In 1935, he was billed right after Charles Laughton and Clark Gable in “Mutiny on the Bounty” and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. To these assertions, she replied: "I've tried to provide my children with what I didn't have: constructive discipline, Self-educated and intensely professional, Miss Crawford studied and trained assiduously to learn her art. She had a younger sister named Barbara Harriet “Bobby,” who was born on October 25, 1909.Bette Davis attended a Spartan boarding school called Crestalban in Lanesborough and graduated from Cushin… LaLonde and her twin sister, Cynthia, were adopted by Academy Award-winning actress Joan Crawford and Pepsi-Cola Co. CEO Alfred Steele in 1947, soon after their biological mother’s death. The author also has two upcoming projects based on Mommie Dearest, including a two-act musical adaptation of the book, and the final installment in her memoir series. "baby star," won a new contract and, because Lucille LeSueur was regarded as awkward to pronounce, was given the name Joan Crawford, the winning entry in a movie-magazine contest. She was battling cancer at the time of her death. ", Among her many honors were election as a fellow of Brandeis University and designation in 1965 as the first Woman of the Year by the United Service Organizations of New York for her qualities as "an actress, an executive, humanitarian.". LaLonde and her twin sister, Cynthia, were adopted by Academy Award-winning actress Joan Crawford and Pepsi-Cola Co. CEO Alfred Steele in 1947, soon after their biological mother’s death. In the early 1930s, he became a member of the Group Theater.In 1937, he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner Bros.' stars. Only her housekeeper and a longtime female fan were present. Christina released the controversial tell-all book Mommie Dearest in which she provided detailed accounts of how badly their mother treated them. In 1974, after an unflattering photograph taken at an event she co-hosted leaked, Joan cancelled all public appearances and began to isolate herself in her apartment. "I felt for her loneliness and unhappiness, but she was just too much," he added. The film was produced by Albert Zugsmith. Casey, who is the Mildred Pierce star's grandson from Cathy, explained that his grandmother, whom he called "JoJo," was nothing like the monster that Christina wrote about. As a frivolous flapper she quickly made a series of spin-offs, including "Our Modern Maidens," "Laughing Sinners" and "This Modern Age." Here is all you want to know, and more! Miss Crawford had been a director of the Pepsi-Cola Company since the death of her fourth husband, Alfred N. Steele, the board chairman of the company, in 1959, but she had not been actively involved in the business in recent months. Joan Crawford in “Trog” – her last role. Joan Crawford’s daughter says her “Mommie Dearest” should have been tossed in the slammer. She adopted four children: Christina, who also became an actress: Christopher, and Cynthia and Cathy, who were twins. siren in Clare Boothe Luce's satire "The Women"; a scarred blackmailer in "A Woman's Face"; a schizophrenic in "Possessed," and the target of a homicidal husband In the years that followed, her health began to decline after years of alcohol abuse and a cancer diagnosis. Christina Crawford, whose memoir about her abusive Hollywood movie star … There is no information about Corydon's immediate family. Cause of Death. She worked as a salesgirl, pinching pennies for dancing lessons. ... Joan Crawford, Film Star for 50 Years, Dies at 69. 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