
Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 1906 – May 10, 1977) was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford launched a publicity campaign and built an image as a nationally known flapper by the end of the 1920s. By the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money. By the end of the 1930s, she was labeled "box office poison". After an absence of nearly two years from the screen, Crawford staged a comeback by starring in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1955, she became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company, through her marriage to company president Alfred Steele. After his death in 1959, Crawford was elected to fill his vacancy on the board of directors but was forcibly retired in 1973. She continued acting in film and television regularly through the 1960s, when her performances became fewer; after the release of the horror film Trog in 1970, Crawford retired from the screen. Following a public appearance in 1974, after which unflattering photographs were published, Crawford withdrew from public life. She became more and more reclusive until her death in 1977.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 23, 1906
- May 10, 1977 (aged 71)
- San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Actor, also producer and writer
- 72 on Motif · 130 credits in all
What are Joan Crawford's films like?
Across their 64 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 4 · Earnest 58
A split, not a type: Light 26 · Serious 22 · Dark 16
A split, not a type: Grounded 29 · Stylized 28 · Heightened 7
Gentle 16 · Charged 34 · Intense 14
Steady 25 · Shifting 35 · Whiplash 4
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 38 · Some laughs 21 · Funny 5
Slow burn 31 · Even-paced 33 · Relentless 0
Casual 33 · Engaged 30 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 25 · Affecting 28 · Heavy 11
Resolved 48 · Open-ended 14 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 31 of 46 analyzed roles.
Show the 46 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Irene O'Dare in Sally, Irene and Mary (1925)
- Allyas Allie Monte in Spring Fever (1927)
- Allyas Priscilla Crowninshield in Across to Singapore (1928)
- Heroas Diana Medford in Our Dancing Daughters (1928)
- Shapeshifteras Billie Brown in Our Modern Maidens (1929)
- Heroas Bingo Dowling in Untamed (1929)
- Mentoras Mary Turner in Paid (1930)
- Heroas Bonnie in Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
- Heroas Ivy Stevens in Laughing Sinners (1931)
- Heroas Marian Martin in Possessed (1931)
- Allyas Flaemmchen in Grand Hotel (1932)
- Heroas Sadie Thompson in Rain (1932)
- Heroas Janie Barlow in Dancing Lady (1933)
- Allyas Diana in Today We Live (1933)
- Heroas Mary Clay in Forsaking All Others (1934)
- Heroas Sadie McKee in Sadie McKee (1934)
- Heroas Kay in I Live My Life (1935)
- Heroas Sally Parker in Love on the Run (1936)
- Heroas Anni in The Bride Wore Red (1937)
- Tricksteras Anni in The Bride Wore Red (1937)
- Heroas Fay Cheyney in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)
- Heroas Mary McKay in The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939)
- Shapeshifteras Crystal Allen in The Women (1939)
- Shapeshifteras Susan Trexel in Susan and God (1940)
- Heroas Mary Howard in When Ladies Meet (1941)
- Heroas Anna Holm in A Woman's Face (1941)
- Heroas Michele de la Becque in Reunion in France (1942)
- Heroas Margaret J. Drew in They All Kissed the Bride (1942)
- Heroas Frances Myles in Above Suspicion (1943)
- Heroas Mildred Pierce in Mildred Pierce (1945)
- Shapeshifteras Helen Wright in Humoresque (1946)
- Heroas Daisy Kenyon Lapham in Daisy Kenyon (1947)
- Shadowas Louise Howell in Possessed (1947)
- Heroas Lane Bellamy in Flamingo Road (1949)
- Heroas Ethel Whitehead (Lorna Hansen Forbes) in The Damned Don't Cry (1950)
- Heroas Myra Hudson in Sudden Fear (1952)
- Heroas Beth Austin in This Woman Is Dangerous (1952)
- Heroas Jenny Stewart in Torch Song (1953)
- Heroas Vienna in Johnny Guitar (1954)
- Heroas Lynn Markham in Female on the Beach (1955)
- Shadowas Eva Phillips in Queen Bee (1955)
- Heroas Blanche Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
- Shadowas Lucretia Terry in The Caretakers (1963)
- Heroas Lucy Harbin in Strait-Jacket (1964)
- Shapeshifteras Monica Rivers in Berserk (1967)
- Mentoras Dr. Brockton in Trog (1970)
Moods and endings
- Happy21
- Bittersweet29
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous11
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Joan Crawford's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 72 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).
- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) · actor · free
- I Am Not Your Negro (2016) · actor · free
- Sudden Fear (1952) · actor, writer, producer · free
- The Unknown (1927) · actor · free
- Grand Hotel (1932) · actor · free
- Strait-Jacket (1964) · actor · free
- Rain (1932) · actor · free
- Sadie McKee (1934) · actor · free
- Route 66 (1960) · actor · free
- Our Dancing Daughters (1928) · actor · free
- Queen Bee (1955) · actor · free
- The Lucy Show (1962) · actor · free
- +3 more
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Cohen Media Channel, show their title on Cohen Media Channel
- Dove Channel, show their title on Dove Channel
- Dox, show their title on Dox
- Kino Film Collection, show their title on Kino Film Collection
- Magnolia Selects, show their title on Magnolia Selects
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
- Shout! TV, show their title on Shout! TV
Subscription and free streaming for Joan Crawford's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
130 credits, 72 with a Motif page; 61 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Martha(2024)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Green Fog (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

