Jill Dorothy Ireland

 Jill Dorothy Ireland (April 24, 1936 – May 18, 1990)

She began acting in the mid-1950s with bit parts in films including Simon and Laura (1955) and Three Men in a Boat (1956). Ireland was married to actor David McCallum from 1957 to 1967, and to actor Charles Bronson from 1968 until her death in 1990. They had first met when McCallum introduced them on the set of The Great Escape (1963). With Bronson, she had two children, a daughter born to the couple, and an adopted daughter. They co-starred together in the French movie, Rider on the Rain (1970), Villa Rides (1968) and had also played an uncredited bit part in his movie, London Affair (1970), a movie that made Bronson a major star in Europe. They starred in 13 more pictures in the next 17 years, a period during which Bronson rivaled Clint Eastwood as the biggest movie star in the world in the early and mid-1970's before his star waned in the 1980's. Ireland was diagnosed with cancer in her right breast in 1984 and underwent a mastectomy. She wrote about her battle with the disease and her advocacy for the American Cancer Society led to the organization giving her its Courage Award. Ireland was presented with the award by President Ronald Reagan. Jill Ireland died of breast cancer at her home in Malibu, California on May 18, 1990. She was 54 years old.