Joan Crawford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joan Crawford
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1946 pin up photo by Paul Hesse
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Lucille Fay LeSueur
c. March 23, 1904 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
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| Died | May 10, 1977 (aged 73) |
| Resting place | Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, dancer, business executive |
| Years active | 1925–1972 |
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| Children | 4, including Christina Crawford |
| Relatives | Hal LeSueur (brother) |
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Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; around March 23, 1904) was a famous American actress. She started her career as a dancer and a showgirl on stage. Later, she became a big star in movies and on television. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her one of the top ten greatest female stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
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Early Life and Childhood
Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in San Antonio, Texas. Her family had roots from different European countries. She was the second child of Thomas E. LeSueur, a construction worker, and Anna Bell Johnson. She had an older sister, Daisy, and a brother, Hal LeSueur.
When Lucille was very young, her father left the family. Her mother later married Henry J. Cassin, who ran an opera house in Lawton, Oklahoma. Lucille, who liked to be called "Billie," loved watching the vaudeville shows at her stepfather's theater. She dreamed of becoming a dancer.
One day, while trying to avoid piano lessons, she hurt her foot badly. She needed several surgeries and couldn't dance or go to school for a long time.
Moving and Schooling
In 1917, her family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Lucille was sent to St. Agnes Academy, where she worked to pay for her schooling. She spent most of her time cooking and cleaning instead of studying. She later went to Rockingham Academy, also as a working student.
In 1922, she briefly attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. However, she soon realized she wasn't ready for college. Because her family moved a lot and her home life was unstable, Joan Crawford's formal education did not go beyond elementary school.
Becoming a Star: Joan Crawford's Career
Joan Crawford began her career as a dancer in traveling shows. She then became a chorus girl on Broadway. In 1925, she signed a movie contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a major film studio.
Rise to Fame in Hollywood
In the 1930s, Joan Crawford became incredibly famous, even more so than other big stars at MGM like Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. She often played strong, hard-working young women who found love and success. These characters were very popular with audiences during the Great Depression. Many women especially loved her films. Joan Crawford became one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars and one of the highest-paid women in the United States.
However, by the late 1930s, some of her films started losing money. She was even called "box office poison" by some critics.
Comeback and Later Success
Her career began to improve in the early 1940s. In 1945, she made a huge comeback with the movie Mildred Pierce. For her role in this film, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
She received more Best Actress nominations for Possessed (1947) and Sudden Fear (1952). She continued to act in movies and on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She had another big hit with the horror film Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962). In this movie, she starred alongside Bette Davis, who was her long-time rival.
In 1955, Joan Crawford became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company when she married its chairman, Alfred Steele. After he passed away in 1959, she was chosen to take his place on the company's board of directors. She served on the board until 1973. In 1970, Crawford officially retired from acting. After a public appearance in 1974, she decided to withdraw from public life. She became more private until her death in 1977.
Personal Life and Family
Joan Crawford was married four times. Her first three marriages ended in divorce. Her last marriage ended when her husband, Alfred Steele, passed away. She adopted four children during her life.
Her relationships with her two older adopted children, Christina and Christopher, were difficult. Joan Crawford did not leave them anything in her will. After Crawford's death, Christina wrote a book called Mommie Dearest (1978) about her experiences.
Death and Lasting Legacy
On May 8, 1977, Joan Crawford gave away her beloved dog, "Princess Lotus Blossom," because she was too weak to care for her. Two days later, on May 10, 1977, Crawford passed away in her New York apartment from a heart attack.
Joan Crawford left money to several of her favorite charities. These included organizations like the Motion Picture Home, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association.
Many people remembered Joan Crawford after her death. A memorial service was held in New York, attended by friends like Myrna Loy. Another service was held in Beverly Hills, organized by director George Cukor.
Joan Crawford was cremated. Her ashes were placed in a crypt next to her last husband, Alfred Steele, at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
Joan Crawford's handprints and footprints are famously preserved in the concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her amazing contributions to the movie industry. The American Film Institute recognized her as the tenth greatest female star of classic American cinema.
Images for kids
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Crawford in 1925
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Joan Crawford in 1932
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Crawford as Fay Cheyney in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)
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Crawford with second husband, actor Franchot Tone, 1936
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Mildred Pierce trailer (1945)
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Joan Crawford in Humoresque, 1946
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In 1953 with Louis B. Mayer at the premiere of Torch Song. "To me, L.B. Mayer was my father, my father confessor, the best friend I ever had", Crawford was quoted as saying.
See also
In Spanish: Joan Crawford para niños
