In the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States, and one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) biggest stars, with her films earning more than $50 million for the studio during her 18-year contract with them.
Killing of Johnny Stompanato - Wikipedia Turner's next film, Imitation of Life (1959), proved to be one of the greatest successes of her career, but . "[109] Critic Anita Loos praised Turner's performance in the film, writing: "Lana Turner typifies modern allure.
JOHNNY STOMPANATO 1958 - Who killed him - Lana or Cheryl? The growth of maturity is reflected neatly in her distinguished portrayal. "I knew that my looks might get me .
Autopsy reveals cause of death for Tina Turner's 'beloved' son Ronnie I'll work for nothing, just give me a good story. Published on July 3, 2018 06:50 PM.
Dana Andrews Dies; Actor Was a Success but Not a Star Richard Burton slept with three women a week for 30 years - Mail Online [277] Richard Christiansen of the Chicago Tribune praised her performance, writing that, "though she is still a very nervous and inexpert actress, she is giving by far her most winning performance". There was something smoldering underneath that innocent face. . [309], After Turner's first marriage in 1940, columnist Louella Parsons wrote: "If Lana Turner will behave herself and not go completely berserk she is headed for a top spot in motion pictures. The film's curvaceous star, Lana Turner, in white shorts and a halter top that set off her tan, had never . In her early 60s, Turner reportedly took a photo of herself at 27 to a plastic surgeon, Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, and said, "This is what I want to look like." . [170], MGM then gave Turner the titular role of Diane de Poitiers in the period drama Diane (1956), which had originally been optioned by the studio in the 1930s for Greta Garbo. [157] The Bad and the Beautiful was both a critical and commercial success, and earned her favorable reviews. [182] The film, directed by Mark Robson, was adapted from Grace Metalious' best-selling novel of the same name. Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 - June 29, 1995) was an American actress in 1937-1962. [64] A remake of The Broadway Melody, the film was marketed as featuring Turner's "hottest, most daring role". However, Turner notes in her autobiography that her birth certificate lists Julia Jean Turner as her official birth name. Her next marriage was to Joseph Stephen Crane in 1942 (via Livingly ). [97] During her early pregnancy, she filmed the comedy Marriage Is a Private Affair, in which she starred as a carefree woman struggling to balance her new life as a mother. [326] Turner maintained her glamorous image into her late career; a 1966 film review characterized her as "the glitter and glamour of Hollywood". "I'm getting close to that point, honey. Miss Turner, who had been treated for throat cancer, apparently died of natural causes, a police spokeswoman, Ramona Baety, confirmed to The Associated Press. At 16, she was signed to a personal contract by Warner Bros. director Mervyn LeRoy, who took her with him when he transferred to MGM in 1938. Turner played women who wanted things: money, status, a successful man. Getty Images The murder of mobster Johnny Stompanato was ultimately ruled a "justifiable homicide.". Stompanato became suspicious when Turner would not allow him to visit the set and, during one fight, he violently choked her. [56] During the shoot, Turner completed her studies with an educational social worker, allowing her to graduate high school that year. [255] Weeks later, on May 9, 1969, she married Ronald Pellar, a nightclub hypnotist whom she had met at a Los Angeles disco. I tried to persuade the studio to give me something different. [9][33] Turner subsequently attended the Convent of the Immaculate Conception[10] in San Francisco, hoping to become a nun. Lana Turner was born on February 8, 1921 and died on June 29, 1995. [21] She expressed interest in performance at a young age, performing short dance routines at her father's Elks chapter in Wallace. [76] After completing the film, Turner and co-star Garland remained lifelong friends, and lived in houses next to one another in the 1950s. [4] While she consistently embraced her glamorous persona, she was also vocal about her dedication to acting[121] and attained a reputation as a versatile, hard-working performer. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Ray Hamel and Denny Jackson Family (2) Trade Mark (2) Attractive figure Blonde hair Trivia (64) Born at 12:30pm-PST Turner's role in the film has also caused her to be frequently associated with film noir and the femme fatale archetype in critical circles. [68] In the spring of 1940, after the two had divorced, Turner discovered she was pregnant and had an abortion. [114] The film was a box-office hit.[114][115]. It wasn't much of a play even when Julie Harris was doing it, and it all but disappears under the old-time Hollywood glamor of Miss Turner's star presence. "I do owe Mickey one thing: he taught me how much I enjoyed sex." Rooney was a player. No, she died on 06/29/1995, 27 years ago. [327] She has also been cited by scholars as a gay icon because of her glamorous persona and triumphs over personal struggles. [154] The following year, she began filming her second musical, The Merry Widow. Lana Turner was married to seven men, including bandleader Artie Shaw.
