Known for:	Guiding Light, The Big Carnival, The High and the Mighty
Birth name:	Jane Sterling Adriance
Birthday:	3 April 1921, New York, New York, USA
Height:	5' 6" (1.68 m)

Some sources give her year of birth 1921, others give 1923. Son: Adams Douglas (1955 - 2003) Known on stage as "Jane Adriance" until the 1940s. Her stage name was suggested by (Ruth Gordon), whose first suggestion was "Amethyst Adriance" because "you should name yourself after a gem." Instead, Sterling chose to drop the Adriance and shorten her first name to "Jan"; her character's name in the play in which she was appearing. Has resided in London for many years. Was a good friend of the late Sam Wanamaker. Critics raved about her portrayal of Billie Dawn in the Chicago touring company of "Born Yesterday" and Columbia brought Jan out to the West Coast to test for the 1950 film version. At one point, she was actually announced to play the part but the role ultimately went to the character's original player on Broadway, Judy Holliday, who went on to win the Oscar. Made her singing debut in a tour of the musical "Silk Stockings" in 1962. She's a descendant of two American presidents: John Adams and John Quincy Adams. In their honor, her son by actor Paul Douglas was named Adams Douglas. Measurements: 35C-23-35 (during The High and the Mighty- 1954), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Her son, Adams Douglas, died just three months before her in 2004. In 1968 she received the first annual achievement award of the Century Club, comprised of members of the American-Jewish Congress, which recongized her service in radio and telvision programs for the women's conference of the Jewish Federation-Council of Greater Los Angeles.

Site: Imdb.com ? Site type: multicelebrity site:

Description: Celebrity Main Details » imdb.com: Jan Sterling