Russell first rose to fame as the star of Howard Hughes' western The Outlaw (1943), in which the films entire marketing campaign revolved around Ms. Russell's ample cleavage. If you've ever seen Martin Scorcese's The Aviator (2004), you're probably familiar with the scene in which Howard Hughes defends featuring Russell's breast so gratuitously in The Outlaw, at a moral decency hearing when it was believed that her assets violated the Hayes code. In spite of her controversial introduction to the world she went on to a successful film career, highlighted by staring roles opposite Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra. Her most iconic role was in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1952), starring opposite Marilyn Monroe.
Although Hollywood cast her as the sultry sexpot, in real life Jane Russell was a devout Christian. As her film career declined she went on to headline various nightclub and musical acts. She also became a Playtex bra spokeswoman during the seventies. She married three times, staying happily married to her third husband until his death in 1999. She was very active in the Christan community and was also passionate about helping orphaned children find homes, fonding the World Adoption International Fund in 1955.
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