Joan Fontaine 1917-2013

Legendary Joan Fontaine died December 15, 2013, in her sleep at her peaceful home in Carmel, California.

Unlike the other two classic film deaths that preceded her by mere days, Joan Fontaine wasn’t a co-star of Clark Gable’s at all. But he was one of the few big names that didn’t have the honor to star alongside her. An extremely talented actress, Joan had a career that spanned fifty years. Her list of co-stars is beyond impressive: Laurence Olivier, Cary Grant, Joan Crawford, Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone, Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Charles Boyer, Orson Welles…wow, talks about a who’s who of Hollywood.

Much has already been written everywhere about Joan’s impressive career, her Oscar and Oscar nominations, and, of course, her decades-long estrangement from her sister, Olivia de Havilland, that will forever remain unresolved. So I am not going to launch into a biography of her, but rather provide a photo scrapbook.

Rest in peace, Joan, and thanks for the memories.

Turner Classic Movies (US) is showing several of her films as a tribute, tomorrow December 29.