Born in Houston, Texas, George was the daughter of Hubert E. and Jeannette C. Clift.[3] She earned her degree from the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin.[1]
Acting
George's professional experience included acting with the Alley Theatre in Houston, Philadelphia's Playhouse in the Park, the District of Columbia's Arena Stage, and Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre. She also toured with the New York Shakespeare Company.[3]
In 1967, George founded the After Dinner (A.D.) Players Theater Company in Houston. She led the company, which produces six main shows annually, for more than 50 years until her death in December 2017.[1][2] Her acting with the group spanned 44 years, beginning with IBID (1968) and ending with Whatever Happened to the Villa Real (2012).[4]
In addition to her acting and theater careers, Clift was also an author and Bible teacher.[1]
In the 1980s, George performed in the one-act, one-woman play Rachel, Woman of Masada, portraying a grandmother who survived a mass suicide at the ancient Masada fortress in Israel.[5]
On screen, George (billed as Jeannette Clift)[6] was best known for her role as Corrie ten Boom in the 1975 film, The Hiding Place. The film recounted the real-life story of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian woman who hid and rescued Jews from the Nazis during the German occupation of the Netherlands.
Writing
Plays that George wrote include John, His Story, IBID, Whatever Happened to the Villa Real,[4]Rowena,[7]Virgule and Ret.[8]
Personal life
George was married to Lorraine Malcom George,[3] who died in 2004.[4]
George was named a "distinguished alumnus" by the University of Texas,[1] and she received honorary degrees from Houston Baptist University and Dallas Baptist University.[4]
She received a 1976 Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year—Actress for her role in The Hiding Place.[6] In addition to that nomination, George was honored by the Association for Women in Communications with a Matrix Award for "outstanding contributions" as a playwright. She also received a Texas Baptist Communications Award in 1988, as a well as a Delta Gamma fraternity Shield Award.[1]
Legacy
The Jeannette & L.M. George Theater in Houston is named for George and her husband. Dedicated in 2017, the 450-seat theater is in the city’s Galleria-Uptown area.[4]
