Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford's extraordinary career encompassed over 45 years and some 80 films. After a tough, poor childhood, she was spotted in a chorus line by MGM and signed as an ingenue in 1925. Her portrayal of a good-hearted flapper in her 21st film, "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928), made her a star. Crawford maintained this status throughout the remainder of her career, but not without setbacks. She successfully made the transition to sound films, her Jazz Age image being replaced by young society matrons and sincere, upwardly mobile, sometimes gritty working girls (memorably in "Grand Hotel" 1932) and her mien adopting the carefully sculptured cheekbones, broad shoulders and full mouth audiences remember her for. Her MGM films of the 1930s, though lavish and stylish, were mostly routine and superficial. Despite mature and impressive performances in "The Women" (1939) and "A Woman's Face" (1941), both directed by George Cukor, Crawford continued to be given less-than-challenging roles by the studio.

In 1943 Crawford left MGM and her career took a decided upward turn after she signed with Warner Bros. the following year. In numerous Warner Bros. melodramas and "films noir", a new Crawford persona emerged: intelligent, often neurotic, powerful and sometimes ruthless, but also vulnerable and dependent. Memorable roles in "Mildred Pierce" (1945, for which she deservedly won an Oscar), "Humoresque" (1946) and "Possessed" (1947) restored and consolidated her popularity. In her nine "films noirs" for Warner Bros. and other studios, as well in most of her non-"noir" features (such as "Harriet Craig", 1950), Crawford gave expert and fully realized interpretations.

After this brief period of success, Crawford's career declined once again, and in 1952 her remarkable business acumen told her to leave Warners. She freelanced thereafter, notably for RKO in "Sudden Fear" (1952), a performance which earned Crawford her third Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She was also memorable as a female firebrand in Nicholas Ray's outrageously stylized Western, "Johnny Guitar" (1954). With the exception of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962), Crawford's performances of the 60s were mostly self-caricatures in second-rate horror films ("Berserk!" 1967, "Trog" 1970). Although these later features were poor vehicles for her talents, she was a resilient and consummate professional with an uncanny knowledge of the business of stardom who was fiercely loyal to her fans and who continued to impose the highest standards of performance upon herself. Crawford was married to actors Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Franchot Tone and was portrayed as a cruel, violent and calculating mother by Faye Dunaway in the 1981 film, "Mommie Dearest", based on a scathing biography by her adopted daughter Christina.

• Also Credited As:
  Billie Cassin, Billy Casey, Lucille Fay Le Sueur
• Born:
  March 23, 1904 in San Antonio, Texas, United States
• Died:
  May 10, 1977.
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Dancer, Laundress, Shopgirl, Waitress

Family

• Brother: Hal LeSueur. older
• Daughter: Catharine Crawford. adopted; twin of Cynthia; married name Lalonde
• Daughter: Christina Crawford. adopted; wrote Mommie Dearest in 1978 which portrayed Crawford as a monstrous mother
• Daughter: Cynthia Jordan Crawford. adopted; twin of Cathy
• Father: Thomas LeSuer. separated from Crawford s mother before her birth
• Mother: Anna LeSueur.
• Son: Christopher Terry. adopted
• Step-father: Henry Cassin.

Significant Others

• Companion: Clark Gable. born on February 1, 1901; died on November 16, 1960; known as The King of Hollywood, was American film s most popular male lead of the 1930s and early 40s; reported to have had intermittent, ongoing affair with Crawford for over a 10-year period; the two appeared together in Dance Fools Dance , Laughing Sinners , Possessed (all 1931), Dancing Lady (1933), Chained (1934), Forsaking All Others (1935), Love on the Run (1937), Strange Cargo (1940)
• Companion: Edward Norris. was simultaneously involved with Crawford and actress Hedy Lamarr
• Companion: Greg Bautzer. had affair in late 1940s
• Companion: Michael Cudahy. wealthy society figure with whom Crawford is reported to have had an affair in the 1920s

Education

• Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri
• Rockingham School

Milestones

• 1916 Grew up with mother and stepfather in Lawton, Oklahoma; moved with family to Kansas City, Missouri (date approximate)
• 1923 Won amateur dance contest; went to Chicago and Detroit in search of dance career
• 1924 In chorus of New York production of Innocent Eyes ; spotted third from the left in the back row by MGM producer Harry Rapf; subsequently given screen test
• 1925 As Miss MGM introduced trailer reel of upcoming MGM films
• 1925 Feature film debut (as double for Norma Shearer) in Lady of the Night
• 1925 Film acting debut in King Vidor s Proud Flesh
• 1926 Voted one of 13 WAMPAS (Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers) Baby Stars along with Dolores Del Rio, Mary Astor and others
• 1929 After singing in the all-star Hollywood Revue of 1929 made full-fledged sound debut in Untamed
• 1931 First teamed with Clark Gable in Dance Fools Dance , Laughing Sinners and Possessed
• 1932 Made motion picture exhibitors poll of top ten box office stars
• 1938 Named box office poison by motion picture exhibitors; MGM renewed her contract nonetheless
• 1943 Last film for MGM for ten years, Above Suspicion
• 1944 Made cameo appearance in all-star fund-raising film, Hollywood Canteen
• 1944 Signed contract with Warner Bros. paying her slightly less but giving her script approval
• 1945 First starring film under Warners contract, the popular and acclaimed melodrama, Mildred Pierce
• 1952 Last film under Warner Bros. contract, This Woman Is Dangerous ; began free-lancing
• 1952 Regained her star clout with successful appearance in RKO s Sudden Fear
• 1953 One-shot return to MGM to star in musical drama, Torch Song
• 1957 Played last romantic lead, The Story of Esther Costello
• 1959 Elected to board of directors of Pepsi-Cola two days after the death of husband Alfred Steele, Pepsi executive
• 1959 Played first supporting character role in The Best of Everything ; still received star billing
• 1962 Career revived with starring role opposite Bette Davis in popular Grand Guignol semi-horror film, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
• 1964 Co-starred opposite Diane Baker in made for TV film, Della
• 1970 Last feature film, Trog
• Among the leading lady parts with which Crawford attained stardom are her roles in Sally, Irene, and Mary (1925), Paris (1926) and Our Dancing Daughters (1928)
• Appearances in The Women (1939) and Strange Cargo (1940) helped Crawford regain popularity and garner new critical regard
• Contest held by MGM to rename its new contract player; for a while used winning entry name of Joan Arden until an extra with that name was discovered on the set; name changed to second place entry, Joan Crawford