Exceptional actress best known for the black and white trilogy Psycho, Touch of Evil, and The Manchurian Candidate, extraordinary beauty, and the mother of Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh died Sunday at her home in Beverly Hills at 77.
She will always be remembered for Psycho, of course, as the embezzling office worker who is stabbed to death in the shower by cross-dressing madman Anthony Perkins. The role earned her an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress:
- Hitchcock compiled the shower sequence in 70-odd takes of two and three seconds each, for which Leigh spent seven days in the shower. Rumors circulated that she was nude, but she wore a flesh-colored moleskin.
Although tame by today's standards, the scene was shocking for the time for its brutality.
Leigh wrote in her 1995 book "Psycho: Behind the Scenes in the Classic Thriller" that the filming was easy until the last 20 seconds when she had to express total horror as her character was being slashed to death.
She often said she hadn't been able to take a shower since the movie. "It's not a hype, not something I thought would be good for publicity," she insisted. "Honest to gosh, it's true." [AP]
Leigh's entry into showbiz seems a scripted miracle:
- Born Jeanette Helen Morrison in Merced, Calif., on July 6, 1927, she was a college student when retired star Norma Shearer saw her photograph at a ski resort. Shearer recommended the teenager to talent agent Lew Wasserman, who negotiated a contract at MGM for $50 a week.
Dubbed Janet Leigh, she starred in 1947 at 19 in her first movie, "The Romance of Rosy Ridge" opposite Van Johnson. Her salary rose to $150 a week. She became one of the busiest stars at MGM, appearing in six movies in 1949.
Among her films: "Act of Violence" (with Van Heflin), "Little Women," "Holiday Affair" (Robert Mitchum), "Strictly Dishonorable" (Ezio Pinza), "The Naked Spur" (James Stewart), "Living It Up" (Martin and Lewis), "Jet Pilot" (John Wayne), "Bye Bye Birdie" (Dick Van Dyke), "Safari" (Victor Mature).
Leigh had been married twice before coming to Hollywood: to John K. Carlyle, 1942, annulled; and Stanley Reames, 1946-1948, divorced. In 1951 she married Tony Curtis when their stardoms were at a peak. Both their studios, MGM and Universal, expressed concerns that their immense popularity with teenagers would be hindered if they were married.
Article comments
1 - Bill Lamb
Great tribute Eric!
"Touch Of Evil" is just as amazing a film as "Psycho" and she is an important part of it. It is a must-see for any fan of film noir.
2 - Eric Olsen
thanks Bill, she was always one of my favorites