Janet Leigh Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Janet Leigh born Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 in Merced, California - October 3, 2004 in Beverly Hills) was an American actress.An only child, she was discovered at age 20 by actress Norma Shearer whose late husband Irving Thalberg had been a senior executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although Shearer had retired, she maintained her influence in Hollywood. She showed talent agent Lew Wasserman the photograph she had spotted of Morrison while vacationing at the ski resort where the girl's parents worked. Leigh left College of the Pacific, where she was studying music and psychology, after Wasserman secured a contract with MGM.
Leigh's best-known role was as the lead in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho. Years later, she wrote an acclaimed book about the making of that film, in which she dispelled the urban legends which had popped up around it, notably the now-immortal "shower scene." Her performance earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.
Leigh's third husband was Tony Curtis, whom she married on June 4, 1951. They had two children, actresses Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis. In June 1962, Leigh was granted a divorce from Curtis, who admitted to cheating on Leigh throughout their marriage, and had left her for Christine Kaufmann, the 17 year-old co-star of his then-latest film. Leigh married stockbroker Robert Brandt later that year in Las Vegas; the two remained married until her death.
Leigh starred in more than sixty films, including:
- Little Women (1949)
- Angels in the Outfield (1951)
- Scaramouche (1952)
- Houdini (1953)
- The Black Shield of Falworth (1954)
- Touch of Evil (1958)
- Psycho (1960)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) opposite Jamie Lee.
She died at her home from vasculitis at age 77. Her family was at her side.