Phil Spector's death resurrects mixed reaction from skeptics Lana Turner Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth Born to working-class parents in northern Idaho, Turner spent her childhood there before her family relocated to San Francisco. Turner's notoriety was assured in 1958 when her lover, mobster Johnny Stompanato, was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife by her daughter Cheryl Crane. On the evening of April 4, 1958, 14-year-old Cheryl Crane stabbed 32-year-old Johnny Stompanato, the boyfriend of her mother, actress Lana Turner, at Turner's rented home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. [228] Both films depicted the troubled, complicated relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter. During the shoot, Turner began an affair with her co-star Fernando Lamas, which ended after Lamas physically assaulted her; the incident also caused Lamas to lose his MGM contract upon the production's completion. [57] The film was a box-office success,[58] and her appearance in it as a flirtatious high school student convinced studio head Louis B. Mayer that Turner could be the next Jean Harlow, a sex symbol who had died six months before Turner's arrival at MGM. [145], In 1949, Turner was to star in A Life of Her Own (1950), a George Cukor-directed drama about a woman who aspires to be a model in New York City. Lana Turner spoke these words as aspiring actress Lora Meredith in Imitation of Life (1959), but they could have been uttered by almost any of her characters over her 4 decades in Hollywood. [70], In 1940, Turner appeared in her first musical film, Two Girls on Broadway, in which she received top billing over established co-stars Joan Blondell and George Murphy. Stompanato was known to have been physically abusive to Turner. Lana Turner was married to seven men, including bandleader Artie Shaw. . [237], In November 1960, Turner married her fifth husband, Frederick "Fred" May, a rancher and member of the May department-store family whom she had met at a beach party in Malibu shortly after filming Imitation of Life. Lana Turner, original name Julia Jean Mildred Francis Turner, (born February 8, 1920/21, Wallace, Idaho, U.S.died June 29, 1995, Los Angeles, California), American film actress known for her glamorous looks and sexual allure. Shortly after, the two eloped and moved west, settling in Idaho. [101] Though she wanted multiple children, Turner had Rh-negative blood, which caused fetal anemia and made it difficult to carry a child to term. [7] Shortly after completing They Won't Forget, she made an appearance in James Whale's historical comedy The Great Garrick (1937), a biographical film about British actor David Garrick, in which she had a small role portraying an actress posing as a chambermaid. [29], While baptized a Protestant at birth,[32] Turner attended Mass with the Hislops, a Catholic family with whom her mother had temporarily boarded her in Stockton, California. [333][334][335] In a 1973 Films in Review retrospective on her career, Turner was referred to as "a master of the motion picture technique and a hardworking craftsman". Dec. 18, 1992 12 AM PT. Read Complete Obituary Photos [77], Following the success of Ziegfeld Girl, Turner took a supporting role as an ingnue in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), a Freudian-influenced horror film, opposite Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman. According to Closer Weekly, Turner was married eight times, including twice to the same man. [234] Instead, Turner took a lead role as a disturbed socialite in the film noir Portrait in Black (1960) opposite Anthony Quinn and Sandra Dee, which was a box-office success despite bad reviews. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical . [72][73] Ziegfeld Girl marked a personal and professional shift for Turner; she claimed it as the first role that got her "interested in acting",[74] and the studio, impressed by her performance, marketed the film as featuring her in "the best role of the biggest picture to be released by the industry's biggest company". [171] After completing Diane, Turner was loaned to 20th Century-Fox to headline The Rains of Ranchipur (1955), a remake of The Rains Came (1939), playing the wife of an aristocrat in the British Raj opposite Richard Burton. Ralphie May's wife was a fellow comedian named Lahna Turner. [155] The Merry Widow proved more commercially successful than Turner's previous musical, Mr. Imperium, despite receiving unfavorable critical reviews. Lana was 74 years old at the time of death. [211] After four hours of testimony and approximately 25 minutes of deliberation, the jury deemed the killing a justifiable homicide. I don't think it's healthy to stay off the screen that long. [121] In the midst of filming Green Dolphin Street, Turner began an affair with actor Tyrone Power,[123][124] whom she considered to be the love of her life. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt's Transformation Has Been Simply Stunning. Mervyn LeRoy on Turner during her first audition, December 1936[34], Turner's discovery is considered a show-business legend and part of Hollywood mythology among film and popular cultural historians. [251], In late 1968, she began filming the low-budget thriller The Big Cube, in which she portrayed a glamorous heiress being dosed with LSD by her stepdaughter in hopes of driving her insane and receiving the family estate. In the 1980s she had a recurring role on the TV series Falcon Crest.
