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IMDbPro

Joan Crawford(1906-1977)

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000397
Joan Crawford c. 1931
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:32
Trog (1970)
26 Videos
99+ Photos
Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23, 1906, in San Antonio, Texas, to Anna Belle (Johnson) and Thomas E. LeSueur, a laundry laborer. By the time she was born, her parents had separated, and by the time she was a teenager, she'd had three stepfathers. It wasn't an easy life; Crawford worked a variety of menial jobs. She was a good dancer, though, and -- perhaps seeing dance as her ticket to a career in show business -- she entered several contests, one of which landed her a spot in a chorus line. Before long, she was dancing in big Midwestern and East Coast cities. After almost two years, she packed her bags and moved to Hollywood. Crawford was determined to succeed, and shortly after arriving she got her first bit part, as a showgirl in Pretty Ladies (1925).

Three films quickly followed; although the roles weren't much to speak of, she continued toiling. Throughout 1927 and early 1928, she was cast in small parts, but that ended with the role of Diana Medford in Our Dancing Daughters (1928), which elevated her to star status. Crawford had cleared the first big hurdle; now came the second, in the form of talkies. Many stars of the silents saw their careers evaporate, either because their voices weren't particularly pleasant or because their voices, pleasing enough, didn't match the public's expectations (for example, some fans felt that John Gilbert's tenor didn't quite match his very masculine persona). But Crawford wasn't felled by sound. Her first talkie, Untamed (1929), was a success. As the 1930s progressed, Crawford became one of the biggest stars at MGM. She was in top form in films such as Grand Hotel (1932), Sadie McKee (1934), No More Ladies (1935), and Love on the Run (1936); movie patrons were enthralled, and studio executives were satisfied.

By the early 1940s, MGM was no longer giving her plum roles; newcomers had arrived in Hollywood, and the public wanted to see them. Crawford left MGM for rival Warner Bros., and in 1945 she landed the role of a lifetime. Mildred Pierce (1945) gave her an opportunity to show her range as an actress, and her performance as a woman driven to give her daughter everything garnered Crawford her first, and only, Oscar for Best Actress. The following year she appeared with John Garfield in the well-received Humoresque (1946). In 1947, she appeared as Louise Graham in Possessed (1947); again she was nominated for a Best Actress from the Academy, but she lost to Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter (1947). Crawford continued to choose her roles carefully, and in 1952 she was nominated for a third time, for her depiction of Myra Hudson in Sudden Fear (1952). This time the coveted Oscar went to Shirley Booth, for Come Back, Little Sheba (1952). Crawford's career slowed after that; she appeared in minor roles until 1962, when she and Bette Davis co-starred in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Their longstanding rivalry may have helped fuel their phenomenally vitriolic and well-received performances. (Earlier in their careers, Davis said of Crawford, "She's slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie", and Crawford said of Davis, "I don't hate [her] even though the press wants me to. I resent her. I don't see how she built a career out of a set of mannerisms instead of real acting ability. Take away the pop eyes, the cigarette, and those funny clipped words, and what have you got? She's phony, but I guess the public really likes that.")

Crawford's final appearance on the silver screen was in the flop Trog (1970). Turning to vodka more and more, she was hardly seen afterward. On May 10, 1977, Joan died of a heart attack in New York City. She was 71 years old. She had disinherited her adopted daughter Christina and son Christopher; the former wrote a tell-all book called "Mommie Dearest", The Sixth Sense published in 1978. The book cast Crawford in a negative light and was cause for much debate, particularly among her friends and acquaintances, including Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Crawford's first husband. (In 1981, Faye Dunaway starred in Mommie Dearest (1981) which did well at the box office.) Crawford is interred in the same mausoleum as fellow MGM star Judy Garland, in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
BornMarch 23, 1906
DiedMay 10, 1977(71)
BornMarch 23, 1906
DiedMay 10, 1977(71)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000397
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 12 wins & 13 nominations total

Photos1328

Joan Crawford and Franchot Tone in No More Ladies (1935)
Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Phyllis Povah, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Mildred Shay in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford and Virginia Weidler in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford and William Bakewell in West Point (1927)

Known for:

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
8.0
  • Blanche Hudson
  • 1962
Eve Arden, Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, and Zachary Scott in Mildred Pierce (1945)
Mildred Pierce
7.9
  • Mildred Pierce Beragon
  • 1945
Joan Crawford and David Brian in The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
The Damned Don't Cry
7.2
  • Ethel Whitehead (Lorna Hansen Forbes)
  • 1950
Torch Song (1953)
Torch Song
5.6
  • Jenny Stewart
  • 1953

