Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, c. 1904[Note 1] - May 10, 1977) was an American actress who began her career as a dancer and stage showgirl. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Crawford tenth on its list of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.\n', '

Beginning her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting as a chorus girl on Broadway, Crawford signed a motion picture contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. In the 1930s, Crawford\'s fame rivaled, and later outlasted, that of MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hard-working young women who find romance and success. These characters and stories were well received by Depression-era audiences, and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood\'s most prominent movie stars, and one of the highest-paid women in the United Sta…