I Am Not Your Negro(2016)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all filmsPossessed (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

Flappers, Speakeasies, and the Birth of Modern Culture (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

Brigitte Bardot: The Icon of France (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Casting Couch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Gay! Gay! Hollywood (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all filmsBob Hope's World of Comedy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
That's Entertainment!(1974)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You to Death (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

The Sixth Sense (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

Journey to Murder (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)

Trog(1970)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Night Gallery (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)

The Name of the Game (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)

Berserk(1967)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
The Karate Killers(1967)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
The Oscar(1966)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
I Saw What You Did(1965)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
The Big Parade of Comedy(1964)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Della (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)

Strait-Jacket(1964)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Caretakers(1963)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Lucy Show(1962)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
The Virginian (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

One Must Die (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)

Route 66(1960)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
The Best of Everything(1959)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all filmsWoman on the Run (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

Strange Witness (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

The Story of Esther Costello (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

Autumn Leaves (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)

Queen Bee(1955)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Female on the Beach(1955)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Road to Edinburgh (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

Johnny Guitar(1954)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all filmsThe Secret Storm (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

Torch Song(1953)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
General Electric Theater (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

Sudden Fear(1952)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
This Woman Is Dangerous(1952)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Goodbye, My Fancy(1951)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Harriet Craig (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1950)

The Damned Don't Cry(1950)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
It's a Great Feeling(1949)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Flamingo Road(1949)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Daisy Kenyon(1947)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Possessed(1947)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Humoresque(1946)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Mildred Pierce(1945)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Above Suspicion(1943)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Reunion in France(1942)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Joan Crawford's Home Movies (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1942)

When Ladies Meet(1941)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
A Woman's Face(1941)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Susan and God(1940)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Strange Cargo(1940)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Women(1939)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1939)

The Ice Follies of 1939(1939)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
The Shining Hour (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

Mannequin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1938)

The Bride Wore Red(1937)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney(1937)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Love on the Run(1936)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Gorgeous Hussy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1936)

I Live My Life(1935)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
No More Ladies (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1935)

Forsaking All Others(1934)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Chained (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1934)

Sadie McKee(1934)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Dancing Lady(1933)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Fast Workers(1933)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Today We Live(1933)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Rain(1932)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Grand Hotel(1932)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Letty Lynton (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1932)

Possessed(1931)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
This Modern Age(1931)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Laughing Sinners(1931)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
The Stolen Jools (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1931)

Dance, Fools, Dance(1931)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Paid(1930)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Our Blushing Brides (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1930)

Montana Moon(1930)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Untamed(1929)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Our Modern Maidens(1929)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Duke Steps Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1929)

Dream of Love (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)

Our Dancing Daughters(1928)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Four Walls (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)

Across to Singapore(1928)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Rose-Marie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)

The Law of the Range (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)

West Point (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1928)

Spring Fever(1927)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Twelve Miles Out (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

The Unknown(1927)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Understanding Heart (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

The Taxi Dancer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

Winners of the Wilderness (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1927)

Bardelys the Magnificent (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

Paris (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

The Boob (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1926)

Sally, Irene and Mary(1925)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Only Thing (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

Old Clothes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

Time, the Comedian (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

The Midshipman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

The Circle(1925)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Pretty Ladies (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

The Merry Widow (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

A Slave of Fashion (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

Proud Flesh (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)

Lady of the Night(1925)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
And One Was Loyal (not in the Motif catalog yet)

Rebel Range (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 128 titles, 126 of them dated from 1925 to 2018; peak year 1981.
Film career
Peak 1981 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 26 Motif titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1925Screen debut· Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
- 1928First top-billed film· Our Dancing Daughters
- 1945Career best· Mildred Pierce
- 1945Oscar win· Mildred Pierce
- 1947Oscar nomination· Possessed
- 1952Oscar nomination· Sudden Fear
Show 1 more milestoneShow fewer
- 1962BAFTA Award nomination· What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
an Oscar and a Golden Globe from 7 major nominations, 1946–1970.
- Golden Globe, won
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Foreign Actress
- Golden Globe, nominated
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress - Drama
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Oscar, won · Best Actress in a Leading Role
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Joan Crawford's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 69; across their 64 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up28
- 50th to 74th23
- 25th to 49th15
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
32 of their 72 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved10
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic5
- Crowd Pleaser24
- Mixed32
Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 61 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Joan Crawford's work okay for kids?
Across up to 8 Motif titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Joan Crawford work with?
People who share at least 2 of Joan Crawford's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Oliver T. Marsh shares the most, 10.
Directors
- George CukorShared titles: A Woman's Face (1941), Susan and God (1940), The Women (1939)See all 3 shared titles with George Cukor

