Jean Kent

Jean Kent

Born: June 29, 1921
Died: November 30, 2013
in Brixton, London, England, UK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean Kent (29 June 1921 - 30 November 2013) was a British film actress.

She signed to Gainsborough Pictures during the Second World War. Kent's first good role in Two Thousand Women (1944), playing a stripper who is interned by the Germans. She was a Pacific Islander in Bees in Paradise (1944) with Arthur Askey and was the ingenue in a Tommy Trinder musical Champagne Charlie (1944).

The turning point in her career came when she was given a dramatic part in the Gainsborough melodrama film Fanny by Gaslight (1944). The movie established Kent as Gainsborough's backup to Margaret Lockwood.

Kent played another sexually aggressive girl in Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945) with Calvert and Granger. It was a big hit. Rank borrowed her to support Rex Harrison in The Rake's Progress (1945).

Kent continued to have success in films. Her favorite film was musical Trottie True (1949) where she played the lead.

Kent's film appearances grew less frequent from the mid 1950s onward. She had support roles in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) and Bonjour Tristesse (1958) and a good part in the horror film The Haunted Strangler (1959). She was in the comedy Please Turn Over (1959) and the thriller Beyond This Place (1959). She was one of several female stars in Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons (1960) with George Sanders.

Kent was married to Austrian actor Josef Ramart from 1946 until his death in 1989, aged 70. They met on the set of Caravan. Actor Stewart Granger was the best man at their wedding. They appeared together in the films Caravan and Trottie True. Kent made her last public appearance in June 2011, when she was honoured by the British Film Institute on her 90th birthday.

Kent died in the West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St. Edmunds on 30 November 2013, following a fall at her home in Westhorpe. The coroner recorded a narrative verdict that Kent died from accidental injuries and that cardiac disease may have contributed to a fall.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Jean Kent, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies for Jean Kent...

