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Goodbye Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh, famous for her screaming battle with a knife-wielding madman in Psycho, passed away yesterday in Beverly Hills. She was 77.
"Leigh's portrayal of Marion Crane in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho earned her a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. The experience of watching the final cut of the famous shower scene made Leigh take baths for the rest of her life.
Born Jeanette Helen Morrison in Merced, Calif., Leigh was studying music and psychology at the College of the Pacific when actress Norma Shearer saw her picture. Shearer urged Leigh to contact talent agent Lew Wasserman and ask for a job in show business. He, in turn, negotiated her first contract with MGM Studios.
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Leigh was only 19 years old when she appeared in the 1947 movie, The Romance of Rosy Ridge. Within two years, she became one of Hollywood's busiest starlets, acting in films opposite Robert Mitchum, Ezio Pinza, James Stewart, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Dick Van Dyke. The beautiful blonde actress eventually made more than 60 pictures, including The Manchurian Candidate and Touch of Evil, but it was her death scene in the Bates Motel that earned her lasting fame.
Leigh married four times, first to John K. Carlyle and Stanley Reames, then to actor Tony Curtis and businessman Robert Brandt. In the final years of her life, she penned the novels Dream Factory and House of Destiny. Her autobiography, There Really Was a Hollywood, was published in 1984.
She is survived by Brandt and her daughters, actresses Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis."
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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