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Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American actress. Trained as a dancer, she was signed to a contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in the mid 1920s and groomed to play flappers. When her popularity grew she was cast within many movies in which she played industrious young women world health organization in time discovered romance & profits. These "rags to riches" stories were easily-received by Depression era audiences; women, particularly, seemed to identify with her struggle. Per prevent of the decade she got be one of Hollywood's most large movie stars, and one of a greatest paid women in the U.S. Moving to Warner Bros. in the early 1940s, Crawford won an Academy Award for her performance in Mildred Pierce and achieved some of the better reviews of her career over the as a result years. Inside 1955, she became involved using PepsiCo, the company redo by her endure hubby. Fallowing his demise within 1959, she was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors and was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting regularly until a 1960s when her performances became fewer, and per mid 1970s she became a solitudinarian.
Early life Her mother late married Henry J. Cassin (born 1867). A personal sleep in Lawton, Oklahoma, where Cassin ran a movie theater. A 1910 Comanche County, Oklahoma, Federal Census, enumerated on April 20, shows Henry & Anna residing at 910 "D" Street inside Lawton. Lucille was so Five years aged. For virtually all of her life, Crawford maintained that she was innate within 1908. It has been typically accepted, nevertheless, that she was natural earliest. A few imagine she was innate around 1904, but her brother, Hal, was natural within September 1903, making a birth for Crawford exclusively Half a dozen months late impossible. When birth records for San Antonio are non available for years sooner than 1908, & in the absence of the birth certificate, her season of birth has been approximated to become 1905 based on the April 1910 nose count whilst she was Phoebe. [http://www.genealogymagazine.com/joancrawford.html] Lucille favorite a nickname "Billie," & she loved watching survive acts of vaudeville perform on the stage of her stepfather's theater. Her ambition was to exist as the dancer. Unluckily, she cut her foot deeply in a broken milk bottle whenever she leapt from either the front porch of her range in an attempt to escape piano lessons & dog & play by having friends. The neighbor, Don Blanding, who became the poet, carried her into a home & phoned the doctor. She was unable to attend simple school for one & a half and yet got trey operations in her foot. Demonstrating a steely determination that would help her for a rest of her life, she in time overcame the injury & returned non just to walking commonly, however to dancing too. Inside astir 1916, the personal moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Henry Casswithin was number 1 used in the City Directory in 1917, living at 403 East Ninth Street. When however around simple school, she was laid within St. Agnes Academy, the Catholic school in Kansas City. Late, fallowing her mother & stepfather broke higher, she continue at St. Agnes as a act student. She so attend Rockingham Academy as a act student. & around 1922 she registered at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and gave her year of birth when 1906. She attended Stephens for to a lesser degree a year, yet, when she recognized that she was non academically steel onself for college at that period.
Career Starting call at silent movies, she worked hard to assure that her locate a studio would be renewed. Studio chief Louis B. Mayer was unhappy with her name, reportedly saying that "LeSueur" sounded too close to "sewer." A contest in the fan magazine Movie Weekly was the source of her well-known stage name. A female contestant world health organization entered a title "Joan Crawford" was awarded $500. Though Crawford reportedly despised a title ab initio, saying it sounded prefer "crawfish," & known as herself JoAnne for occasionally instance, she finally became wont to it. She was known as one of a WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1926, along with Mary Astor, Mary Brian, Dolores Costello, Dolores Del Rio, Janet Gaynor, and Fay Wray. Crawford exposed diction and elocution to rid herself of her Southwestern accent. Her 1st talkie was Untamed (1929). In a period of the 1930s, she was "Queen of the MGM Lot," and was right-known for her steamy pairings paired Clark Gable in eight movies. Finally, her picture began to lose money & she was one of a poor stars to be labeled "box-office poison," along by using Katharine Hepburn and Fred Astaire, among others. When appearing around many productions at MGM, Crawford's contract was terminated by reciprocal consent in June 29, 1943. Within stead of of these other motion picture owed under her contract, she paid a studio $100,000. That equivalent day, she drove herself to the studio & personally filtered out her dressing room. She signed using Warner Bros. for $500,000 for three flick & was set on the payroll July 1. She received a Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Mildred Pierce (1945). Mildred Pierce was the brobdingnagian hit for Warners & greatly expanded her status as a star. In the flick, Crawford played opposite the leading cast, including Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, and Butterfly McQueen. Director Michael Curtiz and producer Jerry Wald developed a property specifically for Crawford from either the popular James M. Cain novel, which was adapted for the screen by Ranald MacDougall. Around what can use at times been the publicity stunt, Crawford was "ill" a nighttime of a Oscar ceremony & the award was delivered to her personal, in which she rallied for the cameras. The pic of her around bed wearing the neglige, holding her award, was widely published within newspapers. She was late nominated for Oscars for Possessed (1947), opposite Van Heflin and Raymond Massey; and for Sudden Fear (1952), the flick that introduced co-star Jack Palance. Joan Crawford acted around 81 motion pictures all over a course of her career. She likewise worked within radio and television.
