Diane Jergens (born Dianne Irgens; March 31, 1935 – October 9, 2018) was an American film and television actress.
Early years
Jergens was the daughter of Norman C. Irgens, an
alderman in
Minneapolis, and his wife.
[ ] In 1944, at age 8, she auditioned for two film studios in Hollywood and was asked to return to make a film.
[ ] In 1950, the family moved to Hollywood.
When Jergens was 16, she was a member of the Heidt Steppers dancing troupe, which was part of the
Horace Heidt Show.
[ ] Soon after Jergens graduated from Hollywood High School, she performed as a singer on tour with composer
Jimmy McHugh.
[ ]
Career
She made her screen debut in the 1946 film
Ginger.
She was featured in such 1950s films as
The FBI Story with
James Stewart and
Desk Set starring
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Her other films included leading roles in
High School Confidential and
Island of Lost Women.
She made two films in the Philippines, Lost Battalion (1960) and Espionage:Far East (1961).
On television, she portrayed Francine Williams on The Bob Cummings Show in the 1955–1956 season,[ ] She also appeared on other TV shows such as Dragnet, The Danny Thomas Show, The Addams Family, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and 77 Sunset Strip.
Personal life and death
Jergens was married to actor Peter Brown between 1958 and 1960.
In 1962, she wed musician and songwriter
Randy Sparks.
They had four children, Kevin Ray Sparks, Melinda Anne Sparks and Cameron Michael Sparks (twins), and Amanda Hamilton Sparks.
She died on October 9, 2018, aged 83, in Valley Springs, California.
Filmography
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External links
