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Janet Leigh

Janet Leigh

Actor, also producer · Died October 3, 2004, aged 77 · Merced, California, USA

Golden Globe winner · Oscar nominee

Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Leigh appeared in radio programs before her first formal foray into acting, making her film debut in the drama The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947). With MGM, she appeared in many films which spanned a wide variety of genres, which include the crime-drama Act of Violence (1948), the drama Little Women (1949), the comedy Angels in the Outfield (1951), the romance Scaramouche (1952) and the western drama The Naked Spur (1953). She played dramatic roles during the late 1950s, in such films as Safari (1956) and Orson Welles's film noir Touch of Evil (1958). With RKO Radio pictures she co-starred in the romantic comedy Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum. Leigh achieved her biggest success starring as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller Psycho (1960). For her performance, Leigh won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Intermittently, she continued to appear in films, including Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Harper (1966), Night of the Lepus (1972), and Boardwalk (1979). She made her Broadway debut in 1975 in a production of Murder Among Friends. She would also go on to appear in two horror films with her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis: The Fog (1980) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). In addition to her work as an actress, Leigh also wrote four books between 1984 and 2002, two of which were novels. Leigh had two brief marriages as a teenager (one of which was annulled) before marrying actor Tony Curtis in 1951. The pair's highly publicized union ended in divorce in 1962, and after starring in The Manchurian Candidate that same year, Leigh remarried and scaled back her career. She died in October 2004 at age 77, following a year-long battle with vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 6, 1927
Died
October 3, 2004 (aged 77)
From
Merced, California, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
56 on MovieCove · 97 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 18% in 30 days

What are Janet Leigh's films like?

Across their 47 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove 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

share of theme weight
Morality
29%
Bonds
28%
Self
15%
Society
10%
Power
9%
Survival
6%
Ideas
3%
Romantic love13 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 47 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 24 · Serious 11 · Dark 12

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 20 · Stylized 21 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 13 · Charged 24 · Intense 10

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 25 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 31 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 30 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 4

Easy watch: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their easy watch movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 27 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 42 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

27 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 13 of 27 analyzed roles.

Ally
13 of 27
Shapeshifter
3 of 27
Hero
3 of 27
Trickster
2 of 27
Herald
2 of 27
Threshold guardian
2 of 27
Mentor
2 of 27
Show the 27 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Joyful
14
Romantic
15
Warm
10
Melancholic
14
Other
48

How their films linger

Feel-good21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy19
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4

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 Janet Leigh's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 56 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Janet Leigh's titles on MovieCove; 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

97 credits, 56 with a MovieCove page; 46 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • 100 Years of the Idiot: A Jerry Lewis Centenary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as (archive footage)

  • Hollywood, No Sex Please!(2018)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Bad Girls from Valley High(2005)

    as Mrs. Witt

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Family Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Mary Sawyer

  • Halloween H20: 20 Years Later(1998)

    as Norma

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Unmasking the Horror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • In My Sister's Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Kay Connor

  • E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

  • Secret Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Touched by an Angel(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Vera King

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • The Egg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as The egg (voice) (archive footage)

  • The Making Of Psycho III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Marion Crane (archive footage)

  • Psycho III(1986)

    as Marion Crane (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Barbara LeMay

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Cornelia Montaigne Harper

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Psycho II(1983)

    as Marion Crane (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Matt Houston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Ramona

  • The Fog(1980)

    as Kathy Williams

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Boardwalk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Florence Cohen

  • Mirror, Mirror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Millie Gorman

  • Tales of the Unexpected(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as Joan Stackpole

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Horror Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as (archive footage)

  • Telethon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Elaine Cotten

  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 2 episodes · as Joan Philipps / Gail

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • Murder at the World Series(1977)

    as Karen Weese

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Murdock's Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Laura Talbot

  • Night of the Lepus(1972)

    as Gerry Bennett

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Ghost Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Carol

  • One Is a Lonely Number(1972)

    as Gert Meredith

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Deadly Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Laurel Hanley

  • Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Grace Wheeler Willis

  • House on Greenapple Road(1970)

    as Marian Ord

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Honeymoon with a Stranger(1969)

    as Sandra Latham

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Monk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Janice Barnes

  • Hello Down There(1969)

    as Vivian Miller

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Grand Slam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Mary Ann

