30 Vintage Photos of a Beautiful Carolyn Jones in the 1950s and 1960s

Carolyn Jones was an American film and television actress. She began her career in the early 1950s and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party (1957) and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses of 1959. In 1964 she began playing the role of Morticia Addams in the television series The Addams Family.

Born in Amarillo, Texas on April 28, 1929, glamorous Carolyn Jones had a difficult life before finding fame in films and television. Abandoned by her father at age 5 during the depths of the Depression, Jones was an asthmatic, sickly child who was raised by her grandparents. From an early age Jones loved films and harbored a great desire to be an actress. Soon after graduating from high school in 1947, Jones grandfather paid for her to go to Hollywood and study at the Pasadena Playhouse.

After toiling in small stage productions for a few years, Jones landed roles in early television, including two appearances in the anthology series Chevron Theatre (1952-1953) and several appearances on the CBS mystery series Mr. and Mrs. North (1952-1954). She was spotted by a talent scout and signed with Paramount; however, after a few bit parts Paramount dropped her option.

Jones then landed her breakthrough role as Cathy Gray in the Warner Bros. 3-D horror film House of Wax (1953). More films roles came her way, including the noir thrillers The Big Heat (1953) and Shield for Murder (1954). During this period, Jones married and divorced her first husband, Donald, in 1950 and married then-struggling actor and future producer Aaron Spelling in 1953.

From the mid 1950s through the early 1960s, Jones’ career was hot, with supporting roles in ‘A’ pictures such as The Tender Trap (1955), The Opposite Sex (1956), and Marjorie Morningstar (1958). However, ‘B’ movies let her shine, including her great performances in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Baby Face Nelson (1957), and Johnny Trouble (1957). Following her outstanding performance in King Creole (1958; with Elvis Presley), Jones won a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising new actresses of 1959.

In the early 1960s, Jones began doing more television work, with fewer films coming her way. Jones and Spelling parted company as friends in 1964, just as Jones was cast in her most memorable role as Morticia Addams in the ABC series The Addams Family (1964-1966).