LANA TURNER BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Lana Turner was born on February 8th, 1921 in Wallace, Idaho with the birth name Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner.  Her father was John Virgil Madison Turner who worked as a miner.  Her mother was Mildred Frances Cowan.   Financial difficulties caused the family to have to relocat to San Francisco and soon after her parents separated. 
 
When her mother was diagnosed with some health illness and was advised to relocate to a drier climate, she left San Francisco with Lana and they moved to Los Angeles, California in 1931.  They struggled financially and her mother supported them by working various jobs as a beautician.   

When Turner was only sixteen years old and attending High School at Hollywood High, she skipped class to purchase a soda at a local drug store and ironically was discovered by William R. Wilkerson who was a publisher with the Hollywood reporter.  He referred her to an actor, Zeppo Marx and the agency signed her immediately.  She was then introduced to a film director, Mervyn LeRoy and she was cast in her film debut, "They Won't Forget" (1937).  It was from this film she earned the nickname, "The Sweater Girl" for a firm fitting sweater she wore in the film. 
 
In 1937, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) signed her to a film contract for a salary of $100 per week.  It was thanks to the director LeRoy that she got the contract at MGM when he left Warner Pictures and took her along with him.  During her work as an actress she continued her High School education and graduated from High School.  Her mother also took over as working as her manager.
 
Her career was well on it's way with roles in various feature films such as, "Dramatic School" (1938), "Love Finds Andy Hardy" (1938), "Johnny Eager" (1941), "Ziegfeld Girl" (1941) and "Somewhere I'll Find You" (1942).  During World War II she was a very popular pin up girl due to her films from the early 1940's.  Turner was at the highest point of her career being MGM's most popular star and also one of the best ten paid woman in the United States.
   
Turner was becoming a glamour star very popular with college male viewers which became even more enhanced with her role on, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946).  Due to many admiring her performance from this film, she was chosen over Katherine Hepburn for the film, "Green Dolphin Street" (1947).  Even as her career progressed into the 1950's, her roles were not decreasing.  She continued to work on a number of films such as, "The Bad and the Beautiful' (1952) and "Diane" (1956). However, after filming, "Diane" MGM opted not to renew her contract with them as television was becoming popular and they felt they had done all they can with Turner's career. 
 
Turner still continued to work and was cast in, "Peyton Place" (1957) for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.  In 1959, she filmed, "Imitation of Life" which turned out to be one of her best moves in her career with Universal Studios. Her final film was in 1961 with Bob Hope called, "Bachelor in Paradise".  
 
Her career was highly successful and was a big part of increasing her popularity but along with that she had quite an interesting personal life that she was often in the tabloids and not always for the right reason bringing attention to her private side.
 
Turner was married a total of eight times throughout her lifetime.  Beginning with her first marriage in 1940 to  Artie Shaw a band leader.  They were only married for four moths and then divorced.  Her second marriage was to a fellow actor, Joseph Stephen Crane from 1942-1943, then briefly annulled and then they remarried for only one more year only to try to make it work for the daughter she was pregnant with, Cheryl but the marriage did not last.  Turner's third marriage was to Henry J. Topping Jr. from 1948-1952 who was very wealthy when they married but due to his divorce from his first wife a lot of financial strain was put on him causing his marriage to Turner to deteriorate.   Marriage number four was to another actor, Lex Barker from 1953-1957.  According to a book later written by Turners first daughter, Cheryl this marriage ended after she confessed to her mother of his physical abuse to her and accusations of molestation and rape.  In 1960, Turner married again, this time to a rancher, Frederick May and they remained together for two years.  Her sixth marriage was to Robert P. Eaton who worked as a movie producer and they were together from 1965-1969.  Her final marriage was to Ronald Pellar from May 9th, 1969 till January 26th, 1972.
 
Between her ending her marriage to Barker, Turner met a man named, Johnny Stompanato who she was lured to for his good looks.  However as time progressed, she became aware of his other gangster lifestyle and  tried to carefully end the relationship.  He was later killed in her Beverly Hills home in 1958 by Turner's fourteen year old daughter, Cheryl when she came to her mothers defense during a violent argument that was taking place in their home. 
 
Even though her personal life was so up and down her acting career remained steady.  As film roles began to decrease she found work in television.  She was most well known for her guest star appearances on the TV series "Falcon Crest" (1981) 
 
Lana Turner passed away at the age of seventy four on June 29th, 1995 from complications from throat cancer.  She was a lifetime smoker and even when diagnosed with throat cancer, she continued to smoke up until her passing. She was survived by her only daughter, Cheryl Crane.  Lana Turner was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry.   

 
Filmography

1991   Thwarted 
1985   The Love Boat 
1982-1983  Falcon Crest
1980   Witches' Brew
1976   Bittersweet Love 
1975   Persecution 
1971   The Last of the Powerseekers
1969-1970  The Survivors 
1969   The Big Cube
1966   Madame X
1965   I Love Has Many Faces 
1962   Who's Got the Action?
1961   Bachelor in Paradise 
1961   By Love Possessed  
1960   Portrait in Black 
1959   Imitation of Life 
1958   Another Time, Another Place
1958   The Lady Takes a Flyer 
1957   Peyton Place
1956   Diane 
1955   The Rains of Ranchipur
1955   The Sea Chase 
1955   The Prodigal 
1954   Betrayed
1954   Flame and the Flesh 
1953   Latin Lovers
1952   The Bad and the Beautiful 
1952   The Merry Widow 
1951   Mr. Imperium 
1950   A Life of Her Own 
1948   The Three Musketeers 
1948   Homecoming 
1947   Cass Timberlane 
1947   Green Dolphin Street 
1946   The Postman Always Rings Twice 
1945   Week-End at the Waldorf
1945   Keep Your Powder Dry 
1944   Marriage Is a Private Affair 
1943   Du Barry Was a Lady  
1943   Slightly Dangerous
1942   Somewhere I'll Find You 
1941   Johnny Eager 
1941   Honky Tonk 
1941   Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 
1941   Ziegfeld Girl 
1940   We Who Are Young 
1940   Two Girls on Broadway
1939   Dancing Co-Ed
1939   These Glamour Girls 
1939   Calling Dr. Kildare
1938   Dramatic School 
1938   Rich Man, Poor Girl
1938   Four's a Crowd 
1938   The Chaser 
1938   Love Finds Andy Hardy 
1938   The Adventures of Marco Polo 
1937   The Great Garrick 
1937   Topper
1937   They Won't Forget