  • The Spy in the Green Hat(1967)

    as Miss Diketon

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • An American Dream(1966)

    as Cherry McMahon

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Three on a Couch(1966)

    as Dr Elizabeth Acord

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Harper(1966)

    as Susan Harper

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Kid Rodelo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Nora

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)

    Show 2 episodes · as Miss Diketon

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 2 episodes · as Virginia Ballard

  • Wives and Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Bertie Austin

  • Bye Bye Birdie(1963)

    as Rosie DeLeon

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Manchurian Candidate(1962)

    as Eugenie Rose Chaney

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Taras Bulba(1962)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Pepe(1960)

    as Janet Leigh

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Psycho(1960)

    as Marion Crane

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Who Was That Lady?(1960)

    as Ann Wilson

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Startime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

  • The Perfect Furlough(1958)

    as Vicki Loren

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Vikings(1958)

    Executive Producer · as Morgana

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Touch of Evil(1958)

    as Susan 'Susie' Vargas

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Defiant Ones(1958)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Jet Pilot(1957)

    as Lt. Anna Marladovna Shannon / Olga Orlief

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Sweet Smell of Success(1957)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Safari(1956)

    as Linda Latham

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Nightmare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Janet

  • My Sister Eileen(1955)

    as Eileen Sherwood

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Pete Kelly's Blues(1955)

    as Ivy Conrad

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Rogue Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Karen Stephanson

  • The Black Shield of Falworth(1954)

    as Lady Anne of Mackworth

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Living It Up(1954)

    as Wally Cook

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Miss Glucksman Visits Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Actor

  • Prince Valiant(1954)

    as Princess Aleta

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Walking My Baby Back Home(1953)

    as Chris Hall

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Houdini(1953)

    as Bess Houdini

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Confidentially Connie(1953)

    as Connie Bedloe

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Naked Spur(1953)

    as Lina Patch

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Fearless Fagan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Abby Ames

  • Scaramouche(1952)

    as Aline de Gavrillac de Bourbon

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Just This Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Lucy Duncan

  • An Eye for an Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Actor

  • Come Back Little Shiksa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Actor

  • It's a Big Country: An American Anthology(1951)

    as Rosa Szabo Xenophon

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Two Tickets to Broadway(1951)

    as Nancy Peterson

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Angels in the Outfield(1951)

    as Jennifer Paige

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Re-Inforcer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Mary Muck

  • Strictly Dishonorable (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Isabelle Perry

  • A Spot In The Shade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Actor

  • Fairfax Avenue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Actor

  • Nightmare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Actor

  • Watch On The Lime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Actor

  • Holiday Affair(1949)

    as Connie Ennis

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • That Forsyte Woman(1949)

    as June Forsyte

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Red Danube(1949)

    as Olga Alexandrova aka Maria Buhlen

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Doctor and the Girl(1949)

    as Evelyn 'Taffy' Heldon

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Little Women(1949)

    as Meg

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Act of Violence(1948)

    as Edith Enley

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Actor

  • Words and Music(1948)

    as Dorothy Feiner

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Hills of Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Margit Mitchell

  • If Winter Comes(1947)

    as Effie Bright

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Romance of Rosy Ridge(1947)

    as Lissy Anne MacBean

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 95 titles from 1947 to 2026; peak year 1960.

Biggest box office

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

$55M worldwide

Highest rated

Psycho (1960)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19472026

Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 16 MovieCove 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting93 of 95: 92 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score59thProducing3 of 95: 2 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1940s11 · acting1950s34 · 32 acting · 3 crew1960s17 · acting1970s14 · acting1980s7 · acting1990s8 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s2 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 11% of 28 roles
49545964

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 MovieCove, 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

a Golden Globe from 2 major nominations, 1961.

WinNomination
  1. 1961
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Supporting Actress

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 Janet Leigh's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 51; across their 47 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Midcredits score across 56 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

29 of their 56 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser29
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · actor

Bad Girls from Valley High (2005)

88th percentile spread · 59% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Psycho (1960)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 46 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; 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 MovieCove 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 Janet Leigh's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity and profanity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles35–66 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles16–29 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles9–47 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles20–51 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles36–77 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Janet Leigh work with?

People who share at least 2 of Janet Leigh's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tony Curtis shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles