British actress Jean Simmons dies aged 80
British actress Jean Simmons dies aged 80
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British actress Jean Simmons, who appeared alongside Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls, has died at the age of 80.
The Emmy Award-winning star had been suffering from lung cancer for some time prior to her death.
Simmons first gained recognition in 1946's Great Expectations playing Estella, before moving to Hollywood four years later.
She received two Oscar nominations during her career, one as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet in 1948 and then again over two decades later for Best Actress in The Happy Ending.
Her other notable film appearances included Guys and Dolls where she sang alongside Brando as Sergeant Sarah Brown, a role which won her a Golden Globe.
She also appeared in the Oscar-winning Spartacus in 1960.
From the 1970s onwards though the British star moved away from cinema and instead focused largely on television roles and in 1983 picked up the Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy for her performance in The Thorn Birds.
Simmons was married twice, first to Stewart Granger - an event arranged by the reclusive tycoon Howard Hughes -, and then to director Richard Brooks.
Both marriages ultimately ended in divorce but she is survived by her two daughters Tracy and Kate.