Joan Crawford's photo

Joan Crawford

Born: 1906-03-23 in San Antonio, Texas, USA

Died: 1977-05-10

Known For: Acting

Biography

Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 1906 – May 10, 1977) was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford launched a publicity campaign and built an image as a nationally known flapper by the end of the 1920s. By the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money. By the end of the 1930s, she was labeled "box office poison". After an absence of nearly two years from the screen, Crawford staged a comeback by starring in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1955, she became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company, through her marriage to company president Alfred Steele. After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen. Following a public appearance in 1974, after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life. She became more and more reclusive until her death in 1977.

Filmography

2025

2017

2011

2008

2006

2004

2003

2002

2000

1996

1984

1983

1982

1976

1975

1974

1972

1971

1970

  • Trog as Dr. Brockton

1969

1968

1967

1966

1965

1964

1963

1960

1959

1958

1957

1956

1955

1954

1953

1952

1951

1950

1949

1947

1946

1945

1944

1943

1942

1941

1939

1938

1937

1936

1935

1934

1933

1932

1931

1930

1929

1928

1927

1926

1925

Write a Review for

Create a New List