Legendary Hollywood entertainer Steve Allen and his wife Jayne Meadows (Photo : Reuters)
Award-winning and glamorous redheaded "I've Got A Secret" actress Jayne Meadows died on April 26, Sunday, due to natural causes. She was 95.
Meadows worked on numerous projects along with Steve Allen, who she married in 1954. Allen was the first host and creator of "The Tonight Show," and later on hosted several shows during 1950s and '60s with Meadows appearing on most of them. Allen passed away in 2000.
The actress's son Bill Allen confirmed Meadows' death to Entertainment Tonight saying that she "will be sorely missed and never forgotten." During her latter years, she lived in Encino, Calif. where she breathed her last.
Meadows was best known not only as "The Tonight Show" host's wife and elder sister of "The Honeymooners" star Audrey Meadows but also as a well accomplished, witty and talented actress. Apart from her appearances in hit flicks like "Undercurrent" and "Lady In The Lake," the actress was also the familiar face of Broadway and TV shows.
Meadows was born in 1919 in China where her father and mother were Episcopal missionaries. The family returned back to Connecticut in 1927, where the actress attended girls' boarding school with her sister, before embarking to New York to be an actress, New York Times reported.
Meadows made her acting debut with a Broadway show titled "Spring Again" in 1941 which was later followed by back to back hit shows and other movie roles. Her first marriage to the scriptwriter Milton Krims ended in divorce.
Post divorce, the actress became more active in TV with her regular appearance on "What's My Line?," "Password" and "Hallmark Hall of Fame." She was also a cast member in the hospital drama "Medical Center" from 1969 to 1972.
Meadows was also a regular panellist on the CBS hit program, "I've Got a Secret." During her run on the show, she was among the highest rated actress in the TV world.