Title: Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Character: Phillida Meadowhite
Released: January 3, 1996
Type: TV
Instead of spending her golden years lying down, the indomitable Hetty Wainthropp found her calling late in life. Combining common sense, her husband, and her pocketbook, this senior sleuth takes on all the cases the police deem too minor.
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Missing Persons
Title: Missing Persons
Character: Phillida Meadowhite
Released: May 30, 1990
Type: Movie
During a visit to childhood friend Edith, retired housewife Hetty Wainthropp discovers that Edith's husband, Frank, has a son by a previous marriage. Hetty decides to turn amateur detective to trace him. When this gives her a taste for detection, Hetty decides to set up a private detective agency.
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Max Miller: I Like The Girls Who Do
Title: Max Miller: I Like The Girls Who Do
Character: Self
Released: February 16, 1989
Type: Movie
A celebration of Max Miller , comedian and star. Presented by Gerald Scarfe with Max Bygraves Charlie Chester , Doris Hare Jean Kent , Alec McCowen, Tommy Trinder , Max Wall, Bernie Winters and Max Miller 'I'm ready for bed - anybody?' Max Miller , dazzling in chintz and gaudy plus-fours, one foot on the footlights, leering and howling with delight, confronted his audience. Sexual innuendo was his game. He trod a dangerous line, just this side of respectability, across the Music Halls of the 30s and 40s. On the stage of the Hackney Empire, with chorus girls and full supporting acts, Gerald Scarfe re-creates Max Miller 's rise from the back streets of Brighton to the top of the bill. The most outrageous comedian of his day, Max was banned by the BBC, in trouble over the Royal Command Performance, admired and hated by the comics of his age - and ours
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The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Title: The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 1, 1988
Type: Movie
This documentary revisits the making of Gone with the Wind via archival footage, screen tests, insightful interviews and rare film footage.
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Title: Fifties Features - The Women behind the Pictures
Released: September 21, 1986
Type: TV
A three part series about women working in the British film industry during the 1950s.
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Title: Lovejoy
Character: Madelene Gilbert
Released: January 10, 1986
Type: TV
The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
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Shout at the Devil
Title: Shout at the Devil
Character: Mrs. Smythe
Released: April 12, 1976
Type: Movie
During World War One an English adventurer, an American elephant poacher and the latter's attractive young daughter, set out to destroy a German battle-cruiser which is awaiting repairs in an inlet just off Zanzibar. The story is based on a novel by Wilbur Smith, which in turn is very loosely based on events involving the light cruiser SMS Königsberg, which was sunk after taking refuge in Rufigi delta in 1915.
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K is for Killing
Title: K is for Killing
Character: Mrs. Garrick
Released: March 2, 1974
Type: Movie
A husband and wife team are hired to protect an eccentric millionaire from an assassin but a series of murders follows.
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Title: Thriller
Character: Mrs. Garrick
Released: April 14, 1973
Type: TV
Thriller is a British television series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. It is an anthology series: each episode has a self-contained story and its own cast. As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits.
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Title: United!
Released: October 4, 1965
Type: TV
United! was a British television series which was produced by the BBC between 1965 and 1967, and was broadcast twice-weekly on BBC1. The series followed the fortunes of a fictional second division football team, Brentwich United. The football scenes were filmed on the grounds of Stoke City with Jimmy Hill acting as a technical advisor, and the efforts to achieve authenticity saw the show being criticised by the then management of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who complained that the series was based on their team. United! was not a success, and was cancelled after two series. The programme was generally considered to be too soft to appeal to male viewers, and too male-oriented for the female soap opera audience. As was common television practice of the time, the series' episodes were wiped, and none of its 147 episodes are believed to have survived. Created by Anthony Cornish, other writers on the programme included Gerry Davis, Brian Hayles, Malcolm Hulke and John Lucarotti. The directors included Innes Lloyd and Derek Martinus. Aside from Cornish, all of these individuals also worked on Doctor Who concurrent with their involvement in United!.
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Title: Public Eye
Character: Mrs Podmore
Released: January 23, 1965
Type: TV
Public Eye is a British television series that ran from 1965 to 1975. It was produced by ABC Television for three series, and Thames Television for a further four series. The series depicted the investigations and cases handled by the unglamorous enquiry agent Frank Marker, an unmarried loner who is in his early forties when the series begins. In the words of an ABC trailer for the third series: "Marker isn't a glamorous detective and he doesn't get glamorous cases—he doesn't even get glamorous girls. What he does get is people who are in trouble—the sort of trouble you can't go to the police about, even if you are innocent."
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Title: Sir Francis Drake
Character: Queen Elizabeth I
Released: November 12, 1961
Type: TV
Sir Francis Drake was a British adventure television series starring Terence Morgan as Sir Francis Drake, commander of the sailing ship the Golden Hind. As well as battles at sea, sword fights, the series also deals with intrigue at Elizabeth's court, often caused by Spaniard, Mendoza.
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Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons
Title: Bluebeard's 10 Honeymoons
Character: Julienne
Released: April 2, 1960
Type: Movie
A murderer enriches his finances by marrying and then killing off a series of wealthy women.
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Please Turn Over
Title: Please Turn Over
Character: Janet Halliday
Released: December 17, 1959
Type: Movie
The orderly suburban life of a 1950's English town is turned on its head when the teenaged daughter of one of the residents writes a steamy bestseller featuring characters obviously based on the local population.
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Title: No Hiding Place
Released: September 16, 1959
Type: TV
No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series Murder Bag and Crime Sheet, all starring Raymond Francis as Detective Superintendent, later Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart.
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Web of Evidence
Title: Web of Evidence
Character: Louise Burt
Released: April 28, 1959
Type: Movie
A World War II evacuee returns years later to England and finds his father in prison framed for murder.
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Grip of the Strangler
Title: Grip of the Strangler
Character: Cora Seth
Released: May 11, 1958
Type: Movie
A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.
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Bonjour Tristesse
Title: Bonjour Tristesse
Character: Mrs. Helen Lombard
Released: January 15, 1958
Type: Movie
Cecile is a decadent young girl who lives with her rich playboy father, Raymond. When Anne, Raymond's old love interest, comes to Raymond's villa, Cecile is afraid for her way of life.
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The Prince and the Showgirl
Title: The Prince and the Showgirl
Character: Maisie Springfield
Released: June 13, 1957
Type: Movie
An American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign country attempts to seduce her.
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Before I Wake
Title: Before I Wake
Character: Florence Haddon
Released: February 10, 1955
Type: Movie
A woman travels to England to attend her parents' funeral. She is told by officials that they died of natural causes together, but she doesn't buy it. She comes to suspect that the nurse who took care of her parents was involved in their deaths, but since the nurse is well thought of in the town, no one believes her. What she doesn't know is that her parents' killer has selected her as the next victim
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The Big Frame
Title: The Big Frame
Character: Louise Parker
Released: September 1, 1952
Type: Movie
An ex-GI wakes up with blood on his clothes in a strange hotel room. He can't remember the night before but he later finds out that a man he got into a fight with earlier in the night was murdered.
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The Browning Version
Title: The Browning Version
Character: Millie Crocker-Harris
Released: April 6, 1951
Type: Movie
Andrew Crocker-Harris has been forced from his position as the classics master at an English public school due to poor health. As he winds up his final term, he discovers not only that his wife, Millie, has been unfaithful to him with one of his fellow schoolmasters, but that the school's students and faculty have long disdained him. However, an unexpected act of kindness causes Crocker-Harris to re-evaluate his life's work.
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The Woman in Question
Title: The Woman in Question
Character: Agnes / Madame Astra / Parrot (voice)
Released: October 3, 1950
Type: Movie
Agnes "Astra" Huston, a fortune teller at a run-down fair, is found strangled in her bedroom. As the police question five suspects, their interactions with her are shown in flashbacks from their point of view.
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Her Favourite Husband
Title: Her Favourite Husband
Character: Dorothy Pellegrini
Released: May 11, 1950
Type: Movie
While casing a bank he intends to rob, gangster Leo discovers one of the clerks, Antonio, is his exact double. He kidnaps Antonio and robs the bank, posing as Antonio. But Leo hadn't accounted for the involvement of Antonio's wife, Dorothy.
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The Reluctant Widow
Title: The Reluctant Widow
Character: Elinor Cheviot
Released: May 1, 1950
Type: Movie
A young governess becomes embroiled in French spy intrigue, in this adaptation of a Georgette Heyer novel.
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Trottie True
Title: Trottie True
Character: Trottie True
Released: September 29, 1949
Type: Movie
Tottie True is a gay-90s British music-hall performer who has her sights set on moving from rags to riches, who loses her heart to the pure-and-true blue balloonist, Sid Skinner, but continues her upward search on improving her social status. She finally settles for Lord Landon Digby who has lots of assets and a very-stiff upper lip. She gets a lot of the latter and very little of the former, and decides Sid might have been a better choice.
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Sleeping Car to Trieste
Title: Sleeping Car to Trieste
Character: Valya
Released: October 6, 1948
Type: Movie
Spies pursue a stolen diary aboard the Orient Express.
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Bond Street
Title: Bond Street
Character: Ricki Merritt
Released: May 12, 1948
Type: Movie
Charts the events occurring during a typical 24-hour period on London’s thoroughfare Bond Street. Linking the four stories together is the impending wedding of society girl Hazel Court and Robert Flemyng.
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Good-Time Girl
Title: Good-Time Girl
Character: Gwen Rawlings
Released: April 28, 1948
Type: Movie
Good Time Girl stars Jean Kent as incipient juvenile delinquent Gwen Rawlings. Sent to a home for "problem" girls, Gwen receives a crash course in petty crime. Back on the outside, she falls in with the usual bad crowd, and suffers spectacularly as a result.
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The Loves of Joanna Godden
Title: The Loves of Joanna Godden
Character: Ellen Godden
Released: June 8, 1947
Type: Movie
Joanna Godden falls heir to a farm when her father dies.
