Born Lucille Fay LeSueur in San Antonio, Texas, but christened Joan Crawford by Hollywood, she exemplified the 1920s carefree "flapper" era to a 'T'. Her beauty and vivacity catapulted her to stardom in the late 1920s in the hugely popular silent film Our Dancing Daughters. Ever since that point, the resilient actress with the ever expressive eyes, the famous over-painted lips and the will of steel created for herself one of the most legendary and enduring Hollywood personae of all time. Receiving three Best Actress Oscar nominations throughout her long career and winning once for 1945's Mildred Pierce, Joan seemed to personify the ideal American woman of every decade, from the uproarious 1920s right up until her death as a semi-reclusive corporate widow on May 10, 1977. Her fourth and last marriage was to Pepsi Cola chairman Alfred Steele, who died in 1959. She was described by some as 'The Face' owing to her classically beautiful features. Great Hollywood studio photographer George Hurrell dubbed her "camera proof" as she photographed perfectly from every angle. She also won a British BAFTA award for the 1957 movie The Story of Esther Costello. Her film career spanning nearly fifty years, she is best remembered for classic performances in Our Dancing Daughters (1928), Grand Hotel (1932), The Women (1939), Mildred Pierce (1945), Humoresque (1946), Possessed (1947), Harriet Craig (1950), Sudden Fear (1952), and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).
Movie | The Damned Don't Cry: The Crawford Formula - Real and Reel | 2025 | |
Movie | Spielberg | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2017-10-05 |
Movie | Tell Us She Was One of You: The Hollywood Blacklist and 'Johnny Guitar' | Self (archive footage) | 2016-09-20 |
Movie | Johnny Guitar: A Western Like No Other | Self (archive footage) | 2016-09-20 |
Movie | Johnny Guitar: A Feminist Western? | Self (archive footage) | 2016-09-20 |
Movie | And the Oscar Goes To... | Self (archive footage) | 2014-02-01 |
Movie | Possessed | (archive footage) | 2011-07-22 |
Movie | 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year | Self (archive footage) | 2009-07-02 |
Movie | Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood | Various Roles (archive footage) | 2008-03-03 |
Movie | Tim Conway: Timeless Comedy | Self | 2007-01-30 |
Movie | Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema | Self (archive footage) | 2007-05-23 |
Movie | Girl 27 | Self (archive footage) | 2007-07-27 |
Movie | Bette and Joan: Blind Ambition | Self (archive footage) | 2006-01-01 |
Movie | Checking Out: Grand Hotel | Self / Flaemmchen (archive footage) | 2004-02-03 |
Movie | The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made | Dr. Brockton (archive footage) | 2004-07-13 |
Movie | Complicated Women | Self (archive footage) | 2003-05-06 |
Movie | Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star | Self (archive footage) | 2002-08-01 |
Movie | Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces | Self (archive footage / uncredited) | 2000-10-24 |
Movie | The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender | Herself (archive footage) | 1997-11-01 |
Movie | Joan Crawford: Always the Star | Self (archive footage) | 1996-09-30 |
Movie | The Casting Couch | (archive footage) | 1995-01-01 |
Movie | That's Entertainment! III | (archive footage) | 1994-07-01 |
Movie | Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre | Self | 1989-06-26 |
Movie | Going Hollywood: The '30s | (archive footage) | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | Terror in the Aisles | Blanche Hudson (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1984-10-26 |
Movie | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1983-02-25 |