In a 1958 inquest, killing of Lana Turner's boyfriend was detailed Confidential (1990). Atty. [324] She favored the designers Salvatore Ferragamo, Jean Louis, Helen Rose and Nolan Miller.
Lahna Turner, Ralphie May's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know [213], Though Turner and her daughter were exonerated of any wrongdoing, public opinion on the event was varied, with numerous publications intimating that Turner's testimony at the inquest was a performance; Life magazine published a photo of Turner testifying in court along with stills of her in courtroom scenes from three of her films.
LANA TURNER - Music Finder [267] Her next film was Bittersweet Love (1976), a romantic comedy in which she portrayed the mother of a woman who unwittingly marries her half-brother. The star of films such as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Peyton's Place, and The Bad and The Beautiful took the world by storm. According to his son, Arthur Marx, it was the only time he ever saw his father cry. Despite being a comedian, May had a serious side to him. [102][103] Turner was urged by doctors to undergo a therapeutic abortion to avoid potentially life-threatening complications, but she managed to carry the child to term. After a trial in 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life. Lana was born Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner on February 8, 1921. [224][307] However, her image in 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice marked a departure from her strictly-sex symbol screen persona to that of a full-fledged femme fatale.
Tina Turner's Oldest Son Craig Dies by Suicide at Age 59 - Peoplemag In January 1982, Turner reprised her role in Murder Among Friends, which toured throughout the U.S. that year; paired with Bob Fosse's Dancin', the play earned a combined gross of $400,000 during one week at Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall in June 1982. [253] In April 1969,[254] Turner filed for divorce from Eaton after four years of marriage upon discovering he had been unfaithful to her. She is far more deadly because she lets her audience relax. [258], With few film offers coming in, Turner signed on to appear in the television series Harold Robbins' The Survivors. [276] During rehearsals, a stagehand told reporters that Turner was "the hardest working broad I've known". [209] Turner testified that she initially believed Cheryl had punched him, but realized Stompanato had been stabbed when he collapsed and she saw blood on his shirt. [338] Turner has also been cited in scholarly discussions of women's sexuality. 71 Lana Clarkson Death Photos Premium High Res Photos Browse 71 lana clarkson death photos stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. [121], The Postman Always Rings Twice became a major box office success, which prompted the studio to take more risks on Turner, casting her outside of the glamorous sex-symbol roles for which she had come to be known.
