Becoming Hollywood’s It Girl
Like thousands of other aspiring actors in history, Janet Leigh staked everything she had to leave her life behind and follow her dreams. Thankfully, she possessed the looks and talent to make it in the early days of Hollywood, and she soon became one of the most idolized actresses in cinema.
Although not every project of hers was a hit, she made her impact on the industry—and especially helped define the horror genre.
1. They Had A Hard Life
By the 1960s, Janet Leigh had established a career that turned her into one of the most beloved and sought-after actresses of her time, but the road to this point was far from easy. Especially in the beginning, Janet could have only dreamed of the luxuries she later enjoyed, as her family was destitute.
Born in 1927, she grew up witnessing the effects and aftermath of the Great Depression, as her father struggled to put food on the table. Still, Janet didn’t let something like this hold her back from success.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Was Quite Intelligent
Her father took every job he could to provide for his family, but as Janet got older, she realized she would have to provide for herself sooner rather than later. Focusing on her education, she had already begun to stand out from those around her, proving her aptitude by skipping a few grades before graduating high school at only 15 years old.
For Janet, life just kept coming at breakneck speed.
3. She Found Someone Quickly
Like many celebrities, Janet’s later publicity would partly stem from the relationships throughout her life, but the first of these occurred before her time in the spotlight. Before she even graduated high school, she became involved with a man three years her elder, marrying him in 1942. Fortunately, this was barely a marriage, lasting only five months before they got an annulment.
Still living in obscurity, she did everything she could to help out.
4. She Helped Her Family
Following high school, Janet Leigh immediately enrolled in college, but this was only one facet of her whirlwind life as she still had to provide for herself while helping her family do the same. This meant that during the school year, she balanced her studies with working at her college’s information desk, and found several retail jobs for the summer and Christmas.
Of course, she would soon be swept off her feet once again.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
5. She Met Someone Else
Even while juggling all of her jobs and trying to stay ahead of her schoolwork, Janet seemingly had time for romance and started dating Stanley Reames, a sailor in the Navy. Jumping headfirst into their relationship, the two of them married in 1945, but this marriage wouldn’t fare much better than her first and lasted a little under three years before they divorced.
As luck would have it, her path to stardom was just around the corner.
6. She Noticed Her
Of course, Janet Leigh wasn’t the only one contributing to her family’s finances, and her parents both worked at the Sugar Bowl ski resort in the mid-1940s. As Janet’s proud father, Frederick Morrison had included a photo of his daughter in an album for guests to look through in the lobby. In a twist of fate, actress Norma Shearer was staying at the resort and happened to see Janet’s picture.
This tiny moment of pure chance would change Janet’s life forever.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
7. She Vouched For Her
Norma Shearer was already an experienced actress by this point, so she knew potential when she saw it. Affiliated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, she went to the studio’s talent agent, Lew Wasserman, and showed him Janet’s photo. When explaining why she did so, she would later state, “That smile made it the most fascinating face I had seen in years”.
Thankfully, the actress was willing to stick her neck out even further.
National Photo Company, Wikimedia Commons
8. She Pulled Some Strings
While being a veteran actress, Norma Shearer had even more pull at MGM since her late husband had served as the former head of production. She believed in Janet so much that, using her influence, she arranged for the 18-year-old to come in for a screen test. Janet agreed, and although she had no experience, she was so impressive that Lew Wasserman signed her to a contract.
While this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Janet had to make some tough choices.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
9. She Figured Out Her Priorities
Janet Leigh had spent her life juggling so many balls in the air at once, but now that a career in Hollywood had become tangible, she faced a decision. Choosing to follow her dreams, she dropped out of college to study under drama coach Lillian Burns. However, she did take up night classes at the University of Southern California the following year.
Strangely enough, her first performances weren’t even on screen.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
10. She Had Other Experiences
Today, most know Janet for her extensive film career, but before she even stepped foot in front of a camera, she gave her debut performance as a voice actor. At 19 years old, she featured in the radio production All Through the House as part of a larger anthology series called The Cresta Blanca Hollywood Players.
Fortunately, she would get her first chance on screen before too long.
Keystone Features, Getty Images
11. She Had Her First Gig
Only a year after her first performance on the radio, Janet Leigh began production on her cinematic debut in the Western film The Romance of Rosy Ridge. Appearing opposite another veteran actor, Van Johnson, she booked the role by reciting Phyllis Thaxter's iconic speech from the WWII drama Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.
With her acting career kicking off, she had to make some more fundamental changes.
12. She Changed Her Name
As this was Janet’s first major role, she still had time to figure out how she wanted the world to see her and decided to switch up some details. At the time, she was actually going by her birth name, Jeanette Morrison, but Van Johnson suggested she shorten her first name to “Janet,” and take on the surname Lee—spelled Leigh—to fit the time period of their film.