Movie | Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid | (in "Humoresque") (archive footage) | 1982-05-21 |
Movie | Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! | Self (archive footage) | 1982-01-01 |
Movie | That's Entertainment, Part II | (archive footage) | 1976-05-16 |
Movie | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | That's Entertainment! | (archive footage) | 1974-06-21 |
Series | The Sixth Sense | Unknown | 1972-01-15 |
Movie | Trog | Dr. Brockton | 1970-10-24 |
Movie | Journey to the Unknown | Self - Host | 1969-06-15 |
Movie | Night Gallery | Miss Menlo | 1969-11-08 |
Movie | Garbo | Narrator | 1969-11-06 |
Series | The Name of the Game | Unknown | 1968-09-20 |
Movie | Berserk! | Monica Rivers | 1967-11-01 |
Movie | The Karate Killers | Amanda True | 1967-04-07 |
Movie | The Oscar | Joan Crawford | 1966-03-04 |
Movie | The Love Goddesses | (archive footage) | 1965-03-03 |
Movie | I Saw What You Did | Amy Nelson | 1965-07-21 |
Movie | How to Plan a Movie Murder | Self | 1964-01-01 |
Movie | Strait-Jacket | Lucy Harbin | 1964-01-19 |
Movie | Della | Della Chappell | 1964-08-08 |
Movie | The Big Parade of Comedy | Bobby (archive footage) | 1964-09-02 |
Series | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Amanda True | 1964-09-22 |
Movie | The Caretakers | Lucretia Terry | 1963-08-21 |
Movie | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Blanche Hudson | 1962-10-31 |
Series | The Lucy Show | Joan Crawford | 1962-10-01 |
Movie | Hollywood: The Selznick Years | Janie Barlow (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1961-12-31 |
Series | Route 66 | Unknown | 1960-10-07 |
Movie | Woman on the Run | Susan Conrad | 1959-05-15 |
Movie | The Best of Everything | Amanda Farrow | 1959-10-09 |
Movie | The Story of Esther Costello | Margaret Landi | 1957-11-06 |
Movie | Autumn Leaves | Millicent Wetherby | 1956-08-01 |
Series | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Movie | Female on the Beach | Lynn Markham | 1955-08-19 |
Movie | Queen Bee | Eva Phillips | 1955-11-07 |
Series | The Secret Storm | Joan Borman Kane | 1954-02-01 |
Movie | A Star Is Born World Premiere | Self | 1954-09-28 |
Movie | Johnny Guitar | Vienna | 1954-05-26 |
Movie | Torch Song | Jenny Stewart | 1953-10-01 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Series | The Oscars | Herself | 1953-03-19 |
Movie | At Home with Joan Crawford | Self | 1953-04-20 |
Movie | Sudden Fear | Myra Hudson Blaine | 1952-08-07 |
Movie | This Woman Is Dangerous | Elizabeth Austin | 1952-02-09 |
Movie | Goodbye, My Fancy | Agatha Reed | 1951-05-19 |
Movie | The Damned Don't Cry | Ethel Whitehead | 1950-05-13 |
Series | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Unknown | 1950-09-10 |
Movie | Harriet Craig | Harriet Craig | 1950-11-02 |
Movie | It's a Great Feeling | Joan Crawford (uncredited) | 1949-08-01 |
Movie | Flamingo Road | Lane Bellamy | 1949-04-30 |
Movie | Humoresque | Helen Wright | 1947-01-25 |
Movie | Possessed | Louise Howell | 1947-05-29 |
Movie | Daisy Kenyon | Daisy Kenyon | 1947-12-25 |
Movie | Blow-Ups of 1946 | Self | 1946-12-31 |
Movie | Mildred Pierce | Mildred Pierce | 1945-10-20 |
Movie | Hollywood Canteen | Self | 1944-12-15 |
Movie | Above Suspicion | Frances Myles | 1943-05-31 |
Movie | Reunion in France | Michele de la Becque | 1942-12-25 |
Movie | They All Kissed the Bride | Margaret Johanna 'M.J.' Drew | 1942-06-11 |
Movie | When Ladies Meet | Mary 'Minnie' Howard | 1941-08-29 |
Movie | A Woman's Face | Anna Holm | 1941-05-09 |
Movie | Hollywood: Style Center of the World | Self | 1940-05-29 |
Movie | Strange Cargo | Julie | 1940-03-01 |
Movie | Susan and God | Susan Trexel | 1940-06-07 |
Movie | A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound | Self | 1940-10-24 |
Movie | Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8 | Joan Crawford | 1939-04-08 |
