Very sad but a good age. I was going to say it was a shame she never made up with her sister Olivia de Haviland since she is still with us at the age of 97 but it would seem they never really got along from the start.:(
I always loved watching Fontaine (esp in Rebecca) and thought she was better actress than De Havilland and probably under-rated. But I suspect she was one of those cool Brits who thought Hollywood and the movies was all rather a bit silly, darling
I always loved watching Fontaine (esp in Rebecca) and thought she was better actress than De Havilland and probably under-rated. But I suspect she was one of those cool Brits who thought Hollywood and the movies was all rather a bit silly, darling
She was Japanese.
(I don't even think she ever lived in the UK)
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland was born in Tokyo on Oct. 22, 1917, to British parents. Her father was a patent attorney who had a thriving practice in Japan. Due to the ill health of her and Olivia, their mother, Lilian, moved them to California and pushed them into acting.
While de Havilland pursued acting, Fontaine returned to Tokyo and attended the American School. Ultimately, their parents divorced and Fontaine returned to the U.S. at age 17 to live in San Jose, Calif. As de Havilland was already having some success as an actress, Fontaine joined a local theater group and moved to L.A.
Sadly, Joan was the sixth in just a few weeks, not all of these names may be known today, but they were all part of my childhood and adolescence. Lewis Collins, Jean Kent, Eleanor Parker, Audrey Totter, Peter,O'Toole, and now Joan.
Rebecca is a classic. I hope it is gets a repeat viewing in memory to her this christmas.
The sad thing is her and her sister have a very well known rivalry. Here are the stories i have heard.
Olivia became an actress first and their mother favoured her more. Their mother refused Joan to have the family last name which is how she became Joan Fontaine. Also, apparently Fontaine had an estranged relationship with her own daughters because of how close they were to Olivia. Joan and Olivia were both nominated the same year when she won for Suspicion, and when Joan won, Olivia was said to offer her congratulations, to which Joan rejected. When their mother died, the rivalry continued, as there was tension between whether their mother should of been operated or not.
I wonder if Olivia will comment on her sister's death soon. A lot of reports are saying they still never spoke up to her death.
I thought she was wonderful in Rebecca and also in her Oscar winning role in Suspicion directed by Hitchcock. I also remember her fondly in Letter From An Unknown Woman.
Sadly, Joan was the sixth in just a few weeks, not all of these names may be known today, but they were all part of my childhood and adolescence. Lewis Collins, Jean Kent, Eleanor Parker, Audrey Totter, Peter,O'Toole, and now Joan.
Oh, I never heard about Audrey Totter dying. One of my favourite films ever is The Set-Up, with Robert Ryan and a really fantastic performance by Totter.
Still, as mentioned in post #2, all of these great actors and actresses lived to very good ages.
I thought she was wonderful in Rebecca and also in her Oscar winning role in Suspicion directed by Hitchcock. I also remember her fondly in Letter From An Unknown Woman.
One of the best and one of my favourites of all time. Obviously her most famous film will always be Rebecca in which she was absolutely brilliant, but she appeared in very many films of exceptional quality. She was the essence of Englishness in Hollywood, despite not being born and never living in England. RIP Joan Fontaine.
The Ambassador
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UH-OH! They say deaths come in 3's....
I always loved watching Fontaine (esp in Rebecca) and thought she was better actress than De Havilland and probably under-rated. But I suspect she was one of those cool Brits who thought Hollywood and the movies was all rather a bit silly, darling
She was Japanese.
(I don't even think she ever lived in the UK)
Sadly, Joan was the sixth in just a few weeks, not all of these names may be known today, but they were all part of my childhood and adolescence. Lewis Collins, Jean Kent, Eleanor Parker, Audrey Totter, Peter,O'Toole, and now Joan.
She wasn't Japanese, she had British and American citizenship.
The sad thing is her and her sister have a very well known rivalry. Here are the stories i have heard.
Olivia became an actress first and their mother favoured her more. Their mother refused Joan to have the family last name which is how she became Joan Fontaine. Also, apparently Fontaine had an estranged relationship with her own daughters because of how close they were to Olivia. Joan and Olivia were both nominated the same year when she won for Suspicion, and when Joan won, Olivia was said to offer her congratulations, to which Joan rejected. When their mother died, the rivalry continued, as there was tension between whether their mother should of been operated or not.
I wonder if Olivia will comment on her sister's death soon. A lot of reports are saying they still never spoke up to her death.
R.I.P Joan Fontaine.
Oh, I never heard about Audrey Totter dying. One of my favourite films ever is The Set-Up, with Robert Ryan and a really fantastic performance by Totter.
Still, as mentioned in post #2, all of these great actors and actresses lived to very good ages.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkraCshPB4w
We still have 1 surviving best actress Oscar winner from the 1930's, Luise Rainer lives in London, aged 103.
Olivia (97) is now the last surviving Oscar winning actress from the 40's and Joanne Woodward (83) from the 1950's.
All the best actor winners from the 30's, 40's and 50's are deceased.
I'd never have guessed it from your username.:D
You win the prize for observation. ;-)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/hollywood/10242.shtml