Jean Simmons: Oscar-Nominated British Actress Dies at 80

Jean Simmons was an English actress. Born on January 31, 1929, in London, she was discovered as a teenager and appeared in David Lean's Great Expectations.

She earned an Academy Award nomination for playing Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948) and another for The Happy Ending. She starred in The Robe, Guys and Dolls, Spartacus and Elmer Gantry, and won an Emmy for The Thorn Birds.

She was married to actor Stewart Granger and later to director Richard Brooks. Simmons died of lung cancer at her home in Santa Monica, California, on January 22, 2010, at age 80.

Achievements: Two Academy Award nominations, Emmy Award for The Thorn Birds.

Birth: January 31, 1929 - London, England.

Profession: Actress.

Interesting Facts: She appeared in Great Expectations as a teenager.