Jo Ann Sayers

Jo Ann Sayers
Ann Sayers in 1954
Born
Miriam Lucille Lilygren

(1918-10-22)October 22, 1918
DiedNovember 14, 2011(2011-11-14) (aged 93)
Alma materUniversity of Washington
OccupationActress
Years active1938–1953
Spouses
Anthony A. Bliss
(m. 1942; div. 1967)
Charles K. Agle
(m. 1968; died 1987)
Children3[1][2]

Jo Ann Sayers (born Miriam Lucille Lilygren, October 22, 1918 – November 14, 2011)[3] was an American actress who was active on Broadway and in Hollywood films. Her film career spanned the 1930s through the 1950s.

Biography

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Sayers was born in Seattle, Washington.[4] She was a budding actress as a child, participating in dances, taking piano and violin lessons, and acting in school plays. She enrolled in Pre-law at the University of Washington, also taking drama classes. A talent scout noted her in a student production and invited her to Hollywood for a screen test. She was offered a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her first credited film role was in 1938.[citation needed]

In 1940, she was selected for the titular role in the Broadway production of My Sister Eileen, opposite Shirley Booth, who was two decades Sayers' senior, which opened on December 26, 1940.[5]

Marriages

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She remained in the Broadway cast until June 1942, when she left to marry Anthony A. Bliss, a New York lawyer and patron of the performing arts.[6]

They married on June 10, 1942, and had three children, but later divorced. Sayers later worked in summer theater, radio and television. She married a second time in 1968 to architect Charles K. Agle;[4] they remained together until his death in Princeton, New Jersey.[citation needed]

Death

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Sayers died on November 14, 2011, aged 93, in Princeton, New Jersey.[7]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Obituaries: Jo Ann S. Agle". Town Topics. December 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  2. ^ Holland, Bernard (August 12, 1991). "Anthony A. Bliss, is Dead at 78; an Executive in Opera and Dance". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Obituary - Jo Ann S Agle". Town Topics. December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Lentz, Harris M. III (2012). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011. McFarland. p. 305. ISBN 9780786491346. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  5. ^ Playbill magazine excerpt Archived 2006-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Anthony A. Bliss Papers Archived 2010-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Obituaries". Town Topics. towntopics.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
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