BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION FOR JOAN CRAWFORD Real name Lucille Fay LeSueur Date of birth (location) 23 March 1908, San Antonio, TX Date of death (location/cause) 10 May 1977, of cancer Mini biography Her parents separated before she was born. By age sixteen Lucille had known three fathers, one of whom (a vaudeville theatre manager had given her the name Billie Cassin. By 1915 she and her mother lived in Kansas City and Billie worked in a laundry and also as a menial to pay school tuition. Winning an amateur dance contest in 1923 led to chorus work in Chicago, Detroit and New York. New Year's Day of 1925 she left for Hollywood. Before her second picture a "Photoplay" contest led to the name Joan Crawford. With Our Dancing Daughters (1928) she became a star. She had a string of successes playing a socialite or rags-to-riches shopgirl, most notably as Crystal Allen in Women, The (1939). She stayed with Warner's for eighteen years. Mildred Pierce (1945) was a defining role and won an Oscar for Joan. After more than seventy films she married the Chairman of the Board of Pepsi Cola Company with which she remained after his fatal heart attack in 1959 (till 1972 when corporate powers saw no further use for her and pushed her out; after that she referred to the CEO as "Fang"). 1962's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) brought new careers to both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, though the roles were neither numerous nor flattering. Horrified by a photo taken of her in 1974, she retired completely, devoting herself to Christian Science and increasing use of vodka. Her four adopted children received little from her two million dollar estate: $77,500 each for Cathy and Cindy, nothing for Christopher or Christina "for reasons best known to them". Biography writer Ed Stephan Spouse 'Fairbanks Jr., Douglas' (QV) (1929 - 1933) (divorce) Franchot Tone (1935 - 1939) (divorce) 'Phillip Terry ' (QV) (1942 - 1946) (divorce) 'Alfred N. Steele ' (QV) (1955 - April 1959) (widowed) Biography (print) Mommie Dearest (1978, Christina Crawford) The Complete Films of Joan Crawford (1968, Lawrence J. Quirk) Joan Crawford - The Last Word (1995, Fred Lawrence Guiles, Pavilion Books) Personal quotes "[In Women, The (1939)] Norma Shearer made me change my costume sixteen times because every one was prettier than hers. I love to play bitches and she _helped_ me in this part." "If you have an ounce of common sense and one good friend you don't need an analyst." "If you start watching the oldies, you're in trouble. I feel ancient if Grand Hotel (1932) or Bride Wore Red, The (1937) comes on. I have a sneaking regard for Mildred Pierce (1945), but the others do nothing for me." Biography (movies) Mommie Dearest (1981) __________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Menu Top-Search-Help-Tour-Guides-Stats-Info-Feedback-New-URLs-Host Copyright 1990-1996 The Internet Movie Database Team