Dorothy Janis

Dorothy Janis
Born	Dorothy Penelope Jones February 19, 1912(1912-02-19) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 10, 2010(2010-03-10) (aged 98) Paradise Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1928–1930
Spouse	Wayne King (March 21, 1932 – July 16, 1985; his death)

Dorothy Janis (February 19, 1912^[1] – March 10, 2010) was an American silent film actress.

Early life

Born as Dorothy Penelope Jones in Dallas, Texas, her short film career began when she was visiting a cousin, who was working on a film for Fox Film Corporation in 1927. Her beauty was noticed at once and she was asked to make a screen test. Janis went on to make five films: four silents and one talkie.

Film career

The one talkie was Lummox (1930) based on the Fannie Hurst novel. This film, released by United Artists, only exists as a single nitrate print at the British Film Institute.^[2] Janis was best known for playing opposite Ramon Novarro in the MGM film The Pagan (1929), for which MGM publicity portrayed her as half-Cherokee. The Pagan, directed by W. S. Van Dyke, was a part-sound film, with music and sound effects only, and featured "Pagan Love Song" on the soundtrack.

Retirement, marriage, and later life

Janis retired in 1930 and married bandleader Wayne King in 1932. The vice president of the Music Corporation of America, W. H. Stein, was best man. Janis and King were married for 53 years, until King's death in 1985.^[3] She lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona from 2004 up until her death on March 10, 2010 at the age of 98.^[4] She was laid to rest in the All Saints Episcopal Church Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona.^[5]

Filmography

Dorothy circa late 1990s.

• Kit Carson (Paramount Pictures, 1928)
• Fleetwing (Fox Film Corporation, 1928)
• The Overland Telegraph (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 1929)
• The Pagan (MGM, 1929)
• Lummox (United Artists, 1930)

References

1. ^ While many sources credit her 1910 birth year, many obituaries also noted that she may have been born in 1912, a date supported by the Social Security Death Index.
2. ^ Dorothy Janis at the Internet Movie Database
3. ^ Dorothy Janis at the Internet Movie Database
4. ^ "Dorothy Jones King - Obituary". Telegraph Herald. March 14, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/telegraph-herald-dubuque-iowa/mi_8023/is_20100314/dorothy-jones-king/ai_n52445555/. Retrieved March 25, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=50521931

External links

Biography portal

• Dorothy Janis at the Internet Movie Database
• Dorothy Janis at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Janis, Dorothy
Alternative names
Short description	Actress
Date of birth	1912-02-19
Place of birth	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Date of death	2010-03-10
Place of death	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.