Lex Barker & Lana Turner Divorced, Joint Family Tree & History - FameChain Cause of death: esophageal cancer. [52] In her early films, Turner did not color her auburn hairsee Dancing Co-Ed (1939), in which she was billed "the red-headed sensation who brought "it" back to the screen". [87][88] James Agee of Time magazine was critical of co-star Robert Taylor's performance and noted: "Turner is similarly handicapped: Metro has swathed her best assets in a toga, swears that she shall become an actress, or else. [194][195] Turner would also claim that on one occasion he drugged her and took nude photographs of her while unconscious, potentially to use as blackmail. [224] Imitation of Life made more than $50 million in box office receipts. Cause of death. [33] In 1965, she met Hollywood producer and businessman Robert Eaton, who was ten years her junior, through business associates. Turner left the majority of her estate to her maid, Carmen Lopez Cruz, who had been her companion for 45 years and caregiver during her final illness. Gardner repeatedly contemplated suicide near the end of her life. "That, and a sense of loss and of growing up too fast. Burton reportedly said: 'She set out to get me, and I let. Stompanato's rage reportedly reached its boiling point on the night of the 1958 Academy Awards when Turner refused to bring him as her date. [99][100] Their marriage was annulled by Turner four months later upon discovering that Crane's previous divorce had not yet been finalized. The detectives advised Stompanato to leave and escorted him out of the house and to the airport, where he boarded a plane back to the U.S.[203], On the evening of March 26, 1958, Turner attended the Academy Awards to observe her nomination for Peyton Place and present the award for Best Supporting Actor. "[227] Critics and audiences could not help noticing that the plots of Peyton Place and Imitation of Life both seemed to mirror certain parts of Turner's private life, resulting in comparisons she found painful. William Joseph Shields (10 March 1888 - 14 January 1961), known professionally as Barry Fitzgerald, was an Irish stage, film and television actor. [149] The first, Mr. Imperium, released in March 1951, was a box-office flop, and had Turner starring as an American woman who is wooed by a European prince. Lana Turner dating history, 2023, 2022, list of Lana Turner relationships. Lana Turner. They were married on July 3, 2005, and had two kids, a daughter and a son. Lana has always acted hastily and been guided more by her own ideas than by any advance any studio gave her. [214] The scandal also coincided with the release of Another Time, Another Place, and the film was met with poor box-office receipts and a lackluster critical response. [344][345] In 2002, artist Eloy Torrez included Turner in an outdoor mural, Portrait of Hollywood, painted on the auditorium of Hollywood High School, her alma mater. Lana Turner's father was murdered when she was a child. Turner was a regular drinker[270] and cigarette smoker for most of her life.
Lana: the Lady, the Legend, the Truth by Lana Turner | Goodreads It's the Lana Turner Story, Told by the Sweater Girl Herself Turner's private life drew in the public eye from her many marriages and romances, hitting its sensational peak when her lover,. Turner, who disclosed in May 1992 that she had been treated for throat cancer, died at her Century City home with her daughter Cheryl Crane at her side, police Officer Sonia Monaco said. Article. Turner is frequently cited as a popular culture icon of Hollywood glamour and a screen legend of classical Hollywood cinema.[4]. Lana Turner's most memorable film is 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' (1946) , which marked the first time she was cast as a femme fatale, opposite John Garfield. [44], Turner made her feature film debut in LeRoy's They Won't Forget (1937),[45] a crime drama in which she played a teenage murder victim. Anne Heche's Official Cause Of Death Revealed. These Freudian Montage Shots Show Mental State of Jekyll Changing to Hyde", "Lana's Kisses Sell Bonds Without Her Fancy Speech", "The Story is the Same But Hollywood Has Changed", "Movie of the Week: The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Lana Turner To Play Lead In 'Green Dolphin Street", "Hepburn's Screen Career Unaffected by Frankness", "Lana Turner Says She Is Now the Home-Girl Type", "Lana Turner leaves Footprints At Grauman's Chinese Theater", "Pinza Is Tops, Lana Is Dull In 'Mr. The pair, per TCM, divorced shortly after. Lana Turner died Thursday at 75. [172][173] The production was rushed to accommodate a Christmas release and was completed in only three months, but it received unfavorable reviews from critics. [222] When she returned to the set, "her face was so swollen, she couldn't work", Moore said. "[330], Defenders of Turner's acting ability, such as Jessica Hope Jordan[331] and James Robert Parish,[332] cite her performance in The Postman Always Rings Twice as an argument for the value of her work. [117] The classic film noir marked a turning point in Turner's career as her first femme fatale role. She is the most glamorous actress since Jean Harlow. Under these adverse circumstances, stars Taylor and Turner are working under wraps. Upon Turner's death, John Updike wrote in The New Yorker that she "was a faded period piece, an old-fashioned glamour queen whose fifty-four films, over four decades didn't amount, retrospectively to much As a performer, she was purely a studio-made product.