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The Man Within
Title: The Man Within
Character: Lucy
Released: May 19, 1947
Type: Movie
A man goes on the run from hardened smugglers.
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Carnival
Title: Carnival
Character: Irene Dale
Released: December 2, 1946
Type: Movie
A melodrama about a 19th-century ballet dancer who makes an unfortunate career move by marrying a taciturn Cornish farmer. She soon longs for the bright lights of the big city and for the arms of her artist lover. Unfortunately, her husband is all too aware of this.
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The Magic Bow
Title: The Magic Bow
Character: Bianchi
Released: September 20, 1946
Type: Movie
Biography of the famous Italian violinist Nicola Paganini which focuses as much on the musician's romances as it does on his craft. Phyllis Calvert plays Jeanne de Vermond, the aristocratic French woman who captures Paganini's heart, and real-life violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin supplies the breathtaking Paganini solos.
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Caravan
Title: Caravan
Character: Rosal
Released: June 3, 1946
Type: Movie
During the last half of the 19th century writer Richard Darrell saves Don Carlos from two robbers, and is entrusted by Don Carlos to take a valuable necklace to Spain. Richard leaves his fiancé, Oriana, and starts the trip. He meets Wycroft, a henchman for Sir Francis Castteldow, an aristocrat out to steal Oriana from Richard. The latter is assaulted, robbed and nearly killed and, as a result, loses his memory. He marries a gypsy girl, Rosal, while Oriana, thinking him dead marries the dastardly Sir Francis. Everybody will meet again. Complications will arise.
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The Rake's Progress
Title: The Rake's Progress
Character: Jill Duncan
Released: December 6, 1945
Type: Movie
Vivian Kenway, a young Englishman from an aristocratic background, flunks out of Oxford, and decides to use his considerable charm to achieve his goal of, apparently, making dissipation his career. His derelictions include seduction, betrayals of sweethearts, family and friends, and Marriage for money. All this with no signs of remorse or redemption, since his life as a completely unprincipled rake is quite enjoyable...for him, at least. Then, World War II breaks out and he is given a chance to die a heroic death for flag and country. Maybe.
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The Wicked Lady
Title: The Wicked Lady
Character: Jackson's Doxy
Released: November 15, 1945
Type: Movie
A married woman finds new thrills as a masked robber on the highways.
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Waterloo Road
Title: Waterloo Road
Character: Toni
Released: February 5, 1945
Type: Movie
During WW2 a former railway employee who had been drafted, goes AWOL to hunt down the spiv and draft dodger who is having an affair with his wife.
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Madonna of the Seven Moons
Title: Madonna of the Seven Moons
Character: Vittoria
Released: January 22, 1945
Type: Movie
In the early part of this century, Maddelena a teenage Italian girl, is attacked whilst walking in the woods. The attack leaves her mentally scarred and our story flashes forward to the 1940s where Maddelena is still troubled. She disappears one day and her daughter vows to find her.
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Two Thousand Women
Title: Two Thousand Women
Character: Bridie Johnson
Released: November 6, 1944
Type: Movie
During the Second World War, three downed English airmen hide out with women's internment camp in France.
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Champagne Charlie
Title: Champagne Charlie
Character: Dolly Bellwood
Released: August 25, 1944
Type: Movie
A man from the countryside becomes London’s newest music hall sensation, and competes with a rival music hall performer for the audience’s attention.
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Soldier, Sailor
Title: Soldier, Sailor
Character: Cigarette Girl
Released: June 1, 1944
Type: Movie
Life aboard merchant ships with the Maritime Regiment of the Royal Artillery.
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Fanny by Gaslight
Title: Fanny by Gaslight
Character: Lucy Beckett
Released: May 8, 1944
Type: Movie
Returning to 1870s London after finishing at boarding school, Fanny winesses the death of her father in a fight with Lord Manderstoke. She then finds that her family has for many years been running a bordello next door to their home. When her mother dies shortly after, she next discovers that her real father is in fact a well-respected politician. Meeting him and then falling in love with his young advisor Harry Somerford leads to a life of ups and downs and conflict between the classes. Periodically the scoundrel of a Lord crosses her path, always to tragic effect.
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Bees in Paradise
Title: Bees in Paradise
Character: Jani
Released: March 20, 1944
Type: Movie
Four pilots become stranded on a tropical island inhabited by beautiful women.
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Warn That Man
Title: Warn That Man
Character: Frances Lane
Released: July 13, 1943
Type: Movie
At the height of World War II, the Germans discover that a certain British personage is to stay at the country house of Lord Buckley. They devise a plan whereby they will kidnap the real Lord Buckley, and send to England an actor who will masquerade, lie in wait for the visitor with a number of gunmen, and take him back to Germany.
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Miss London Ltd.
Title: Miss London Ltd.
Character: The Encyclopedia Girl
Released: June 14, 1943
Type: Movie
Askey stars as a man trying to save his flagging escort agency. A new partner suggests getting some new girls in, just in time for the soldiers' leave. The film also features the English singing favourite of the forties, Anne Shelton.
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It's That Man Again
Title: It's That Man Again
Character: Kitty
Released: March 22, 1943
Type: Movie
Lunatic British comedy about a small town mayor who finds himself the owner of a broken-down London theatre and acting school. Insanity run amok.