Janet Leigh
| Janet Leigh | |
 from the trailer for Little Women (1949) | |
| Birth name: | Jeanette Helen Morrison |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | July 6 1927 |
| Date of death: | October 3 2004 (aged 77) |
| Death location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Spouse: | John Carlisle (1942–1942) (annulled) Stanley Reames (1946–1948) (divorced) Tony Curtis (1951–1962) (divorced) Robert Brandt (1962–2004) (her death) |
Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004) was an American actress. Her most famous role was in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho, for which she received a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Biography
Early life
Leigh was born in Merced, California, the only child of Helen Lita (née Westergard) and Frederick Robert Morrison. She was discovered by actress Norma Shearer, whose late husband Irving Thalberg had been a senior executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Shearer showed talent agent Lew Wasserman the photograph she had seen of Leigh while vacationing at the ski resort where the girl's parents worked. She left the University of the Pacific, where she was studying music and psychology, after Wasserman secured a contract with MGM.
Career
Leigh made her film debut in The Romance of Rosy Ridge in 1947, as the romantic interest of Van Johnson's character. Throughout the 1950s, she starred in movies, most notably in the leading role in the musical comedy My Sister Eileen, co-starring Jack Lemmon, Betty Garrett and Dick York.
Leigh's best-known role was as the morally ambiguous Marion Crane in the Alfred Hitchcock classic 1960 film Psycho. In spite of her outstanding performance as Crane and going on to becoming one of the most famous characters in Hollywood history, Leigh suffered typecasting due to the famous role. Her film career nosedived soon after, and as a result much of her post-Psycho career was spent performing guest appearances on TV shows. Psycho earned her a Golden Globe and an Academy award nomination. Years later, she wrote a book in which she dispelled the urban legends which had popped up around its production, notably the immortal "shower scene."
She had starring roles in many other films, including the Orson Welles film-noir classic Touch of Evil, 1962's The Manchurian Candidate with Frank Sinatra and the 1963 musical Bye Bye Birdie based on the hit Broadway show.
In 1975, Leigh played a retired Hollywood song and dance star opposite Peter Falk and John Payne in Columbo: Forgotten Lady. She also appeared in two horror films with her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, playing a major role in The Fog (1980), and making a brief appearance in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).
Personal life
Leigh married her third husband, Tony Curtis, on June 4, 1951. They had two children, actresses Kelly and the more well known Jamie Lee. Curtis, who admitted to cheating on her throughout their marriage, left Leigh in 1962 for Christine Kaufmann, the 17-year-old German co-star of his latest film Taras Bulba. Leigh was granted a quick divorce, and married stockbroker Robert Brandt later that year in Las Vegas. They remained married until her death.
Leigh served on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Foundation, a medical-services provider for actors.
Leigh was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California on May 14, 2004.
She died at her home on October 3, 2004 after suffering cardiac arrest, aged 77. Her family was at her side. Leigh also suffered from vasculitis and peripheral neuropathy, which caused her right hand to become gangrenous.
Legacy
Filmography
|
|
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External links
- Janet Leigh. IMDb.
- Janet Leigh. IBDB.
- Biography of Janet Leigh. Turner Classic Movies.
- Home Page. Reel Classics.
- Janet Leigh. TV.com.
- Signature of Janet Leigh. Krueger Books.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Susan Kohner for Imitation of Life |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture 1961 for Psycho |
Succeeded by: Rita Moreno for West Side Story |
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
