Jean Simmons died at 80 in California, Friday. She was an Emmy Award winner whose career included roles in “Hamlet” and “Spartacus.” She also earned two Oscar nominations during a long career that spanned seven decades. She reported died at her home in Santa Monica after losing a battle to lung cancer. Jean Simmons who gained fame in the 1950s and 1960s after starring in several hit films. Her performance as the doomed Ophelia  opposite Laurence Olivier in the legendary actor’s 1948 production of “Hamlet” earned her the first of two Academy Award nominations.

In “Great Expectations”, David Lean’s classic 1946, she was playing the young Estella. Later films included “Guys and Dolls,” “Spartacus” and 1969′s “The Happy Ending,” which earned her a second Oscar nod for her portrayal of an alcoholic wife. Jean Simmons married twice to actor Stewart Granger from 1950 to 1960 and to director Richard Brooks from 1960 to 1977. Her marriages ended in divorce.

Jean Merilyn Simmons was born Jan. 31, 1929, in London to Charles and Winifred Ada Simmons. Her father competed as a British gymnast in the 1912 Olympics and later coached the sport. He died when she was 16.For years, she lived in a Santa Monica home that she decorated in a style she once described as “early mishmash.”

She is survived by her two daughters, Tracy Granger and Kate Brooks.

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Jean Merilyn Simmons was born in Lower Holloway, London, England, UK. (January 31, 1929 – January 22, 2010) was an English actress who appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with British-made films during and after World War II, followed mainly by Hollywood films from 1950 onwards. [1] Jean appeared alongside many leading British and American male film stars during a long and successful career.

Jean Simmons was married twice, in 1950 to Stewart Granger, divorcing in 1960, and in 1960 to director Richard Brooks, divorcing in 1977. Both men were significantly older than Simmons but she has denied she was looking for a father figure. Her father had died when she was just sixteen but she said: “They were really nothing like my father at all. My father was a gentle, soft-spoken man. My husbands were much noisier and much more opinionated … it’s really nothing to do with age … it’s to do with what’s there – the twinkle and sense of humour.

Awards and nominations

* Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Series/Special, The Thorn Birds (1983)
* Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy Actress, Guys and Dolls (1956)

Nominations

* Academy Award for Best Actress, The Happy Ending (1969)
* Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Hamlet (1948)
* BAFTA for Best Actress, Guys and Dolls (1956)
* BAFTA for Best Actress, Elmer Gantry (1960)
* Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress – Drama Series, Murder, She Wrote (1989)
* Golden Globe for Best Drama Actress, Home Before Dark (1959)
* Golden Globe for Best Drama Actress, Elmer Gantry (1961)
* Golden Globe for Best Drama Actress, The Happy Ending (1970)
* Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy Actress, This Could Be the Night (1958)
* Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress – Miniseries, The Thorn Birds (1984)

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