Finally, after much deliberation, Janet determined who she would become.
MGM, The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947)
13. She Settled On Her Identity
Although Janet Leigh was fond of her new stage name, “Janet Leigh,” it didn’t sit well with the higher-ups at MGM, who thought audiences would confuse her with actress Vivien Leigh. However, Van Johnson convinced her to stick with it, citing that, although there was another well-known actor named Van Heflin, no one was getting the two of them mixed up.
While her film debut was big, Janet would soon carve out her own place in Hollywood.
Fawcett Publications, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Finally Broke Out
Only four years after leaving for Hollywood, Janet had already acquired a few diverse roles, worked with some big names, and was about to appear under her first starring credit. This wasn’t just any movie, though, as Hills of Home was the fourth installment of MGM’s Lassie films, centered around the titular dog.
Thankfully, as Janet would learn, audiences across America were just waiting for her.
15. They All Loved Her
Hills of Home wasn’t Janet’s only project during 1948, and although she was still relatively new in the industry, she had left a lasting effect on it by the end of the year. Many adored her for her tendency to be kind and humble, but her looks and demeanor also earned her the title of Hollywood’s “No 1 glamour girl” by the media.
Even with this success, Janet wasn’t slowing down any time soon.
16. She Was Non-Stop
Janet Leigh continued chugging along and worked as much as she could, still content to balance several jobs at once as she appeared in six more projects throughout 1949. Not all were blockbuster successes, such as The Red Danube, which suffered financially and critically as many wrote it off as a propaganda film—but they still praised Janet’s performance.
On the other hand, another of these movies would become one of her greatest successes.
17. She Was In An Adaptation
Across all of Janet’s movies in 1949, one stood out as a contender for MGM’s biggest film at the time, and helped Janet continue her rise to the top. As an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name, Little Women featured Janet as the character of Meg March, and the film became a massive hit with audiences.
As she would discover in the next decade, she was in for some even bigger wins.
18. She Knocked It Out Of The Park
Over the next couple of years, Janet continued to take on film after film, becoming even more of a Hollywood icon. In 1951, she took on another role in a soon-to-be-beloved movie, Angels in the Outfield, but this wasn’t her only hit that year. Branching out, she starred in the musical film Two Tickets to Broadway, which saw major success at the box office.
Just as she was making a bigger name for herself, she also found success in her love life.
MGM, Angels In The Outfield (1951)
19. She Met Someone In The Industry
As one of the most prominent actresses at the time, Janet Leigh had no shortage of potential suitors attempting to court her, but she only had one man in her heart. By the early 1950s, she had begun a relationship with actor Tony Curtis. Of course, the media was all over this, as gossip about them filled the pages of tabloid papers.
Meanwhile, not everyone was on board with them as a couple.
20. They Threatened Him
With their relationship on display for everyone to see, it’s no surprise that once the two of them began talking about marriage, it didn’t stay a secret for long. While their friends and family may have celebrated this, the studio behind Tony, Universal-International, was less than pleased and threatened to end his career if he went through with it.
For the two love birds, this wasn’t much of a problem.
21. They Didn’t Care
Even with the endless scrutiny of the public and threats from Universal-International, Janet and Tony wouldn’t let anything get in the way of their happiness. They had grown devoted to each other, so in defiance of their situation, they eloped on June 4, 1951, in Greenwich, Connecticut, with comedian Jerry Lewis as a witness.
Since they were both successful actors, they ended up having a lot in common.
22. They Worked Together
As it turns out, Universal-International never followed through on their threat, allowing Tony to remain contracted to the studio. Following this, Paramount made a deal with both his and Janet’s respective studios to borrow them for an upcoming project. Thus, the couple appeared in their first film together, as Harry and Bess Houdini in 1953’s Houdini.
Sadly, their first major hardship was on the horizon.
Paramount Pictures, Houdini (1953)
23. She Suffered A Loss
Like many newlyweds, Janet and Tony wanted to start a family as soon as possible, and Janet became pregnant with their first child in early 1953. However, this didn’t seem to be in the cards for them at this time, as Janet tragically suffered a miscarriage that summer. Fortunately, they clung to each other and didn’t let this loss drive them apart.
Donaldson Collection, Getty Images
24. They Were Great Partners
Even after their terrible loss, both Janet and Tony returned to what they knew best and threw themselves back into their work. In 1954, beyond appearing in her own projects such as Living It Up with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, Janet showed up on screen again with her husband in the swashbuckling adventure film The Black Shield of Falworth.
However, she was nearing another significant shift in her career.
