What is Shirley Jones’ Net Worth?
Shirley Jones is an American singer and actress who has a net worth of $5 million. Shirley Jones is an actress and singer whose career in show business has spanned over six decades. She gained fame in the 50s and 60s for her performances in many musical films, including “Oklahoma!,” “Carousel,” and “The Music Man,” and in 1960 won an Academy Award for her supporting role in the drama “Elmer Gantry.” In the early 1970s, Jones earned further recognition for starring as the family matriarch on the popular television musical sitcom “The Partridge Family.”
Early Life and Education
Shirley Jones was born on March 31, 1934 in Charleroi, Pennsylvania to Methodist parents Paul and Marjorie, who owned the Jones Brewing Company. The family later moved to nearby Smithton. When she was six, Jones started singing in her church choir and taking voice lessons. As an adolescent, she attended South Huntington High School in Ruffs Dale, where she performed in school plays.
Career Beginnings on Stage
Jones began her career on stage as the first and only singer to have signed a personal contract with the songwriting duo Rodgers and Hammerstein. They first cast her in a small part in “South Pacific” on Broadway, and after that made her a chorus girl in “Me and Juliet” in Chicago. Eventually, Jones became the understudy for the lead role in the latter musical, and won rave reviews.
Film Career
Jones transitioned to film in 1955 as the female lead of “Oklahoma!,” adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. She starred in another Rodgers and Hammerstein film adaptation, “Carousel,” the very next year. Jones went on to star in the musicals “April Love” and “Never Steal Anything Small,” as well as the British comedy “Bobbikins.” She gave one of her most acclaimed performances in 1960, going against type as vengeful prostitute Lulu Bains in the drama “Elmer Gantry,” starring Burt Lancaster. For her work, Jones won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. After that, she starred in the musical comedy “Pepe,” the John Ford Western “Two Rode Together,” and the film adaptation of the musical “The Music Man.” Jones’s other credits in the 1960s include “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” “A Ticklish Affair,” “Dark Purpose,” “Bedtime Story,” “Fluffy,” and “The Happy Ending.”
After the 1960s, Jones appeared less frequently on the big screen. Her only two credits in the 70s were the Western comedy “The Cheyenne Social Club” and the disaster film sequel “Beyond the Poseidon Adventure.” Jones had only one credit the next decade, 1984’s “Tank.” She didn’t appear on the big screen again until 1999’s “Gideon.” Jones took more film roles early in the 21st century, appearing in such films as “Shriek if You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth,” “Manna from Heaven,” “The Creature of the Sunnyside Up Trailer Park,” “Raising Genius,” and “Grandma’s Boy.” In 2013, she appeared in the dramedy “Family Weekend” and the horror film “Zombie Night.”
The Partridge Family
Jones began arguably her most famous role in 1970, playing family matriarch Shirley Partridge on the ABC musical sitcom “The Partridge Family.” Based on the real-life family singing group the Cowsills, the show followed the young widowed Partridge mother as she and her five children hit the road as a pop-rock act.
Jones starred on “The Partridge Family” alongside her stepson David Cassidy, who became a teen idol as the show grew in popularity. Numerous albums and singles performed by Jones and Cassidy came from the show, including the number-one hit song “I Think I Love You.” Ultimately, “The Partridge Family” ran for four seasons before being canceled in 1974.
Other TV Work
During the decade, Jones starred in a number of television films, including “The Girls of Huntington House,” “The Lives of Jenny Dolan,” and “Evening in Byzantium.” In 1979, she began starring on her own series, “Shirley,” which was canceled after a single season.
Jones made many guest appearances on television shows throughout the 80s and 90s. She was in episodes of “Hotel,” “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Melrose Place,” “The Drew Carey Show,” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” In the 00s, Jones gave an acclaimed performance in the Hallmark Channel romantic drama “Hidden Places,” for which she earned both SAG and Emmy Award nominations. She went on to appear in episodes of such shows as “Monarch Cove,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Raising Hope,” “Good Luck Charlie,” “Victorious,” “Cougar Town,” and “Hot in Cleveland.”
Further Stage Career
After breaking out on stage in the early 1950s, Jones appeared in such productions as “The Beggar’s Opera,” “Wish You Were Here!,” “The Sound of Music,” “Wait Until Dark,” and “Maggie Flynn.” She often performed with her husband Jack Cassidy in these shows. In the 70s, Jones was in “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” and “Show Boat,” and in the 80s was in a production of “Bitter Sweet.” Following a 12-year break from the stage, she returned in 1994 to star in “Love Letters,” “The King and I,” and “A Christmas Carol.” Her stage credits in the 21st century include revivals of “42nd Street,” “Carousel,” and “The Music Man.”
Personal Life
In 1956, Jones married actor, singer, and theater director Jack Cassidy. Together, they had three sons named Shaun, Patrick, and Ryan, and from Cassidy’s first marriage, Jones became stepmother to future co-star David. Jones and Cassidy divorced in 1975. The following year, Jack Cassidy was killed in an apartment fire that started when he fell asleep holding a lit cigarette.
Jones married her second husband, actor, comedian, and writer Marty Ingels, in 1977. Despite a series of separations over the years, they remained together until Ingels’s passing in 2015. Two years after that, Jones’s stepson David passed away.
Real Estate
From September 2001 to June 2016, Shirley’s primary home was a mansion in Encino, California. She bought the home for $1.2 million and sold it for $1.85 million.
After selling her Encino home, Shirley moved to Santa Ynez, California.