Shirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. She was born on March 31, 1934 in Pennsylvania and her parents named her after the child-star Shirley Temple. As a child she studied singing twice a week. Later on her voice teach in New York convinced her to audition for a Broadway agent. She was signed with agent Gus Sherman. When she went to an audition for an open casting call of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, the songwriters were so impressed with her that she earned a personal contract with them. She was in South Pacific first and then in the chorus of Me and Juliet. She became the understudy for the lead roles.
In 1955 she was cast as the lead role of Laurie in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit musical, Oklahoma! She later won an Academy award in 1960 for her supporting actress role in Elmer Gantry. In 1970 she auditioned for the role of Shirley Partridge in the ABC TV show, The Partridge Family. Her real-life twenty-year-old stepson David Cassidy, who was an unknown actor at the time, played Shirley Partridge's eldest son, Keith, on the show and became the hottest teen idol in the country. The show itself also created a number of records and songs performed by David and Shirley. That same year, "I Think I Love You" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.
Jones is a supporter of PETA. She has written her memoir entitled simply: Shirley Jones, A Memoir.
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