Paramount Pictures, Living It Up (1954)
25. She Said Goodbye
Even at this point in her life as an actor, Janet wasn’t a complete stranger to being in poorly received movies, but one such project became the last straw. Starring in 1954’s Rogue Cop alongside actor Robert Taylor, Janet read all the feedback after its release, much of which applauded her performance but criticized the script. Following this, she decided to do something drastic—and terminated her contract with MGM.
Of course, with the kind of prestige she had, it wasn’t too difficult to find another studio.
26. She Found A New Home
After leaving MGM, Janet was effectively a free agent, and likely had many studios chomping at the bit to sign her to a contract. For Janet, though, this wasn’t a difficult decision at all, considering she enjoyed working with her husband. Before the year was out, she signed a four-picture deal with Tony’s contracted studio, Universal-International.
Even so, this didn’t stop her from taking the reins for herself.
27. They Made Something Together
After decades of working with various studios, Janet and Tony wanted to have agency over at least some of their projects, and were thankfully successful enough to pull it off. Together in 1955, the couple established their own independent film studio under the label Curtleigh Productions, a combination of their surnames.
Soon enough, this wouldn’t be the only thing they made together.
United Artists, Taras Bulba (1962)
28. Their Family Grew
Following her miscarriage, it would have been understandable if Janet developed some anxieties around the possibility of her and Tony starting a family. However, she had nothing to worry about, as the two of them welcomed their first child, Kelly Lee Curtis, in 1956, and would have another daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, two years later.
As always, Janet barely slowed down in her day-to-day life.
29. She Branched Out
While many today know Janet mostly from her film acting, by the late 1950s, she had already gained experience in other media and was about to get some more. Gracing the small screen, Janet appeared in her debut television role in the anthology series, Schlitz Playhouse, in 1957.
At the same time, she was about to meet a true titan of cinema.
30. She Worked With A Legend
The following year, Janet got the opportunity to work with one of history’s greatest directors in Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. Strangely, although she wouldn’t start her Alfred Hitchcock project for another couple of years, the two films ended up having several major similarities.
Although Janet reportedly had a “great experience” during production, it wasn’t perfect.
31. She Was Committed
At this point in her career, no one could deny Janet’s strong work ethic, especially since she continued to work despite her own health. Once Touch of Evil began filming, the cast and crew were surprised to see Janet’s arm in a sling, as she had recently broken it. Nonetheless, she continued filming, hiding her injury from the end product with movie magic.
Still, this would pale in comparison to her most memorable performance.
Universal International Pictures, Touch of Evil (1958)
32. She Became An Icon
With the 1960s came another opportunity for Janet to work with a legendary director, as she joined Alfred Hitchcock for his upcoming film Psycho. Playing the complicated character of Marion Crane, Janet made waves alongside her co-star, Anthony Perkins, as the film revolutionized horror and possibly kicked off the Slasher subgenre.
As amazing as her performance was, her role was almost completely different.
Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images
33. They Switched Places
Even though most fans wouldn’t even be able to imagine Marion Crane without Janet’s performance behind it, this wasn’t the original plan. Initially, Hitchcock had brought in Janet to play the character of Lila Crane, but after she screen-tested with Marion’s first actress, Vera Miles, it became clear that the roles would be better reversed.
This ended up being for the best, considering the acclaim she received.
Paramount Pictures, Psycho (1960)
34. She Made A Hit
As a genre-defining picture, Psycho hit the film world like a freight train, and both audiences and critics fell in love with it as it soared to the top of the box office. Of course, many directed this praise to Anthony Perkins, but Janet’s performance was equally applauded, earning her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
This success paved the way for how audiences would remember her for decades to come.
Shamley Productions, Psycho (1960)
35. It Became Her Legacy
Despite surprising audiences by not appearing in the entire story, Janet’s performance alone was enough to make this the film that followed her name forever. Plus, the famous “shower scene” of her character’s demise became one of the most iconic horror scenes in history, especially since it broke the mold by eliminating the protagonist so early in the film.
However, this didn’t mean that she loved that part like her fans did.
36. She Was Terrified
Since the film’s release, fans have praised Janet’s iconic Psycho scene even if it gave them nightmares, but the actress wasn’t in the same boat. Although she had no trouble filming it in the moment, she later found that upon watching the scene in the finished film, she became so disturbed by it that she avoided showers for the rest of her days.
Unfortunately, Janet had some real-life misery heading her way.
37. They Stopped Working Together
By 1960, Janet and Tony had appeared in five films together, and added to the list when they featured in the movie Pepe that year. Sadly, this would end up being their final film together, as two years later, Tony filed for divorce while Janet was busy working on The Manchurian Candidate.
According to Janet, the rift between them was less of an issue with her.
United Artists, The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
38. He Was Grieving
It’s a common adage that celebrity relationships never last, and many times, this is due to some explosive scandal—but this wasn’t the case with Janet and Tony. When asked what had happened, Janet always remained private, only stating that a major contributing factor was Tony losing his father, among other vague "outside problems".
