Line #6 Creator/JanetLeigh


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/janet_leigh.jpg]]
2	->''"The dream factory of that time was much simpler. As media outlets grew, everything became so complicated."''
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4	Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004) was an American actress whose career began during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood and spanned more than fifty years.
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6	Discovered by Creator/NormaShearer, Leigh made her acting debut on radio in 1946 and secured a movie contract with Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer the following year. Early in her career, she appeared in several popular films spanning a wide variety of genres, though she played mostly dramatic roles during the latter half of the 1950s, in such films as ''Safari'' (1956) and ''Film/TouchOfEvil'' (1958), before achieving her most lasting recognition as the doomed Marion Crane in Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' (1960). For her performance, she was awarded the UsefulNotes/GoldenGlobeAward for Best Supporting Actress and received an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination.
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8	Leigh had a highly publicized marriage to Creator/TonyCurtis, which ended in divorce in 1962, and after she co-starred in ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'' that same year she scaled back on her career to raise her daughters. She continued to make intermittent film and television appearances, however, including two films with her daughter Creator/JamieLeeCurtis, ''Film/{{The Fog\|1980}}'' (1980) and ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' (1998). Leigh passed away in October 2004 at the age of 77, following a year-long battle with vasculitis (an inflammation of the blood vessels).
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10	And yes, she refused to take showers for decades after making ''Psycho'', until she became physically unable to use a bathtub.
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12	Not related to Creator/VivienLeigh, who also used "Leigh" as a {{stage name\|s}}. In fact, she was concerned when the name was first presented to her that there might be some confusion with Vivien, but her co-star in her first film, Van Johnson, reminded her that he himself shared his first name with Van Heflin, and yet "there's two Van's and it hasn't hurt either of us."
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15	!!Works with pages on TV Tropes:
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18	[[folder:Film roles]]
19	* ''[[Franchise/{{Lassie}} Hills of Home]]'' (1948) as Margit Mitchell
20	* ''Film/ActOfViolence'' (1949) as Edith Enley
21	* ''Literature/LittleWomen'' (1949) as Meg March
22	* ''[[Literature/TheForsyteSaga That Forsyte Woman]]'' (1949) as June Forsyte
23	* ''Film/HolidayAffair'' (1949) as Connie Ennis
24	* ''Film/AngelsInTheOutfield'' (1951) as Jennifer Paige
25	* ''Film/{{Scaramouche\|1952}}'' (1952) as Aline de Gavrillac
26	* ''Film/TheNakedSpur'' (1953) as Lina Patch
27	* ''Film/{{Prince Valiant\|1954}}'' (1954) as Princess Aleta
28	* ''Theatre/MySisterEileen'' (1955) as Eileen Sherwood
29	* ''Film/TouchOfEvil'' (1958) as Susan Vargas
30	* ''Film/TheVikings'' (1958) as Morgana
31	* ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' (1960) as Marion Crane
32	* ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'' (1962) as Eugenie Rose Chaney
33	* ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'' (1963) as Rosie [=DeLeon=]
34	* ''Film/{{Harper}}'' (1966) as Susan Harper
35	* ''Film/GrandSlam'' (1967) as Mary Ann
36	* ''Film/HelloDownThere'' (1969) as Vivian Miller
37	* ''Film/NightOfTheLepus'' (1972) as Gerry Bennett
38	* ''Film/{{The Fog\|1980}}'' (1980) as Kathy Williams
39	* ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' (1998) as Norma
40	* ''Film/BadGirlsFromValleyHigh'' (2005) as Mrs. Witt (final role)
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Television roles]]
44	* ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' (2 episodes, 1966) as Miss Diketon
45	* ''Series/TheVirginian'' (1 episode, 1970) as Jenny Davis
46	* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' ([[Recap/ColumboS05E01 1 episode]], 1975) as Grace Wheeler Willis
47	* ''Series/TheLoveBoat'' (2 episodes, 1978–85) as Gail[=/=]Joan Phillips
48	* ''Series/FantasyIsland'' (2 episodes, 1979–82) as Carol Gates[=/=]Suzanne King
49	* ''Series/TalesOfTheUnexpected'' (1 episode, 1982) as Joan Stackpole
50	* ''Series/{{Starman}}'' (1 episode, 1986) as Antonia Weyburn
51	* ''Series/MurderSheWrote'' (1 episode, 1987) as Cornelia Montaigne Harper
52	* ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone\|1985}}'' (1 episode, 1989) as Barbara [=LeMay=]
53	* ''Series/TouchedByAnAngel'' (1 episode, 1997) as Vera King
54	* ''Series/FamilyLaw'' (1 episode, 2001) as Mary Sawyer
55	[[/folder]]
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57	----
58	!!Tropes associated with her work:
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60	* ActorAllusion: [[invoked]]
61	** Her role in ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' features a few nods to her role in ''Film/{{Psycho}}''.