Movie | The Ice Follies of 1939 | Mary McKay | 1939-03-10 |
Movie | The Women | Crystal Allen | 1939-09-01 |
Movie | From the Ends of the Earth | Self | 1939-05-28 |
Movie | Mannequin | Jessie Cassidy | 1938-01-21 |
Movie | The Shining Hour | Olivia Riley Linden | 1938-11-18 |
Movie | The Last of Mrs. Cheyney | Mrs. Fay Cheyney | 1937-02-19 |
Movie | Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12 | Self (uncredited) | 1937-08-13 |
Movie | The Bride Wore Red | Anni Pavlovitch | 1937-10-08 |
Movie | The Romance of Celluloid | Self (archive footage) | 1937-08-27 |
Movie | Love on the Run | Sally Parker | 1936-11-20 |
Movie | The Gorgeous Hussy | Margaret "Peggy" O'Neal | 1936-08-28 |
Movie | No More Ladies | Marcia Townsend Warren | 1935-06-14 |
Movie | I Live My Life | Kay Bentley | 1935-10-04 |
Movie | Forsaking All Others | Mary Clay | 1934-12-23 |
Movie | Sadie McKee | Sadie | 1934-05-09 |
Movie | Chained | Diane Lovering | 1934-08-31 |
Movie | Today We Live | Diana 'Ann' Boyce-Smith | 1933-03-03 |
Movie | Dancing Lady | Janie Barlow | 1933-11-24 |
Movie | Fast Workers | Ivy Stevens (Archive Footage) (Uncredited) | 1933-03-10 |
Movie | Rain | Sadie Thompson | 1932-10-12 |
Movie | Letty Lynton | Letty Lynton | 1932-04-30 |
Movie | Grand Hotel | Flämmchen | 1932-05-25 |
Movie | The Stolen Jools | Joan Crawford | 1931-04-04 |
Movie | Laughing Sinners | Ivy 'Bunny' Stevens | 1931-05-30 |
Movie | Dance, Fools, Dance | Bonnie Jordan | 1931-02-07 |
Movie | Possessed | Marian Martin aka 'Mrs. Moreland' | 1931-11-21 |
Movie | We're switching to Hollywood | Self | 1931-06-09 |
Movie | This Modern Age | Valentine 'Val' Winters | 1931-08-29 |
Movie | Montana Moon | Joan | 1930-03-20 |
Movie | Our Blushing Brides | Jerry March | 1930-07-19 |
Movie | Paid | Mary Turner | 1930-12-30 |
Movie | The Duke Steps Out | Susie | 1929-03-19 |
Movie | The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | Self | 1929-11-23 |
Movie | Our Modern Maidens | Billie Brown | 1929-09-08 |
Movie | Untamed | Alice "Bingo" Dowling | 1929-11-23 |
Movie | The Law of the Range | Betty Dallas | 1928-01-21 |
Movie | West Point | Betty Channing | 1928-01-07 |
Movie | Rose-Marie | Rose-Marie | 1928-02-11 |
Movie | Dream of Love | Adrienne Lecouvreur | 1928-12-01 |
Movie | Fashion News | Self (1929) | 1928-11-06 |
Movie | Across to Singapore | Priscilla Crowninshield | 1928-04-07 |
Movie | Our Dancing Daughters | Diana 'Di' Medford | 1928-09-01 |
Movie | Four Walls | Frieda | 1928-08-11 |
Movie | The Taxi Dancer | Joselyn Poe | 1927-02-05 |
Movie | Winners Of The Wilderness | René Contrecoeur | 1927-01-15 |
Movie | The Unknown | Nanon Zanzi | 1927-05-29 |
Movie | Spring Fever | Allie Monte | 1927-10-22 |
Movie | The Understanding Heart | Monica Dale | 1927-02-26 |
Movie | Twelve Miles Out | Jane | 1927-07-08 |
Movie | The Boob | Jane | 1926-05-17 |
Movie | Tramp, Tramp, Tramp | Betty Burton | 1926-03-21 |
Movie | Bardelys the Magnificent | Court Gossip (uncredited) | 1926-09-30 |
Movie | Paris | The Girl | 1926-05-24 |
Movie | The Merry Widow | Ballroom Dancer (uncredited) | 1926-09-27 |
Movie | A Slave of Fashion | Mannequin (uncredited) | 1925-08-23 |
Movie | Proud Flesh | Party Guest (uncredited) | 1925-04-27 |
Movie | Lady of the Night | Body Double for Norma Shearer | 1925-02-23 |
Movie | Pretty Ladies | Bobby | 1925-09-06 |
Movie | 1925 Studio Tour | Self | 1925-04-09 |
Movie | The Only Thing | Party Guest (uncredited) | 1925-11-22 |
Movie | Sally, Irene and Mary | Irene O'Dare | 1925-12-27 |
Movie | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited) | 1925-12-25 |
Movie | Old Clothes | Mary Riley | 1925-11-09 |
Movie | The Midshipman | Extra - Driver of Police Car (uncredited) | 1925-10-04 |
Movie | The Circle | Young Lady Catherine | 1925-09-22 |