- published: 08 Apr 2014
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Dean Jeffries Jagger (November 7, 1903 – February 5, 1991) was an American film, stage and television actor who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Henry King's Twelve O'Clock High (1949).
Born in Columbus Grove or Lima, Ohio, he dropped out of school several times before finally attending Wabash College. While at Wabash, he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and played football. He dropped out in his sophomore year, realizing he was not suited for an academic life. For a few semesters, he taught all eight grades in an elementary school, before heading to Chicago.
Jagger studied acting at Chicago's Lyceum Arts Conservatory. He joined a stock company as Spencer Tracy's replacement. He performed in vaudeville, on the radio and on stage, making his Broadway debut in 1925 in a bit part in a George M. Cohan production. Through the '30s and '40s, he performed in a number of Broadway plays, including the original production of Tobacco Road.