Jeannette Kerner; Character Actress on Screen and Stage

Jeannette Kerner, 85, character actress for 60 years in films from “History Is Made at Night” in 1937 to “George of the Jungle” in 1997, died May 25 of pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Born in Omaha, she came to Los Angeles to study costume design at the Art Center College of Design, but also took acting and voice lessons. She was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild in 1936, appearing regularly in film and television and on stage.

In recent years, she was in several motion pictures produced by her son, Jordan Kerner. Among them were “Less Than Zero,” “Funny About Love” and “The Mighty Ducks” and its sequels.

She had roles in several movies for TV produced by her son, including “Do You Know the Muffin Man?” “Backfield in Motion” and the 1995 “Naomi and Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge.”