62	*** She drives the same car Marion buys to throw the cop off her trail.
63	*** She mentions that the shower is clogged, referencing the death scene.
64	*** An excerpt from the soundtrack plays when Norma and Laurie are talking.
65	** In ''Film/TheManchurianCandidate'' there's a newspaper clipping of her with then-husband Tony Curtis visible.
66	* DawsonCasting: [[invoked]] She was already in her twenties playing the teenage Meg in ''Literature/LittleWomen''.
67	* DeadStarWalking: Infamously in ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. She has about thirty minutes of screen time, is horrifically murdered and the plot then becomes a ReverseWhodunnit. At the time it stunned audiences who expected her to survive longer. Although it is worth noting, she's given the AndStarring credit as opposed to being top-billed.
68	* DoingItForTheArt: [[invoked]] She nearly wasn't in ''Film/TouchOfEvil'' because her agent turned the part down without asking her - assuming she would be offended by the low salary. Orson Welles had anticipated this and sent her a personal letter. Janet then signed on, telling her agent that she would be happy to work with Orson Welles no matter what the pay was.
69	* GameBreakingInjury: Subverted. She broke her arm before filming ''Film/TouchOfEvil'', but they resorted to tricks to hide the cast during shots. For the more revealing motel scenes, she took it off for filming and put it back on afterwards.
70	* IAmNotSpock: [[invoked]] She joked that her turn in ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' was so memorable, it almost ruined her career. Even so, it's the film she's most remembered for these days -- despite her character dying halfway through the movie.
71	* LifeImitatesArt: [[invoked]] She was terrified of showering after seeing the famous scene in ''Psycho'' - claiming it made her realise how vulnerable a woman was when she showered.
72	* NonSingingVoice: [[invoked]] ''An American Dream'' saw her singing dubbed by Jackie Ward.
73	* OldShame: [[invoked]] She did ''Film/NightOfTheLepus'' because the filming location meant less time away from her family, and later said "I've forgotten about that picture as much as I can."
74	* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. She wanted her StageName to be "Leigh" but was afraid she would be confused with Creator/VivienLeigh. Creator/VanJohnson apparently then reminded her of Van Heflin – "there's two Vans and it hasn't hurt either of us."
75	* RealLifeRelative: [[invoked]] She starred with her daughter Creator/JamieLeeCurtis in ''Film/TheFog'' and ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater''.
76	* SexySweaterGirl: Leigh was quite often costumed in snug tops that showed off her bosom, possibly most famously in ''Film/HolidayAffair'' (a Christmas movie!), in which RKO boss Creator/HowardHughes insisted Leigh wear tight sweater and bullet bra ensembles so dramatic that co-star Creator/RobertMitchum mentioned it in his autobiography.
77	* StarMakingRole: [[invoked]] Portraying Bess Houdini in ''Houdini'' marked her transition to lead roles.
78	* ThoseTwoActors: [[invoked]] Starred in five films with Tony Curtis.
79	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[invoked]]
80	** Her two daughters were suggested for roles in ''Film/NightOfTheLepus''. Janet refused, not wanting them to see horror films. [[{{Irony}} Then six years later one daughter becomes a "Scream Queen".]]
81	** Her character in ''Film/TouchOfEvil'' was written to be a Mexican. Changing her to a white American woman was one of the changes Creator/OrsonWelles made when he became director.
82	** Creator/AngelaLansbury really wanted the part of Effie in ''If Winter Comes'' but MGM insisted she play the mean wife Mabel - while Janet was cast as Effie.
83	** Janet was the first choice for Simone Clouseau in ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' but turned it down because she didn't want to leave her family.
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85	!!Janet Leigh in fiction:
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87	* She is portrayed in the film ''{{Film/Hitchcock}}'' about the making of ''Psycho'' by Creator/ScarlettJohansson.

Context Creator / JanetLeigh