Hollywood Actress, Jayne Meadows Allen, Dies At 95

Jayne Meadows-Allen, a Hollywood actress who not only worked in film, but also in television and on Broadway, died from natural causes at her home in Encino, California on Sunday. Family spokesman, Kevin Sasaki reported her death to the Associated Press, and said that her son Bill Allen and other family members were with Meadows at the time of her death.

“She was not only an extraordinarily gifted actress who could move audiences from laughter to tears and back again all in one scene, but she was the greatest storyteller I have ever known….” said her son, who heads the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Meadows was best known for her role as television star, Steve Allen’s wife for 46 years, but also as the older sister of Audrey, who played Alice Kramden on the hit show The Honeymooners. Jayne was never quite as popular as her sister, but she had a long and established career of her own.

Jayne Meadows Cotter was born on September 27, 1919 in Wuchang, China to Episcopal missionary parents Rev, Francis James Meadows Cotter, and mother Ida Miller Taylor. Meadows parents were married in 1915, and had one other daughter, Audrey Meadows, and two sons, Frank and Edward, who are both deceased. Miller’s father was eventually offered a position with the Christ Church, so the family settled down in Sharon, Connecticut.

Jayne and Audrey went on to attend a boarding school for girls, but after she finished school, Meadows decided to make the big move to New York to follow her dreams of becoming an actress.

Meadows had the opportunity to star alongside many big names in Hollywood during her career, that spanned more than six decades. In Jayne’s first feature film, Undercurrent, she starred alongside Katherine Hepburn, Robert Mitchum, and Robert Taylor. She would later star alongside Gregory Peck, David Niven, William Powell and Robert Montgomery. Jayne had five successful television shows that aired on various networks. I’ve Got A Secret (CBS), Medical Center (CBS), Meeting Of Minds (PBS), It’s Not Easy (ABC) and High Society (CBS).

In 1954, Jayne married talk-show host and comedian, Steve Allen. The two went on to star in several movies, and television shows together, before Allen died in 2000. Steve Allen had nothing but wonderful things to say about his wife, during a 1977 interview, when he was discussing what he thinks her appeal was to her fans.

“She’s an old-fashioned woman, old-fashioned in terms of her attitudes, her manner, her demeanor, her voice,” he said. “She has a dignity that is rare these days. But she also has a lightness, an airiness, a girlishness and a certain degree of social innocence.”

Meadows won various awards and received many honors throughout her career, including one Emmy Award, five Emmy nominations, the American Book Award, a Grammy nomination, the Susan B. Anthony Award and the International Platform Association Award. Jayne also spent much of her time donating not just her money, but also her time to various charitable causes. Jayne spent a lot of time with her husband, son and eventually her grandchildren serving holiday meals to the homeless at the Los Angeles Mission. She hosted the Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Kettle fundraising drive. Meadows received numerous awards and accolades for her humanitarian efforts and public service, including her dedication to championing the causes of cancer, aging, blindness, world hunger, education and the arts.

Jayne is survived by her son Bill, step-sons Steve Jr., Brian and David, and three grandchildren.

[Photo courtesy of David Livingston/Getty Images]