Elizabeth Jean Peters (October 15, 1926 – October 13, 2000) was an American film actress. She was known as a star of 20th Century Fox in the late 1940s and early '50s, and as the second wife of Howard Hughes. Although possibly best known for her siren role in Pickup on South Street (1953), Peters was known for her resistance to being turned into a sex symbol. She preferred to play unglamorous, down-to-earth women.Bob Thomas, "Jean Peters Hopes to Avoid Roles of Siren on Screen," Reading Eagle, September 21, 1953, p. 19
Late in her career, and after her retirement, Peters occasionally played roles in TV productions, appearing in four from 1973 to 1988.
Early life Peters was born on October 15, 1926, in East Canton, Ohio, the eldest daughter of Elizabeth Thomas (née Diesel; 1898–1987) and Gerald Peters (1900–1937), a laundry manager. She had a younger sister, Shirley Peters (born 1935). Raised on a small farm in East Canton, Peters attended East Canton High School. She was a Methodist. She went to college at the University of Michigan and later transferred to Ohio State University, where she studied to become a teacher and majored in literature. While studying for a teaching degree at Ohio State, she entered and won the Miss Ohio State Pageant in the fall of 1945, besting 11 other finalists. Sponsored by photographer Paul Robinson, she was awarded the grand prize of a screen test with 20th Century-Fox.
Career 20th Century Fox As her agent, Robinson accompanied Peters to Hollywood, and helped her secure a seven-year contract with Fox. She dropped out of college to become an actress, a decision she later regretted.Interview with Louella Parsons, Waterloo Daily Courier, 12 October 1947, Waterloo, Iowa, p. 19 (In the late 1940s, Peters returned to college, in between filming, to complete her work and obtain a degree.Long Beach Independent, October 14, 1948, Long Beach, California, p. 26)
Fox announced that in her first film I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947), she would play an "ugly duckling", supported by "artificial freckles and horn-rimmed glasses".Evening Independent, July 26, 1946, Massillon, Ohio. p. 21 She eventually withdrew from the film. Peters was tested in 1946 for a farm girl role in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948), but the producer and director decided she was not suitable.The Oakland Tribune, November 6, 1946, Oakland, California. p. 10
Film debut Peters was selected to replace Linda Darnell as the female lead in Captain from Castile (1947) opposite Tyrone Power, when Darnell was reassigned to save the production of Forever Amber. Although she had not yet made her screen debut, Peters was highly publicized. She received star treatment during the filming.Evening Independent, December 5, 1946, Massillon, Ohio. p. 4 Captain from Castile was a hit. Leonard Maltin wrote that afterwards, Peters spent the new decade playing "sexy spitfires, often in period dramas and Westerns."
She was offered a similar role in the Western Yellow Sky (1948), but she refused the part, explaining it was "too sexy". As a result, the studio, frustrated by her stubbornness, put her on her first suspension.
For her second film, Deep Waters (1948), which Peters filmed in late 1947, she was reunited with her director from Captain from Castile, Henry King. On this, she commented: "It's really a break for me, because he knows where he's going and what he wants, and I naturally have great confidence in him." The film was not nearly as successful as Captain from Castile, but Peters was again noticed. She was named among the best five 'finds' of the year, among Barbara Bel Geddes, Valli, Richard Widmark and Wanda Hendrix.St. Petersburg Times,October 25, 1948. p. 3
She was next assigned to co-star next to Clifton Webb in Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), but Shirley Temple later replaced her.
In early 1949 Peters signed on to play Ray Milland's love interest in It Happens Every Spring (1949). For the role, she offered to bleach her hair, but the studio overruled this. Although the film became a success, most of the publicity was for Milland's performance.
Peters next starred alongside Paul Douglas in the period film Love That Brute (1950), for which she had to wear a dress so snug she was unable to sit.Long Beach Press-Telegram – April 9, 1950, Long Beach, California. p. 7 The film was originally titled Turned Up Toes, and Peters was cast in the film in June 1949, shortly after the release of It Happens Every Spring. To prepare for a singing and dancing scene, Peters took a few lessons with Betty Grable's dance instructor.Post-Standard, April 9, 1950, Syracuse, New York. p. 63
By 1950, Peters was almost forgotten by the public, but she had been playing lead roles since 1947. In late 1950, she was cast in a secondary role as a college girl in Take Care of My Little Girl (1951).The Salt Lake Tribune, October 11, 1950, Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 17 A Long Beach newspaper reported that Peters gained her role by impressing Jean Negulesco with her sewing.Independent Long Beach, November 30, 1950, Long Beach, California. p. 52 She once became famous for playing a simple country girl, but as she grew up, the studio did not find her any more suitable roles.Syracuse Herald-Journal – February 11, 1953, Syracuse, New York. p. 31
Stardom
At her insistence, Peters was given the title role in Anne of the Indies (1951), which the press declared was the film that finally brought her stardom.Syracuse Herald Journal, October 25, 1951, Syracuse, New York. p. 59 Before its release, she was cast in Viva Zapata! (1952) opposite Marlon Brando. Julie Harris had been considered for this role. Also in 1951, Peters had her first collaboration with Marilyn Monroe, when they had secondary roles in As Young as You Feel.
