Jean Ackerman Portrait
by Chuck Staley
Title
Jean Ackerman Portrait
Artist
Chuck Staley
Medium
Digital Art - Colorized Photo
Description
Jean Ackerman was a beautiful child and delighted in all the attention that was bestowed upon her. This love of attention played an important role in drawing her to the lights of the stage and specifically to the doorstep of Florenz Ziegfeld.
The Ziegfeld Follies reigned supreme on the Great White Way throughout the 1910s and 1920s. Inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris, the Follies enticed young girls from far and wide. The elaborate stage productions, lavish costumes (and the lack of them!) and spectacular song and dance numbers appealed to many of the impressionable girls looking to escape their mundane and in many cases poverty-stricken lives.
Jean Ackerman was born Jeanette MacCraw on December 11, 1903 in New York City. Her father had immigrated from Scotland and her mother was from Germany. After graduating from high school she married Richard Ackerman. Jean separated from her husband and decided to pursue a career in show business. She joined the cast of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1927. Then she appeared in the Broadway musicals Whoopee and Smiles. Jean also worked as a model and appeared in ads for Lucky cigarettes. She was called "The World's Most Beautiful Brunette". During this time she was romantically linked to several prominent men including New York Mayor Jimmy Walker.
In 1929 she appeared in Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. Then she had a bit part in the 1931 film The Girl Habit. By this time she had divorced her husband and was dating Walter Hirshon, a wealthy stockbroker. Jean married him on May 31, 1931. The couple adopted a daughter named Wendy Jean. Unfortunately their marriage ended in divorce in 1940. She was awarded $750 a month in alimony. Jean had a brief romance with comedian Ed Wynn. Later she moved to Miami, Florida.
Uploaded
January 26th, 2023
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