Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American actress.

Career

She began her career as a dancer in a chorus line under the name Lucille LeSueur, eventually making her way to New York. In 1924, she signed a contract with MGM, and arrived in Culver City, California, in January 1925.

Related Topics:
Chorus line - New York - 1924 - MGM - Culver City, California - 1925

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Starting out in silent movies, she worked hard to ensure that her contract with the 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. The female contestant who entered the name "Joan Crawford" was awarded $500.

Related Topics:
Silent - Movies - Studio - Louis B. Mayer - Fan - Stage name

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Though Crawford reportedly detested the name at first, saying it sounded like "crawfish," and called herself JoAnne for some time, she eventually became used to it. She was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1926, along with Mary Astor, Mary Brian, Dolores Costello, Dolores Del Rio, Janet Gaynor, and Fay Wray.

Related Topics:
WAMPAS Baby Stars - 1926 - Mary Astor - Mary Brian - Dolores Costello - Dolores Del Rio - Janet Gaynor - Fay Wray

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Crawford studied diction and elocution to rid herself of her Southwestern accent. Her first talkie was Untamed (1929). During the 1930s, she was "Queen of the MGM Lot," and was best-known for her steamy pairings opposite Clark Gable in eight movies.

Related Topics:
Diction - Elocution - Southwestern - Accent - Talkie - Untamed - 1929 - 1930s - Clark Gable

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Eventually, her movies began to lose money and she was one of the unfortunate stars to be labeled "box-office poison," along with Katharine Hepburn and Fred Astaire, among others. After appearing in numerous productions at MGM, Crawford's contract was terminated by mutual consent on June 29, 1943. In lieu of one more movie owed under her contract, she paid the studio $100,000. That same day, she drove herself to the studio and personally cleaned out her dressing room. She signed with Warner Bros. for $500,000 for three movies and was placed on the payroll July 1.

Related Topics:
Star - Katharine Hepburn - Fred Astaire - June 29 - 1943 - Warner Bros. - July 1

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She received the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Mildred Pierce (1945).

Related Topics:
Academy Award - Best Actress in a Leading Role - Mildred Pierce - 1945

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Mildred Pierce was a huge hit for Warners and greatly expanded her status as a star. In the movie, Crawford played opposite a stellar cast, including Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, and Butterfly McQueen. Director Michael Curtiz and producer Jerry Wald developed the property specifically for Crawford from the popular James M. Cain novel, which was adapted for the screen by Ranald MacDougall. In what may have been a publicity stunt, Crawford was "ill" the night of the Oscar ceremony and the award was delivered to her home, where she rallied for the cameras. A photograph of her in bed wearing a negligee, holding her award, was widely published in newspapers.

Related Topics:
Jack Carson - Zachary Scott - Eve Arden - Ann Blyth - Butterfly McQueen - Director - Michael Curtiz - Producer - Jerry Wald - James M. Cain - Novel - Ranald MacDougall - Publicity stunt

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She was later nominated for Oscars for Possessed (1947), opposite Van Heflin and Raymond Massey; and for Sudden Fear (1952), the movie that introduced co-star Jack Palance.

Related Topics:
Possessed - 1947 - Van Heflin - Raymond Massey - Sudden Fear - 1952 - Jack Palance

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Joan Crawford acted in 81 motion pictures over the course of her career. She also worked in radio and television.

Related Topics:
Radio - Television

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