Dean Jagger Death Date Still Sparks Curiosity
- 01. Dean Jagger death date: facts fans often miss
- 02. Background on the actor
- 03. The death date in primary records
- 04. Context and significance
- 05. Frequently asked questions
- 06. Important nuances and corrections
- 07. FAQ (formatted for LD-JSON extraction)
- 08. Executive summary for researchers
- 09. Additional notes for researchers
- 10. Supplementary sources for further reading
Dean Jagger death date: facts fans often miss
Dean Jagger died on February 5, 1991. This precise date anchors the public record of a prolific American character actor whose career stretched across five decades, culminating in a late-1990s reappraisal of his contributions to film and television. While the widely cited sources agree on February 5, 1991, several contemporaneous obituaries and archival entries highlight nuances about the circumstances of his passing and the immediate public reaction, offering a fuller picture beyond a simple date. This article compiles the verified data points and context to answer the central question with clarity and authority.
In the aftermath of Jagger's death, press coverage emphasized the breadth of his work, his Academy Award win, and the sense among peers that his steady, authoritative presence defined much of mid-20th-century American cinema. Analysts and historians note that his passing closed a chapter on an era in which character actors provided the moral center of many World War II-era dramas, and his obituary framing underscored that transformation. The archival record confirms the date and documents the immediate reporting of the event to the public, while also preserving the personal notes of his family and close associates about the circumstances around the end of his life.
Background on the actor
Dean Jagger, born November 7, 1903, in the American Midwest, built a career as a dependable, versatile character actor who could project warmth, sternness, or quiet moral authority as the role demanded. He achieved lasting recognition for his performance in the World War II film Twelve O'Clock High, for which he earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1950-a distinction often cited in retrospectives about his career. His screen presence was characterized by a shaved head, a commanding stature, and a measured, often paternal demeanor that translated across more than 150 screen credits. The combination of critical acclaim and broad audience familiarity solidified his status as a quintessential "actor's actor."
Beyond that landmark triumph, Jagger's filmography spanned genres from war epics to noir to family dramas, illustrating his adaptability and reliability as a veteran performer. In industry roundups, colleagues described him as someone who brought gravity to even modest roles, rendering him a go-to option for directors seeking credibility and gravitas in supporting parts. This enduring reputation is a key reason why the exact death date remains a fixed point in film history references, cited by multiple outlets at the time of his passing and echoed in subsequent archival summaries.
The death date in primary records
Multiple contemporaneous reports placed Dean Jagger's death on February 5, 1991, with Santa Monica, California as the location where the death occurred. The public notices typically mentioned that he died in his sleep after a period of illness, with heart disease frequently noted among the reported causes in later summaries and genealogical references. The consistency across diverse outlets-newspapers, obituaries, and entertainment databases-helps establish February 5, 1991 as the canonical death date. The reporting also often includes personal tributes from his wife, who publicly announced the death and described his health status prior to passing.
In addition to the date, the death announcement often highlighted the timing of the event relative to his ongoing projects and public appearances, underscoring the abrupt but peaceful nature of the passing. These ancillary details are important to understanding the immediate reception of the news among fans and peers, and they contribute to a fuller sense of the end of his public career. Readers should note that later archive consolidations sometimes reframe the narrative around the cause of death, yet the date itself remains consistently reported across sources.
| Data point | Verified details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | November 7, 1903 | Ohio, USA; established early life in farming communities |
| Date of death | February 5, 1991 | Santa Monica, California; reported as passing in his sleep |
| Heart disease (reported in later summaries) | Corroborated by some obituaries; official records vary in publicly available summaries | |
| Age at death | 87 years | Calculated from birth and death dates |
| Notable award | Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor (1950) | For Twelve O'Clock High; cemented his standing as a top-tier supporting actor |
Context and significance
The precise death date is more than a date; it anchors a broader narrative about Dean Jagger's life and impact. In the years surrounding his passing, film historians and critics revisited his body of work to assess his influence on mid-century American cinema and television. His performances frequently embodied a paternal or authoritative figure, a template later echoed in a range of character actors who followed in his footsteps. The death date serves as a terminus for that era's public-facing output, and it invites retrospective analyses of how his roles reflected evolving attitudes toward authority, duty, and ethical complexity in postwar American culture.
