Cousin-in-law of Lucile Fairbanks.
Daughter-in-law of Douglas Fairbanks.
Decided to adopt children after suffering a series of miscarriages with her husbands and being told by doctors that she would never be able to have a baby.
Despite being a big star, Crawford really didn't appear in that many film classics. One she missed out on was From Here to Eternity (1953) in 1953. When the domineering actress insisted that her costumes be designed by Sheila O'Brien, studio head Harry Cohn replaced her with Deborah Kerr.
Drank excessively and smoked until she began practicing Christian Science, at which time she abruptly quit doing both.
During her later years, Crawford was drinking up to a quart of vodka a day.
Each time Crawford married, she changed the name of her Brentwood estate and installed all new toilet seats.
Entered Stephens College, a posh university for women in Columbia, Missouri in 1922, however she left before her first academic year was over as she felt she was not academically prepared for university.
Former mother-in-law of Harvey Medlinsky.
Has once said that Clark Gable was the only man she had ever loved.
Her 1933 contract with MGM was so detailed and binding, it even had a clause in it indicating what time she was expected to be in bed each night.
Her biggest pet peeve was being told by rising starlets that she was their mother's favorite actress.
Her cleanliness obsession lead her to prefer showers to tubs, as she abhorred sitting in her own bathwater.
Her daughter Christina Crawford suffered from an ovarian cyst in 1968 while appearing on the TV soap opera "The Secret Storm" (1954). While Christina was recovering from surgery, Joan Crawford, 63 years old at the time, temporarily took over Christina's role as a 28-year-old on the show. Christina Crawford wrote in her book "Mommie Dearest" that when she watched her mother's scenes on the telecast, it was obvious to her that her mother had been drinking during the taping.
Her little tap dancing in The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) was the first audible tap dance on the screen.
Her Oscar statuette for Mildred Pierce (1945) went on auction after her death and sold for $68,000. The auction house had predicted a top bid of $15,000.
Her performance as Mildred Pierce Beragon in Mildred Pierce (1945) is ranked #93 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Her popularity grew so quickly after her name was changed to Joan Crawford that two films in which she was still billed as Lucille Le Sueur: Old Clothes (1925) and The Only Thing (1925) were recalled, and the billings were altered.
In 1933, she appeared in a Coca-Cola print advertisement. Some years later, in 1955, she married Pepsi-Cola board chairman Alfred N. Steele.
In 1959, upon the death of her husband Alfred Steele, CEO of the Pepsi-Cola Company, Joan remained on the Board of Directors until her forced retirement in 1973, earning $60,000 per year.