Joan Fontaine
“An elegant star of fragile heroines, the only performer to win an Oscar in a Hitchcock film.”
After being cast by Hitchcock as the timid second Mrs. de Winter in 'Rebecca,' Fontaine emerged from her famous sister's shadow. She won the 1941 Best Actress Oscar for her terrified bride in Hitchcock's 'Suspicion,' becoming a top star in her early twenties.
Born in Japan
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland was born in Tokyo to English parents and raised in California. To distinguish herself from her actress sister Olivia, she adopted the stage name Fontaine.
Hitchcock's Heroine
Hitchcock cast her as the shy heroine of 'Rebecca' (1940) and the anxious bride of 'Suspicion' (1941). The latter won her the Best Actress Oscar over her own sister, who was also nominated that year.
A Long Career
She starred in romantic dramas like 'Jane Eyre' and 'Letter from an Unknown Woman' through the 1950s. She lived to 96, outliving most of her Golden Age peers.
Career Timeline
- 1917Born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland in Tokyo, Japan
- 1935Begins film career under contract
- 1937Co-stars with Fred Astaire in 'A Damsel in Distress'
- 1940Stars in Hitchcock's 'Rebecca'; first Oscar nod
- 1941Stars in Hitchcock's 'Suspicion'
- 1942Wins Best Actress Oscar for 'Suspicion'
- 1943Title role in 'Jane Eyre' opposite Welles
- 1948Stars in 'Letter from an Unknown Woman'
- 1962Largely retires from feature films
- 2013Dies in California at age 96
Biggest Hits
- She is the only performer to win an acting Oscar for a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
- Her lifelong rivalry with sister Olivia de Havilland is among Hollywood's most famous family feuds.
The Moment You Remember
Her trembling arrival as the new Mrs. de Winter at the great house Manderley in <em>Rebecca</em> is the moment audiences remember: Fontaine, overwhelmed and watchful, made the heroine's anxiety palpable, anchoring Hitchcock's tale of a haunting first wife.
Portrait: Unknown author · Public domain (PD-US, copyright not renewed) · via Wikimedia Commons