- W.S. Van DykeShared titles: Love on the Run (1936), I Live My Life (1935), Forsaking All Others (1934)See all 3 shared titles with W.S. Van Dyke

- Harry BeaumontShared titles: Dance, Fools, Dance (1931), Laughing Sinners (1931), Our Dancing Daughters (1928)See all 3 shared titles with Harry Beaumont

- William CastleShared titles: I Saw What You Did (1965), Strait-Jacket (1964)See all 2 shared titles with William Castle

Writers
- Joseph FarnhamShared titles: Montana Moon (1930), The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), Across to Singapore (1928), The Unknown (1927), Sally, Irene and Mary (1925)See all 5 shared titles with Joseph Farnham

- Joseph L. MankiewiczShared titles: Reunion in France (1942), Strange Cargo (1940), The Bride Wore Red (1937), Love on the Run (1936), I Live My Life (1935), Forsaking All Others (1934)See all 6 shared titles with Joseph L. Mankiewicz

- Anita LoosShared titles: When Ladies Meet (1941), Strange Cargo (1940), Susan and God (1940), The Women (1939)See all 4 shared titles with Anita Loos

- Ranald MacDougallShared titles: Queen Bee (1955), Possessed (1947), Mildred Pierce (1945)See all 3 shared titles with Ranald MacDougall
Actors
- Clark GableShared titles: Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008), Hollywood: The Selznick Years (1969), Strange Cargo (1940), Love on the Run (1936), Forsaking All Others (1934), Dancing Lady (1933), Dance, Fools, Dance (1931), Laughing Sinners (1931), Possessed (1931)See all 9 shared titles with Clark Gable

- Reginald OwenShared titles: Above Suspicion (1943), Reunion in France (1942), A Woman's Face (1941), The Bride Wore Red (1937), Love on the Run (1936)See all 5 shared titles with Reginald Owen

- Franchot ToneShared titles: The Bride Wore Red (1937), Love on the Run (1936), Sadie McKee (1934), Dancing Lady (1933), Today We Live (1933)See all 5 shared titles with Franchot Tone

- Norma ShearerShared titles: Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008), The Women (1939), The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), Lady of the Night (1925)See all 4 shared titles with Norma Shearer

Composers and cinematographers
- Oliver T. MarshShared titles: The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939), The Women (1939), Love on the Run (1936), Sadie McKee (1934), Dancing Lady (1933), Today We Live (1933), Rain (1932), Possessed (1931), Our Modern Maidens (1929), Untamed (1929)See all 10 shared titles with Oliver T. Marsh

- Robert H. PlanckShared titles: Torch Song (1953), Above Suspicion (1943), Reunion in France (1942), A Woman's Face (1941), When Ladies Meet (1941), Strange Cargo (1940), Susan and God (1940)See all 7 shared titles with Robert H. Planck
- Franz WaxmanShared titles: Possessed (1947), Reunion in France (1942), Strange Cargo (1940), The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939), The Bride Wore Red (1937), Love on the Run (1936)See all 6 shared titles with Franz Waxman

- William AxtShared titles: The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937), Forsaking All Others (1934), Sadie McKee (1934), Our Modern Maidens (1929), Untamed (1929), Our Dancing Daughters (1928)See all 6 shared titles with William Axt
Producers
- Jerry WaldShared titles: The Best of Everything (1959), Queen Bee (1955), The Damned Don't Cry (1950), Flamingo Road (1949), Possessed (1947), Humoresque (1946), Mildred Pierce (1945)See all 7 shared titles with Jerry Wald

- Hunt StrombergShared titles: Susan and God (1940), The Women (1939), Our Modern Maidens (1929), Our Dancing Daughters (1928)See all 4 shared titles with Hunt Stromberg

- Irving ThalbergShared titles: Grand Hotel (1932), Possessed (1931), The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), The Unknown (1927)See all 4 shared titles with Irving Thalberg

- Jack L. WarnerShared titles: Possessed (1947), Humoresque (1946), Mildred Pierce (1945)See all 3 shared titles with Jack L. Warner

Mixed roles
- Bud FriedgenShared titles: That's Entertainment! III (1994), That's Entertainment! (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Bud Friedgen
- Zelda SearsShared titles: Sadie McKee (1934), Dancing Lady (1933)See all 2 shared titles with Zelda Sears



