Jayne Meadows, actress and former wife of Steve Allen, died Sunday at her Encino, California, home, the New York Times reports. She was 95.
Born Jayne Meadows Cotter on Sept., 27, 1919 in Wuchang, China, Meadows — whose sister Audrey played Alice Kramden on “The Honeymooners” — broke into Broadway in the early ’40s, appearing in productions including “Spring Again,” “Another Love Story” and “Many Happy Returns.”
Meadows’ first film, 1946’s “Undercurrent,” starred Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor and Robert Mitchum. Other films followed, including the Lionel Barrymore movie “Dark Delusion,” “Lady in the Lake” and “Song of the Thin Man.” Later, Meadows would become a television game-show fixture, appearing on programs including “I’ve Got a Secret,” “What’s My Line?” and “Password.”
Meadows was married twice, first to screenwriter Milton Krims, from 1949 to 1952. Her marriage to Allen lasted from 1954 until his death in 2000.
Meadows was a frequent collaborator with Allen, appearing on a number of shows that he hosted, including the Allen-created “Tonight” show. The pair also appeared in the 1960 film “College Confidential,” and Meadows performed and wrote for Allen’s PBS series “Meeting of Minds.”