A fey, wistful brunette leading lady, Oklahoma-born Jennifer Jones became the protege of producer David O. Selznick in the early 1940s and married him in 1949 after her divorce from actor Robert Walker. Selznick took control of her career and ensured her appearances in prestige productions by leading directors. Although she had appeared in a pair of Republic Pictures programmers under her birth name of Phylis Isley in the 1930s, the actress was re-invented by Selznick and given the new moniker. She achieved stardom as the visionary title character in "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), for which she won an Oscar as Best Actress. She continued in John Cromwell's WWII homefront epic "Since You Went Away" (1944), King Vidor operatic color western "Duel in the Sun" (1947) and as the enigmatic, inspirational subject of William Dieterle's "Portrait of Jennie" (1948), the latter possibly her finest film.

Some of Jones' later films include Vincente Minnelli's interesting adaptation of "Madame Bovary" (1949), the fascinating Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger film, "Gone to Earth" (1950) and the popular soap opera "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (1955). Whether sympathetic or not, genteel or lusty, she was most typically cast as restless heroines adrift amid a sea of turbulent passion. She enjoyed starring roles through the late 50s and later returned for very occasional supporting roles and guest spots, the last time as Fred Astaire's love interest in the all-star "The Towering Inferno" (1974).