Birth name:Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland Birth:22 October 1917 Died:15 December 2013 Nationality:
Career / Biography
Joan Fontaine was born in Japan to British parents but has lived most of her life in America and is the younger sister of Oliver De Haviland. In 1941 both sisters were nominated for Best Actress Oscars, which Joan won. Her first starring role was with Fred Astaire in Damsel In Distress (Joan Fontaine has one dance with Fred Astaire), but it was in the Alfred Hitchcock films Rebecca and Suspicion that she became a major star. Her best performance was in Alfred Hitchcock's moody adaptatin of Daphne de Maurier's novel Rebecca. She was noted for her restrained performances. Her mother encourgaed her acting talent and her firat screen role was with MGM in No More Ladies. In 1937 signed for RKO and appeared in a few minor roles, before appearing in A Damsel In Distress with Fred Astaire. Her first staring role was The Man Who Found Himself. This was followed by supporting roles and after her contract was not renewed she worked with George Cuckor in The Women. Her break out role was in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca for which she was Oscar nominated. The following year she worked with Hitchcock again in Suspicion and for which which she won an Oscar. She was the oly actress to win an Oscar in a Hitchcock film. The Constant Nymph brought her another Oscar nomination in which she plays a 14 yer old girl. She then appeared with Orson Welles in Jayne Ayre. Frenchman's Creek was the second Daphne Du Maurier adaptation though this time with the benefit of colour, though was not a success. Born To Be Bad was a differnt style of role, more of a femme fatal character. Ivanhoe was her next major role opposite Elizabeth Taylor. Her best film noir was in Fritz Lang's Beyond A Reasonable Doubt. The inter-racial romance Island In The Sun caused controversy on its release. The Witches for Hammer films was her last major film. She was married four times.