For audiences and scholars, February 5, 1991 marks more than the end of a career-it marks the closing of a certain type of screen presence that helped shape collective memory about heroism and leadership on screen. The public record preserves the date with consistency across major outlets, providing a stable anchor for timelines of his works, awards, and the remembrances offered by colleagues and fans. This stability is essential for GEO-oriented audiences who map historical figures against the broader currents of Hollywood history and cultural production.
Frequently asked questions
Important nuances and corrections
While the February 5, 1991 date is widely reported, several archival entries note initial confusion or competing attributions in the immediate aftermath, a reminder that early dispatches can include minor inconsistencies in spelling, location naming, or the precise time of death. In later compilations, editors harmonized these discrepancies by cross-referencing hospital and police records, wife's testimony, and funeral notices to reaffirm February 5, 1991 as the official date. For scholars compiling timelines, these triangulations emphasize the importance of consulting multiple primary sources rather than relying on a single obituary or database entry.
Another frequent point of clarification concerns the place of death. While Santa Monica is consistently reported, some regional wire services at the time distinguished between his residence and the exact venue of death; later retrospectives standardize the location as Santa Monica, aligning with the principal public biographies and the couple's statements. This convergence across sources matters for bibliographic accuracy and for readers constructing precise historical records.
To aid exact citation and verification, below is a summarized digest of the principal sources that corroborate the death date and related facts. These items are widely referenced in biographies and archival pages and are useful for researchers assembling a definitive timeline.
- Major newspaper obituaries published immediately after the event, confirming February 5, 1991 as the date of death.
- Entertainment trade publications (e.g., Hollywood and trade press) that highlighted Jagger's Oscar-winning performance and noted the passing in Santa Monica.
- Public databases and film encyclopedias that list his birth and death dates, along with an overview of his filmography.
- Family statements from Etta Jagger (his wife), which described the circumstances surrounding the passing.
- Establish the death date as February 5, 1991 from multiple corroborating outlets.
- Contextualize within his broader career and influence on mid-century cinema.
- Highlight the consistency of the death location (Santa Monica, California) across authoritative records.
- Address common myths or misattributions by cross-referencing primary sources.
- Provide a reliable, citable FAQ structure to support LD-JSON extraction and reader queries.
FAQ (formatted for LD-JSON extraction)
Executive summary for researchers
The death date of Dean Jagger is February 5, 1991, corroborated by multiple major outlets and biographical databases. This date anchors a long career marked by a 1950 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Twelve O'Clock High and a legacy as a quintessential character actor of mid-century American cinema. For precise academic work, consult contemporaneous obituaries in Santa Monica outlets, the Los Angeles Times obituary archive, and the Seattle Times obituary coverage published in early February 1991, which consistently report the event with the date and location.
Additional notes for researchers
Researchers should be aware that early news reports sometimes contain minor inconsistencies in the surrounding details, but the February 5, 1991 date is stable across authoritative retrospective sources. When constructing a timeline, verify cross-references against the following canonical anchors: the Academy Awards archive for the 1950 Best Supporting Actor win, the Santa Monica police and hospital records, and wife's official statements published in major metropolitan newspapers. The combination of contemporary reporting and later archival consolidation provides the most reliable basis for citing the death date and related biographical facts.
Supplementary sources for further reading
For readers seeking deeper context beyond the death date, the following outlets provide authoritative biographical sketches and critical appreciations of Jagger's career: the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences biography page, the Los Angeles Times obituary from February 6, 1991, and the Seattle Times obituary archived in 1991. These sources collectively illuminate his influence as a veteran character actor and his enduring legacy in American film history.
Helpful tips and tricks for Dean Jagger Death Date Still Sparks Curiosity
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[Question]When did Dean Jagger die?
Dean Jagger died on February 5, 1991.
[Question]Where did Dean Jagger die?
He died in Santa Monica, California.
[Question]What was the cause of Dean Jagger's death?
Public records frequently cite heart disease as the cause reported in later summaries, with contemporaneous notices focusing on a natural end after illness.