including Marked Woman
(1937) with Bette Davis
and Humphrey Bogart
; Kid Galahad
(1937) with Edward G. Robinson
, Bette Davis
, and Humphrey Bogart
; A Slight Case of Murder
(1938) with Edward G. Robinson
; Each Dawn I Die
(1939) with James Cagney
and George Raft
; and Invisible Stripes
(1939) with George Raft
, William Holden
, and Humphrey Bogart
.
Justin Dart
on New Year's Eve
, 1939. Dart took over the then-floundering Rexall Drug chain in 1945 and build it into Dart-Kraft Inc., a food and consumer products conglomerate.
Justin and Jane Dart were staunch Republicans and helped persuade their personal friend, former California governor Ronald Reagan
, to run for President of the United States
in 1980. She and her husband were married until his death in 1984.
Jane Bryan Dart served on the United States Commission of Fine Arts
in Washington, D.C.
from 1971 to 1976.
, following a lengthy illness. She was survived by her three children, Guy Michael Dart, Jane Dart Tucker and Stephen M. Dart; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and two brothers and Donald O'Brien.
She was predeceased by her brother Jim O'Brien in 1986. Her stepson, Justin Whitlock Dart, Jr.
, a disability-rights activist, died in 2002.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
studio to become one of their leading ladies until she married a drugstore magnate in 1940 and retired.
She was born Jane O'Brien in Hollywood, California. Her screen career lasted only four years, but she appeared in prominent roles in several memorable films, including Marked Woman
Marked Woman
Marked Woman is a crime melodrama film released by Warner Bros. in 1937. It was directed by Lloyd Bacon, and stars Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, with featured performances by Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Jane Bryan, Eduardo Ciannelli and Allen Jenkins...
(1937) with Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
; Kid Galahad
Kid Galahad (1937 film)
Kid Galahad is a 1937 prizefighter film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1937) with Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
, Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
; A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder
A Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G...
(1938) with Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
; Each Dawn I Die
Each Dawn I Die
Each Dawn I Die is a 1939 gangster film featuring James Cagney and George Raft in their only movie together as leads, although Raft had made an unbilled appearance in a 1932 Cagney vehicle called Taxi! in which he won a dance contest against Cagney, after which he and Cagney brawl...
(1939) with James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
and George Raft
George Raft
George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s...
; and Invisible Stripes
Invisible Stripes
Invisible Stripes is a 1939 Warner Bros. crime film about a gangster unable to go straight after returning home from prison. The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon and also features William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay by Warren Duff was based on the novel of the same name by Warden...
(1939) with George Raft
George Raft
George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s...
, William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
, and Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
.
Marriage
Jane Bryan married wealthy businessman and entrepreneurJustin Dart
Justin Whitlock Dart
Justin Whitlock Dart, Sr. was considered the "boy wonder" of the drug store industry. In college Dart had played football for Northwestern University....
on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, 1939. Dart took over the then-floundering Rexall Drug chain in 1945 and build it into Dart-Kraft Inc., a food and consumer products conglomerate.
Justin and Jane Dart were staunch Republicans and helped persuade their personal friend, former California governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, to run for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1980. She and her husband were married until his death in 1984.
Jane Bryan Dart served on the United States Commission of Fine Arts
United States Commission of Fine Arts
The United States Commission of Fine Arts , established in 1910 by an act of Congress, is an advisory agency of the Federal government.The CFA is mandated to review and provide advice on "matters of design and aesthetics", involving federal projects and planning in Washington, D.C...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from 1971 to 1976.
Death
Jane Bryan Dart died at her home on April 8, 2009, aged 90, in Pebble Beach, CaliforniaPebble Beach, California
Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California. It lies at an elevation of 3 feet . Pebble Beach is a small coastal resort destination, home to the famous golf course, Pebble Beach Golf Links....
, following a lengthy illness. She was survived by her three children, Guy Michael Dart, Jane Dart Tucker and Stephen M. Dart; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and two brothers and Donald O'Brien.
She was predeceased by her brother Jim O'Brien in 1986. Her stepson, Justin Whitlock Dart, Jr.
Justin Whitlock Dart, Jr.
Justin Whitlock Dart, Jr. was an American activist and advocate for people with disabilities. He helped to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities .-Background:Dart came from a wealthy Chicago family...
, a disability-rights activist, died in 2002.
Filmography
- The Case of the Black Cat (1936)
- The Captain's Kid (1936)
- Under Southern Stars (1937)
- Marked WomanMarked WomanMarked Woman is a crime melodrama film released by Warner Bros. in 1937. It was directed by Lloyd Bacon, and stars Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, with featured performances by Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Jane Bryan, Eduardo Ciannelli and Allen Jenkins...
(1937) - The Cherokee Strip (1937)
- Kid GalahadKid Galahad (1937 film)Kid Galahad is a 1937 prizefighter film starring Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1937) - ConfessionConfession (film)Confession is a 1937 drama film starring Kay Francis, Ian Hunter, Basil Rathbone and Jane Bryan. It was directed by Joe May and is a remake of the German film Mazurka starring Pola Negri....
(1937) - A Slight Case of MurderA Slight Case of MurderA Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G...
(1938) - The SistersThe Sisters (1938 film)The Sisters is a 1938 American drama film produced and directed by Anatole Litvak. The screenplay by Milton Krims is based on the 1937 novel of the same title by Myron Brinig.-Plot:...
(1938) - Girls on Probation (1938)
- Brother RatBrother RatBrother Rat is a 1938 film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley and starring Priscilla Lane and Wayne Morris....
(1938) - The Man Who Dared (1939)
- Each Dawn I DieEach Dawn I DieEach Dawn I Die is a 1939 gangster film featuring James Cagney and George Raft in their only movie together as leads, although Raft had made an unbilled appearance in a 1932 Cagney vehicle called Taxi! in which he won a dance contest against Cagney, after which he and Cagney brawl...
(1939) - The Old Maid (1939)
- These Glamour GirlsThese Glamour GirlsThese Glamour Girls is a 1939 comedy-drama film directed by S. Sylvan Simon. It stars Lana Turner and Ann Ruthford.-Plot summary:A drunken college student invites a dance hostess to the big college dance and then forgets he asked her. When she shows up at school, he tries to get rid of her, but she...
(1939) - We Are Not AloneWe Are Not Alone (film)We Are Not Alone is a drama film about a doctor who hires a woman as a nanny for his son. When his wife becomes jealous, tragedy consumes all involved. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Hilton, who adapted his novel with Milton Krims.-Cast:*Paul Muni as Dr...
(1939) - Invisible StripesInvisible StripesInvisible Stripes is a 1939 Warner Bros. crime film about a gangster unable to go straight after returning home from prison. The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon and also features William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. The screenplay by Warren Duff was based on the novel of the same name by Warden...
(1939) - Brother Rat and a Baby (1940)