Date of Birth
23 March 1906 , San Antonio, Texas, USA
Date of Death
10 May 1977 , New York City, New York, USA (heart attack)
5' 3" (1,6 m)
By the time Lucille Fay LeSueur was born -- on March 23, 1905, in San
Antonio, Texas -- 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
El jazz-Band del follies
(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
Vírgenes modernas (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
Gran hotel (1932),
Así ama la mujer (1934),
No más mujeres (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.
Alma en suplicio
(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
De amor también se muere (1946). In 1947, she appeared as Louise Graham in
El amor que mata (1947); again she was nominated for a Best Actress from the Academy, but she lost to
Loretta Young in
Un destino de mujer (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
Miedo súbito (1952). This time the coveted Oscar went to
Shirley Booth, for
Vuelve pequeña Sheba (1952).
Crawford's career slowed after that; she appeared in minor roles until 1962, when she and
Bette Davis co-starred in
¿Qué fue de 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 a flop called
Trog
(1970). Turning to vodka more and more, she was hardly seen afterward.
On May 10, 1977, Joan died of cancer in New York City. She was 72 years
old. She had disinherited her adopted daughter Christina and son
Christopher; the former wrote a tell-all book called "Mommie Dearest",
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.
- IMDb Mini Biography By:
Denny Jackson, with assistance from Copy Editor
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