"Woman We Love" in Movie Dearest's

Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004) was an American actress. Her
most famous role was in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho, for which she received a Golden Globe and was
nominated for an Academy Award.

Leigh was born in Merced, California, the only child of Helen Lita (née Westergard) and Frederick Robert
Morrison. She was discovered by actress Norma Shearer, whose late husband Irving Thalberg had been a
senior executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Shearer showed talent agent Lew Wasserman the photograph she had
seen of Leigh while vacationing at the ski resort where the girl's parents worked. She left the University
of the Pacific, where she was studying music and psychology, after Wasserman secured a contract with MGM.

Leigh married her third husband, Tony Curtis, on June 4, 1951. They had two children, actresses Kelly and
Jamie Lee. Curtis, who admitted to cheating on her throughout their marriage, left Leigh in 1962 for
Christine Kaufmann, the 17-year-old German co-star of his latest film Taras Bulba. Leigh was granted a
quick divorce, and married stockbroker Robert Brandt later that year in Las Vegas. They remained married
until her death. Leigh served on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Foundation,
a medical-services provider for actors.

Instead, Leigh married Tony Curtis (her second husband), and the pair became the darlings of fan magazines
and columnists, as well as occasional co-stars (Houdini [1953's career prospered. Among her significant
roles in the '60s were that of Frank Sinatra's enigmatic lady friend in The Manchurian Candidate (1962),
Paul Newman's ex-wife in Harper (1966), and, of course, the unfortunate embezzler in Alfred Hitchcock's
Psycho (1960), who met her demise in the nude (actually covered by a moleskin) and covered with blood
(actually chocolate sauce, which photographed better) in the legendary "shower scene." In the '80s, Leigh
curtailed her film and TV appearances, though her extended legacy as both the star/victim of Psycho and
the mother of actress Jamie Lee Curtis still found her a notable place in the world of cinema even if her
career was no longer "officially" active. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Leigh appeared more often on TV in the 70s and 80s. Her debut in a TV-movie came in 1969 with "The Monk"
(ABC), and she also starred in "Mirror, Mirror" (NBC, 1979). By the 90s, she showed less interest in
acting, although she was still very much in demand for small screen documentaries about Hollywood and its
stars. Having published an autobiography in 1984, she came out with a memoir on the making of "Psycho" in
1995 as well as her first novel, "House of Destiny". While promoting the latter, she announced on talk
shows she would be devoting her time almost exclusively to writing, however, she has squeezed into her
schedule roles as the mother of Nancy McKeon and Alexandra Wilson in the CBS TV-movie "In My Sister's
Shadow" (lensed 1997) and as a maternal secretary to Laurie Strode (played by real-life daughter Jamie
Lee Curtis) in "Halloween H2O" (1998). Prior to her death in 2004, Leigh remained a sprightly presence on
television, frequently recalling her days and friendships in the industry for dozens of specials
chronicling Hollywood's history.

Leigh was awarded an "Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts" degree at the University of the Pacific in Stockton,
California on May 14, 2004. She delivered an inspirational speech to graduating students, faculty, and
administrators in accepting her award.

She died at her home on October 3, 2004, aged 77, after suffering cardiac arrest. Her family was at her
side. Leigh also suffered from vasculitis and peripheral neuropathy, which caused her right hand to become
gangrenous. She will always be a Hollywood legend.