Peters was set to play the title role in the drama film Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952). It was the first time since the beginning of her career that Peters received this much publicity.San Antonio Light, July 21, 1951, San Antonio, Texas. p. 6 While shooting the film in Hutchinson, Kansas, Peters was honored with the title 'Miss Wheatheart of America'.The Salt Lake Tribune, July 3, 1952, Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 9 Peters was one of many names in the studios O. Henry's Full House (1952). She co starred with Jeffrey Hunter in Lure of the Wilderness (1952).
In 1953, director Samuel Fuller chose Peters over Marilyn Monroe for the part of Candy in Pickup on South Street. He said he thought Peters had the right blend of sex appeal and the tough-talking, streetwise quality he was seeking. Monroe, he said, was too innocent-looking for the role. Shelley Winters and Betty Grable had been considered, but both had turned it down. Because of the sexual attractiveness of her character, Peters was not thrilled with the role.Kingsport Times-News, September 30, 1952, Kingsport, Tennessee. p. 14 She preferred playing more down-to-earth, unglamorous parts as she had done with Anne of the Indies (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952) and Lure of the Wilderness (1952).Long Beach Press-Telegram, January 10, 1952, Long Beach, California. p. 33
For Pickup on South Street, Peters was advised to bleach her hair, but she refused to do so, wanting to avoid comparisons with Winters and Grable.Austin Daily Herald, September 30, 1952, Austin, Minnesota. p. 3 She did agree to adopt a "sexy shuffle" for the role. She was helped by Marilyn Monroe to understand the role of a siren. Peters later said that she had enjoyed making the film, but announced in an interview that she was not willing to take on other siren roles. She said: "Pickup on South Street was fine for my career, but that doesn't mean I'm going to put on a tight sweater and skirt and slither around. I'm just not the type. On Marilyn Monroe it looks good. On me it would look silly."The San Mateo Times, September 21, 1953, San Mateo, California. p. 13 In another interview, Peters explained that playing down-to-earth and sometimes unwashed women have the most to offer in the way of drama.
She said:
Peters and Marilyn Monroe starred together in Niagara, also starring Joseph Cotten. In Niagara, Peters replaced Anne Baxter, with whom she co-starred in the anthology film O. Henry's Full House (1952). Shooting of Niagara took place in the summer of 1952. Peters's character was initially the leading role, but the film eventually became a vehicle for Monroe, who was by that time more successful.
Peters's third film in 1953, A Blueprint for Murder, reunited her with Joseph Cotten. She was assigned to the film in December 1952 and told the press she liked playing in the film because it allowed her to sing, but no song by her is used in the picture, only the playing of a piano.The Portsmouth Herald – January 23, 1953, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. p. 7Independent Press-Telegram – August 9, 1953, Long Beach, California. p. 55 Shortly after the film's premiere in July 1953, the studio renewed Peters' contract for another two years."Jean Peters Proves Popular With Bosses", Deseret News, July 27, 1953, p. 5
In 1953, she also starred in the film noir Vicki. Writer Leo Townsend bought the story of the film, a remake of I Wake Up Screaming, as a vehicle for Peters."Goldstein Will Star Jean Peters as Siren", Los Angeles Times, December 26, 1952 Townsend said that he gave the role to Peters in December 1952, because she was "one of the greatest sirens he's ever seen."
Next, Peters was assigned to replace Crain in the film Three Coins in the Fountain (1954), which was shot on location in late 1953 in Italy. Peters was unsatisfied with her role and said in a September 1953 interview: "When I heard Dorothy McGuire, Clifton Webb, and Maggie McNamara were going to be in the picture, I thought I would finally have the kind of role that suited me. They sounded like smart, sophisticated company. But when I got to Italy and read the script, I discovered I was going to be an earthy kind of girl again. The script had me nearly being killed in a runaway truck." However, the film became a great success and brought Peters again into the limelight."Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters Offer Top Performances in 'Apache'" by Thomas Blakley, Pittsburgh Press, July 6, 1954
Final films
Other 1954 films co-starring Peters were the Westerns Apache (borrowed by Warner Bros.) and Broken Lance. Although Broken Lance did not attract much attention, she was critically acclaimed for her performance in Apache. One critic praised her for "giving an excellent account for herself", declaring she was "on her way to becoming one of the finest young actresses around Hollywood today."
Peters's next (and ultimately final) film was A Man Called Peter (1955), in which she played Catherine Marshall, the wife of Peter Marshall, a Presbyterian minister and chaplain of the United States Senate. After the release of A Man Called Peter, Peters refused several roles, for which she was placed on suspension by the studio.
Retirement Deciding she had had enough, Peters left Fox to focus on her private life. Following her marriage to Howard Hughes, she retired from acting. In 1957, the producer Jerry Wald tried to persuade her not to leave Hollywood but had no luck."Boyer Will Costar in 'The Buccaneer'", Los Angeles Times, February 16, 1957 She was supposedly discouraged from continuing as an actress by Hughes, and reported in late 1957 that she was planning on becoming a producer.Sheilah Graham, "Jean Peters New Producer", The Miami News, November 6, 1957, p. 10B
In March 1959, it was announced that Peters was to return to the screen for a supporting role in The Best of Everything."Hedda Hopper" by Hedda Hopper, The Lima News, March 30, 1959, p. 11 But, she did not appear in that film; and, despite her earlier announcement, never produced a film.
Return to acting