Obituaries

Emmy Nominee Jayne Meadows Has Died

Meadows made multiple Broadway appearances in the 1940s.

Jayne Meadows has died at the age of 95.
Jayne Meadows has died at the age of 95.

Three-time Emmy nominee Jayne Meadows has died of natural causes at her home in Encino, California. She was 95.

Born September 27, 1919, in Wuchang, China, to missionary parents, Meadows' career on screen and stage spanned six decades. A regular panelist on the shows I've Got a Secret and What's My Line?, she received Emmy nominations for her performances on Meeting of the Minds, where she portrayed Florence Nightingale, Marie Antoinette, and Cleopatra, St. Elsewhere, and the 1995 series High Society. Her films include the City Slickers series and Song of the Thin Man, among others.

Meadows made her Broadway debut in 1941's Spring Again, which was followed by appearances throughout the 1940s in works including Another Love Story and Many Happy Returns. Kaufman and Hart's Once in a Lifetime marked her final Great White Way appearance in 1978. Her solo show, Powerful Women in History, toured the United States for seven years and earned her the International Platform Association Award.

Meadows was married to legendary Tonight Show host Steve Allen from 1954 until his death in 2000. She is also predeceased by her sister, The Honeymooners star Audey Meadows, who died in 1996. She is survived by her only son, Bill Allen.