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Jean Wallace

Jean Wallace

Actor · Died February 14, 1990, aged 66 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Born Jean Walasek in Chicago to John T. Walasek and Mary A. Walasek (née Sharkey), Wallace began her career as a model then got her first small movie role at the age of seventeen. She was married two times; once to her Jigsaw co-star Franchot Tone from 1941 to 1948 and once to actor Cornel Wilde (her co-star in The Big Combo and Lancelot and Guinevere) from 1951 to 1981. She had two sons with Tone and one with Wilde. She attempted suicide in 1946 with sleeping pills, and in 1949 with a self inflicted knife wound. Wallace died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on February 14, 1990. She is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 12, 1923
Died
February 14, 1990 (aged 66)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 37% in 30 days

What are Jean Wallace's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
28%
Bonds
22%
Survival
20%
Self
13%
Society
9%
Power
8%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 4 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 4
Mentor
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Dread
3
Melancholic
3
Cold
2
Thrilling
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jean Wallace's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jean Wallace's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

22 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • No Blade of Grass(1970)

    as Ann Custance

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Beach Red(1967)

    as Julie MacDonald

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Sword of Lancelot(1963)

    as Guinevere

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Maracaibo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Laura Kingsley

  • The Devil's Hairpin(1957)

    as Kelly James

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Storm Fear(1955)

    as Elizabeth

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Big Combo(1955)

    as Susan Lowell

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Star of India (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Countess Katrina

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Leslie Mason

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Native Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Mary Dalton

  • The Good Humor Man(1950)

    as Bonnie Conroy

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Man on the Eiffel Tower(1949)

    as Edna Wallace

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Jigsaw(1949)

    as Barbara Whitfield

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • When My Baby Smiles at Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Sylvia Marco

  • Blaze of Noon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Poppy

  • It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Bess Williams

  • You Can't Ration Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Madge

  • Salute for Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Hostess Offering Buzz Apple From Basket (unconfirmed)

  • Louisiana Purchase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Louisiana Belle

  • Glamour Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Girl (uncredited)

  • Ziegfeld Girl(1941)

    as Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 78th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 22 titles from 1941 to 1970.

Highest rated

The Big Combo (1955)

Midcredits 90th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting22 of 22: 22 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score44th

By decade

1940s10 · acting1950s9 · acting1960s2 · acting1970s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jean Wallace's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

The Devil's Hairpin (1957)

57th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Big Combo (1955)

Midcredits 90th · 79% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 37. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Jean Wallace work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean Wallace's MovieCove titles; Cornel Wilde shares the most, 6.