They likely were having issues for a while, as Janet was already on to her next romance.
39. She Quickly Moved On
Janet and Tony may have started out in a place where they were willing to overcome any obstacle for their love, but their relationship had clearly deteriorated since then. Janet seemingly let him go long before they finalized their divorce, as no more than a day later, she married another man named Robert Brandt.
Regarding her career, she finally allowed herself to do something unprecedented.
40. She Took Some Time Off
In the wake of all the turmoil in her personal life, Janet started to refuse more and more roles until she decided to take an official break from acting. While this was likely to step away from the publicity of it all in part, she was also now raising two daughters on her own and didn’t want to be away from them if it wasn’t necessary.
Naturally, she couldn’t say no to her passion for too long.
41. She Came Back
After a three-year hiatus from acting, Janet finally felt comfortable enough to return to the screen in 1966, once again diving headfirst into her work. Over the course of the year, she took four roles in movies and two more in television shows. As a nice welcome back, she was able to work on one of these projects with her old friend, Jerry Lewis.
Going even further, she took this time to try out something new.
NBC, The Virginian (1962-1971)
42. She Performed Live
Even at this point in Janet’s long and storied career, there were some avenues that she had yet to explore, but she knocked one of these off her list in the following decade. In 1975, she traded the cameras for a live audience as she made her stage debut, performing in a Broadway show with Tony Award-winner Jack Cassidy.
Thankfully, it was clear she hadn’t lost any of her talent during her hiatus.
43. They Held Her Up
Unfortunately, Janet’s first foray into the theatre scene didn’t reach her usual level of success, with several critics having nothing but negative things to say about the show. On the other hand, most continued to praise her on-screen work, with her performance in the 1979 film Boardwalk considered by one critic her "best role in years".
In a happy twist, she hadn’t finished acting with those closest to her.
Atlantic Entertainment Group, Boardwalk (1979)
44. She Worked With Family Again
Before the decline of her and Tony’s relationship, Janet seemed to cherish the times that she got to work with her husband. Lucky for her, this wouldn’t be her last time acting alongside a loved one. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and when her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, started acting herself, Janet was happy to appear with her in the 1980 horror film The Fog.
When she wasn’t performing, Janet started practicing another form of expression.
Universal Pictures, The Fog (1980)
45. She Was A Writer
As the 1990s arrived, Janet immediately slowed down with her on-screen acting, choosing to funnel her creativity into another outlet. Releasing a non-fiction book about the creation of Psycho, Janet got a taste for writing and went on to publish two fiction novels over the decade, titled House of Destiny and The Dream Factory.
Even during this time, she was pleased to return in another role for the right person.
Sean Dempsey - PA Images, Getty Images
46. They Acted Together Again
Just as Janet Leigh had revolutionized the horror genre, her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis had done so with the iconic 1978 slasher masterpiece, Halloween, which spawned numerous sequels. Janet appeared to be nothing but proud of her daughter, and even agreed to join her in one of these sequels, 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
While this was one of her last roles, she didn’t shy away from the public.
Miramax, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
47. She Stayed In The Spotlight
Reaching her 70s by the end of the decade, Janet Leigh took only two film roles in the 1990s, one of which was with her daughter. Despite this, the media hadn’t seen the last of her, as she was content with making red carpet appearances and doing interviews. Finally, she filmed her final movie in the new millennium with 2005’s Bad Girls from Valley High.
Even then, the film world hadn’t forgotten about her achievements.
Universal Pictures, Bad Girls from Valley High (2005)
48. They Gave Her An Honor
Although it had been so long since she last attended any formal education, Janet returned to visit the University of the Pacific, where she had enrolled after high school. They hadn’t forgotten about her, and commemorated her with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 2004, which she accepted in person despite being confined to her wheelchair.
Behind the scenes, she was fighting a mysterious battle.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
49. She Kept It Secret
The reason why Janet Leigh was unable to stand on her own to accept her degree was due to her ongoing health conditions, as her struggle with vasculitis was getting worse and worse. While the public may have had concerns, Janet chose to keep her condition a secret to everyone but those closest to her, right up until she passed on October 3, 2004.
Today, anyone who wants to see more of her life only needs to return to the beginning.
50. They Celebrated Her
On top of having an acclaimed career before even booking the role, Psycho ensured that Janet Leigh would live on as one of the first actresses that fans would later call a “Scream Queen”. In more recent years, the University of the Pacific hadn’t finished memorializing her, as in 2010, they renamed their resident movie theatre the Janet Leigh Theatre. There, visitors can see several film posters and photos, as well as various artifacts from her life.
You May Also Like:
Joanne Woodward’s Life Was No Fairy Tale
