Today marks the 100th birthday for actress Jean Hagen. She passed in 1977 at only 54.
Hagen is best known for her role as Lina Lamont in Singin' In the Rain, but she worked in radio before moving to movies and, eventually, television - co-starring in the early hit, Make Room for Daddy with Danny Thomas.
While esophageal cancer would take her life, Hagen was an alcoholic, and it derailed her professionally as well as very personally. However, after she became gravely ill in 1968, falling into a coma, she managed to stay sober for the remaining years of her life.
Hagen left her mark on the films I've seen her in, and is often a highlight, even in something like Asphalt Jungle where she's one of a dozen memorable performances. Personally, I think what she was doing was ahead of its time - or maybe would have been best served on the stage in grittier work. But she also clearly had a knack for comedy - which she managed to parlay into television and numerous other projects.
But seeing she's in The Big Knife, I really need to get ahold of that movie and watch it through, and I think I will try to for Hagen's centennial.
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