Jean Simmons, 'Guys and Dolls' actress, dies

LOS ANGELES - Jean Simmons, whose ethereal screen presence and starring roles with Hollywood's top actors made her a mid-century film icon, has died at age 80.

The British actress, who sang with Marlon Brando in "Guys and Dolls"; co-starred with Gregory Peck, Paul Newman and Kirk Douglas; and played Ophelia to Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, died Friday at her home in Santa Monica, her agent Judy Page told the Los Angeles Times. She had lung cancer.

Simmons was nominated for an Oscar in Olivier's "Hamlet" in 1948 for best supporting actress and for best actress for 1969's "The Happy Ending," before moving largely to television roles. She won an Emmy Award for her role in the 1980s miniseries "The Thorn Birds."

Simmons and her husband, actor Jimmy Granger, divorced in 1960. They had a daughter, Tracy. Shortly after her divorce, Simmons married director Richard Brooks. Their marriage, which produced a daughter, Kate, ended in divorce. - AP