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • The Sixth Sense (1972)
    The Sixth Sense
    • Joan Fairchild
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970)
    The Tim Conway Comedy Hour
    • Joan Crawford
    • Lillian Abbott
    • Diamond Thief
    • TV Series
    • 1970
  • Trog (1970)
    Trog
    • Dr. Brockton
    • 1970
  • James Drury, Doug McClure, and John McIntire in The Virginian (1962)
    The Virginian
    • Stephanie White
    • TV Series
    • 1970
  • Rod Serling in Night Gallery (1969)
    Night Gallery
    • Miss Claudia Menlo (segment "Eyes")
    • TV Series
    • 1969
  • Journey to Midnight (1968)
    Journey to Midnight
    • Hostess (scenes deleted)
    • 1968
  • Nicolas Coster in The Secret Storm (1954)
    The Secret Storm
    • Joan Borman Kane
    • TV Series
    • 1968
  • The Lucy Show (1962)
    The Lucy Show
    • Joan Crawford
    • TV Series
    • 1968
  • Joan Crawford, Michael Gough, Diana Dors, Thomas Cimarro, and Ty Hardin in Berserk (1967)
    Berserk
    • Monica Rivers
    • 1967
  • Robert Vaughn, Leo G. Carroll, and David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
    • Amanda True
    • TV Series
    • 1967
  • Ernest Borgnine, Stephen Boyd, Joseph Cotten, Jill St. John, Tony Bennett, Edie Adams, Eleanor Parker, and Elke Sommer in The Oscar (1966)
    The Oscar
    • Joan Crawford (uncredited)
    • 1966
  • Diane Baker, Joan Crawford, and Paul Burke in Della (1965)
    Della
    • Della
    • 1965
  • I Saw What You Did (1965)
    I Saw What You Did
    • Amy Nelson
    • 1965
  • Strait-Jacket (1964)
    Strait-Jacket
    • Lucy Harbin
    • 1964
  • George Maharis and Martin Milner in Route 66 (1960)
    Route 66
    • Morgan Harper
    • TV Series
    • 1963

Writer

  • A Lazy Summer Afternoon with Mario Montez
    • autobiography
    • Short
    • 2012
  • Brian Aherne, Diane Baker, Stephen Boyd, Joan Crawford, Robert Evans, Martha Hyer, Louis Jourdan, Hope Lange, and Suzy Parker in The Best of Everything (1959)
    The Best of Everything
    • screenplay revision (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Sudden Fear
    • collaborating writer (uncredited)
    • 1952
  • Joan Crawford and Wendell Corey in Harriet Craig (1950)
    Harriet Craig
    • collaborating writer (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Joan Crawford and David Brian in The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
    The Damned Don't Cry
    • collaborating writer (uncredited)
    • 1950
  • Spencer Tracy and Joan Crawford in Mannequin (1937)
    Mannequin
    • character development (uncredited)
    • 1937
  • Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Robert Montgomery in Forsaking All Others (1934)
    Forsaking All Others
    • character development (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Jean Alden, Gail Arnold, Lee Bailey, Lynn Bari, Bonita Barker, Kathryn Barnes, Esther Brodelet, Edna Callahan, Lorena Carr, Shirley Chambers, Dalie Dean, Shirley Deane, Dorothy Dearing, Dale Dee, Florine Baile, Elizabeth Cooke, Alan DeAstray, Francis Belmont, and Louis Delgardo in Dancing Lady (1933)
    Dancing Lady
    • collaborating writer (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Joan Crawford in Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
    Dance, Fools, Dance
    • collaborating writer (uncredited)
    • 1931

Producer

  • Diane Baker, Joan Crawford, and Paul Burke in Della (1965)
    Della
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1965
  • The Joan Crawford Show: Woman on the Run
    • executive producer (uncredited)
    • TV Movie
    • 1959
  • Heather Sears in The Story of Esther Costello (1957)
    The Story of Esther Costello
    • co-producer (uncredited)
    • 1957
  • Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Sudden Fear
    • executive producer (uncredited)
    • 1952

Videos26

Trailer
Trailer 2:03
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:19
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:27
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:50
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:59
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:44
Trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 2:53
Original Theatrical Trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 3:27
Original Theatrical Trailer
Original Trailer
Trailer 2:16
Original Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:35
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:25
Official Trailer
Mannequin
Trailer 3:00
Mannequin

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Billie Cassin
  • Height
    • 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
  • Born
    • March 23, 1906
    • San Antonio, Texas, USA
  • Died
    • May 10, 1977
    • New York City, New York, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouses
      Alfred SteeleJanuary 14, 1956 - April 19, 1959 (his death)
  • Children
      Christina Crawford
  • Parents
      Thomas E. LeSueur
  • Relatives
      Hal Le Sueur(Sibling)
  • Other works
    She was set to host and star in 20 episodes of an anthology to be called "The Joan Crawford Show", but Goodson-Todman Productions couldn't interest any of the networks in the proposed series.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Biographical Movies
    • 19 Print Biographies
    • 5 Portrayals
    • 1 Interview
    • 50 Articles
    • 16 Pictorials
    • 26 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was asked to take over Carole Lombard 's role in They All Kissed the Bride (1942) after Lombard died in an airplane crash returning from a war bond tour. Crawford then donated all of her salary to the Red Cross, which found Lombard's body, and promptly fired her agent for taking his usual 10%.
  • Quotes
    I need sex for a clear complexion, but I'd rather do it for love.
  • Trademarks
      Glamorous sense of fashion
  • Nicknames
    • Billie Cassin
    • Cranberry
    • Billie
  • Salaries
      The Sixth Sense
      (1972)
      $2,500

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