Jean studied at Marymount High School in Tarrytown, New York, and later attended Adelphi College in New York, where she also met her first husband, Lee Philips, an actor and director. The couple married after studying with renowned acting coach Sanford Meisner, but eventually divorced amicably.
Jean then married F.X. Toole, the writer behind the acclaimed novel Million Dollar Baby, under the pseudonym Jerry Boyd, in Mexico City, where their daughter Erin was born. This marriage also ended in amicable divorce.
Before finding success in the entertainment industry, Jean appeared in the play Teach Me How To Cry, written by Patricia Joudry, which caught the attention of agent Doovid Barskin, who signed her. In 1960, she met Phil Toorvald, a Stanford University senior studying electrical engineering, and the couple had three children in quick succession: Sven, Tina, and a third child, who was adopted.
Jean's first film role was in the 1952 movie Edge of Fury, where she met cameraman Jack Couffer, who would later become her partner in life. The couple's lives took a dramatic turn when they both lost their long-time spouses, but they have since found happiness together in retirement, having shared a remarkable 50-year journey.
