Page "Jane Greer" Paragraph 1

The five-foot five Greer began life as Bettejane Greer in Washington, D. C., the daughter of Bettie and Charles Dean McLean Greer, Jr.

In 1940, aged 15, Greer suffered from a facial palsy, which paralyzed the left side of her face.

She recovered, but it is speculated that the condition contributed to her " patented look " and " a calm, quizzical gaze and an enigmatic expression that would later lead RKO to promote her as ' the woman with the Mona Lisa smile '.

" She claimed that the facial exercises used to overcome the paralysis taught her how to convey human emotion.

A beauty-contest winner and professional model from her teens, Greer began her show business career as a big band singer.