Jane Russell was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Minnesota. She had German and Canadian lineage. Her parents were married in 1917 and when Jane was still a child, the family moved to Canada. Then they returned to the United States in San Fernando Valley and then in Burbank in 1930. As a child, Jane studied piano and when she attended the Van Nuys High School she participated in many of its stage productions. After high school she worked as a model for minor photographers and as a receptionist. But with the influence of her mother, she trained for drama and acting at Max Reinhardt’s Theatrical Workshop.

In 90, millionaire Howard Hughes signed her up for a seven-year movie contract. In 1943, Jane Russell first appeared as a professional actress in the movie The Outlaw. The movie was about the notorious Billy the Kid and in one scene, Jane was seen with her cleavage. This caused the movie problems with censorship and so the film was released in 1946 though it was completed by 1941.
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