Jeanette Anna MacDonald was born on June 18, 1903, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the youngest of three daughters. Jeanette was a talented singer and went to New York to study music. She began her career on Broadway. In 1929 Jeanette made her film debut in the musical The Love Parade. It was a hit and Jeanette became one of Hollywood's hottest actresses. Jeanette's success continued with starring roles in The Lottery Bride and Love Me Tonight. Her sister, Marie Blake, also became an actress. Jeanette signed a lucrative contract with MGM in 1934. The following year she was paired with baritone Nelson Eddy in Naughty Marietta. Jeanette and Nelson became one of Hollywood's most popular duos and were nicknamed "America's Singing Sweethearts". They made seven more movies together including Maytime and Sweethearts.

Jeanette and Nelson were romantically involved for many years but kept their affair a secret. In June 1937 Jeanette married actor Gene Raymond. Although they appeared happy in public Jeanette and Gene had a troubled marriage. Jeanette was unable to have children and their were rumors that Gene was gay. In 1939 Jeanette was voted "Queen Of Hollywood" in a nationwide poll. Her $300,000 a year salary made her one of the highest paid actresses. After making several unsuccessful films Jeanette decided to leave MGM in 1942. Jeanette performed live concerts and appeared in several stage productions. In 1958 Jeanette re-teamed with Nelson to record an album of duets. As Jeanette got older health problems forced her to stop working. She died on January 14, 1965 from a heart attack. Jeanette is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.