Marriages She got quartet married man: actors Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (married June 3, 1929 in New York, divorced 1933), Franchot Tone (married October 11, 1935 in New Jersey, divorced 1939), and Phillip Terry (married July 21, 1942 at Hidden Valley Ranch in Ventura County, California, divorced 1946); and Pepsi-Cola president Alfred N. Steele (married May 10, 1955 in Las Vegas, Nevada). Crawford moved to the shower flat, benumb Xxii-G inside the Imperial Home, in Up to date York by using her survive hubby, Alfred Steele. He died there in April 19, 1959. She so sold her Brentwood mansion & stay inside Future York, although she saved the little flat within Los Angeles for her frequent trips there.
Adopted children A foremost was Christina (natural June 11, 1939). Crawford was one, divorced woman after she adopted her inside 1940. the 2nd was a son she known as Christopher Crawford (natural April 1941). She adopted him inside June of that season. Around 1942, his biological mother found retired in which he was & managed for him back. A third was an eight month old son she known as Phillip Terry, Jr. (innate 1935). She & Terry adopted him inside April 1943, but did non keep him either. A for was Christopher (innate October 15, 1943). She & Terry adopted him that equivalent seaboy, & he remained her son fallowing she & Terry divorced. (Based on data from Christina, Joan changed this 2nd Christopher's birth date to October 15 because she was afraid he would besides exist as taken away.) A fifth & sixth were twin girls Cynthia "Cindy" Crawford & Cathy Crawford (two natural January 13, 1947). Crawford adopted the two around June of that month, when she was one woman. (Based on data from Christina, Joan known as the babies twins however it were does'nt. Cindy & Cathy two dispute that claim. Based on data from the two, it is twins innate within Dyersburg, Tennessee, to an unwed mother world health organization died heptad years fallowing their birth. It said that Crawford was afraid their biological parents will try & develop the children back & would so say it were non twins. Their version is uniform by having newspapers reports at a instance of their adoption.)
Religion
Work at Pepsi
She was a recipient of the Sixth Annual "Pally Award," which was in the shape of the bronze Pepsi bottle. It was awarded to a employee making the virtually all important contribution to company sales.
Final Years Her book, The Way of Life, was promulgated within 1971 by Simon and Schuster. Inside September 1973, she moved from flat Xxii-G to the little flat 22-H in the Imperial Home. Her endure public appearance was September 23, 1974, at a person honoring Rosalind Russell at New York's Rainbow Room. In May 8, 1977, she gave away her Shih Tzu dog named Princess Lotus Blossom. Joan Crawford died deuce years late at her flat inside Up to date York of the heart attack while ill using pancreatic cancer at the age of 72. The funeral was held at Campbell Funeral Personal, Just released York, in May 13, 1977, at 10 the.m. Completely quaternity of her adopted tykes attended, when did her niece, girl of her late brother, Hal LeSueur. Crawford's Last Will and Testament was read to the personal that evening. In the might, which was signed February 28, 1976, she bequeathed to the two immature of her kids, Cindy & Cathy, $77,500 both from either her $2,000,000 estate. But, she explicitly disinherited a firstborn 2, Christina & Christopher, by having a sentence "...for reasons which should be well known to them." The memorial service was held for Crawford in the least Persons' Unitarian Church inside Lexington Avenue in Up to date York May 16, attended by, among other, her old Hollywood friend Myrna Loy. An additional memorial service, organized by George Cukor, was held June 24 in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. She was cremated and her ashes placed around the crypt using her go hubby, Alfred Steele, within Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York.
Legacy Shortly when her dying, a firstborn of her quadruplet tykes, Christina, published a better merchandising exposé containing allegations that Crawford was emotionally & physically abusive to her and her brother, Christopher. Though it was harshly criticized by numerous of Crawford's friends, her reputation was severely tarnished per claims. the book was late manufactured into a moving-picture show of the equivalent title starring Faye Dunaway. For farther detail & comment, look at: Mommie Dearest (book) and/or Mommie Dearest (motion picture). Within 2005, transcripts reportedly from Marilyn Monroe's sessions by having her psychologist revealed that she allegedly got the of these-nighttime have with Crawford. Based on data from Monroe, Crawford enjoyed a intimate encounter & wanted to keep around an additional. Monroe claimed to own declined Crawford's offer, which manufactured a older actress "spiteful."
In pop culture
Filmography
Television performances
Archive footage
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Joan Crawford Heaven Image galleries, quotes from and about the actress, links to other web site and some general information. Bright Lights Film Journal: Joan Crawford During an astonishing fifty-year career, Joan Crawford kept her name blazing in letters of fire. You could dislike her, but you could not ignore her. Meredy's Joan Crawford Trivia Mania Photographs and quiz. Joan Crawford Tribute Includes biography, trivia, poll, quotes, and images. My Top 5 Actors Filmography, photographs and awards. Lynn's Page Devoted to Joan Crawford Brief biography, images and links. Joan Crawford News: Topix.net News about Joan Crawford continually updated from around the net. IMDb - Joan Crawford Filmography, biography, photographs, message board and links. Denny Jackson's Joan Crawford Page Career overview with photographs. Divas - The Site Her story, personal quotes, trivia, nickname, gallery and links. |
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