Jennifer Jayne was a British actress and writer who appeared in many films and TV shows from the 1950s to the 1980s. She was best known for her roles in horror and sci-fi movies, such as The Crawling Eye, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, and They Came from Beyond Space. She also wrote the screenplays for Tales That Witness Madness and Son of Dracula under the pseudonym Jay Fairbank. She died on 23 April 2006 in London, England, at the age of 74. But what was the cause of her death and what legacy did she leave behind?
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Early Life and Career
Jennifer Jayne was born as Jennifer Jayne Jones on 14 November 1931 in Yorkshire, England, to theatrical parents. She adopted her stage name of Jennifer Jayne to avoid confusion with the Hollywood actress Jennifer Jones. She made her film debut in a minor role in Once a Jolly Swagman in 1949, followed by The Blue Lamp in 1950. She then appeared in several TV series, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, and Sword of Freedom. She gained popularity as the hero’s wife in The Adventures of William Tell in 1958.
Horror and Sci-Fi Roles
Jennifer Jayne’s most memorable roles were in the horror and sci-fi genre, where she often played the damsel in distress or the femme fatale. She starred in The Trollenberg Terror, also known as The Crawling Eye, in 1958, where she played a psychic who is menaced by a giant alien eye. She also appeared in Hysteria in 1965, where she played a woman suffering from amnesia and paranoia after a car accident. She co-starred with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors in 1965, where she played a woman who is bitten by a vampire. She also worked with Cushing again in They Came from Beyond Space in 1967, where she played an alien-possessed scientist.
Writing Career and Personal Life
Jennifer Jayne also had a talent for writing and used the pseudonym Jay Fairbank to pen the screenplays for two horror films: Tales That Witness Madness in 1973 and Son of Dracula in 1974. The former was an anthology film featuring four stories of madness and the supernatural, while the latter was a musical comedy starring Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr. Jennifer Jayne was married to art director Peter Mullins in 1958 and they remained married until her death. She also played Liz in the original cast of Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall’s stage play Billy Liar at the Cambridge Theatre, London.
Jennifer Jayne Actress Cause of Death
Jennifer Jayne died of undisclosed causes on 23 April 2006 in London, England. She was 74 years old. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in a private ceremony. She left behind a legacy of versatile and memorable performances in film and TV, as well as two original screenplays. She was a talented actress and writer who contributed to the horror and sci-fi genre and entertained many fans with her charm and charisma.
