Jo Ann Sayers

American actress (1918–2011)

Anthony A. Bliss

(m. 1942; div. 1967)

Charles K. Agle

(m. 1968; died 1987)

Children3^[1]^[2]

Jo Ann Sayers (born Miriam Lucille Lilygren, October 22, 1918 – November 14, 2011)^[3] was an American actress who was active in Broadway and in Hollywood films. Her film career spanned the 1930s through the 1950s.

Biography

Sayers was born in Seattle, Washington.^[4] She was a budding actress as a child, participating in dances, taking piano and violin lessons, and acting in school plays. She enrolled in Pre-law at the University of Washington, also taking drama classes. A talent scout noted her in a student production and invited her to Hollywood for a screen test. She was offered a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her first credited film role was in 1938.^{[citation needed]}

In 1940, she was selected for the titular role in the Broadway production of My Sister Eileen, opposite Shirley Booth, who was two decades Sayers' senior, which opened on December 26, 1940.^[5]

Marriages

She remained in the Broadway cast until June 1942, when she left to marry Anthony A. Bliss, a New York lawyer and patron of the performing arts.^[6]

They married on June 10, 1942, and had three children, but later divorced. Sayers later worked in summer theater, radio and television. She married a second time in 1968 to architect Charles K. Agle;^[4] they remained together until his death in Princeton, New Jersey.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Sayers died on November 14, 2011, aged 93, in Princeton, New Jersey.^[7]

Selected filmography

Main Street to Broadway (1953) (uncredited) .... Bride in Musical Number
The Light of the Western Stars (1940) .... Majesty Hammond
The Man With Nine Lives (1940) .... Nurse Judith Blair
Drunk Driving (1939) .... Mrs. Jones
The Women (1939) (uncredited) .... Debutante
Fast and Loose (1939) .... Christina 'Chris' Torrent
Honolulu (1939) .... Nurse
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) .... Susan
Young Dr. Kildare (1938) .... Barbara

References

^ "Obituaries: Jo Ann S. Agle". Town Topics. December 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
^ Holland, Bernard (August 12, 1991). "Anthony A. Bliss, is Dead at 78; an Executive in Opera and Dance". The New York Times.
^ "Obituary - Jo Ann S Agle". Town Topics. December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Lentz, Harris M. III (2012). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011. McFarland. p. 305. ISBN 9780786491346. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
^ Playbill magazine excerpt Archived 2006-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
^ Anthony A. Bliss Papers Archived 2010-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Obituaries". Town Topics. towntopics.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.