Short Biography

Joan Fontaine was a movie star of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. She is the younger sister of Olivia de Havilland. Their mother had wanted to be an actress, but instead instilled that desire in her daughters. De Havilland became an actress first, and when Fontaine broke into film their mother reportedly demanded that she go by some other name than de Havilland. Fontaine first called herself Joan Burfield, before settling on her stepfather`s name, Fontaine, as her stage name. The two sisters never appeared together in the same film.

Fontaine spent the early part of her career in her sister`s shadow, but eventually eclipsed her stardom. The two stars, both rather high-strung and easily offended, feuded for decades after both were Oscar-nominated in 1942. De Havilland lost the award for Hold Back the Dawn, while Fontaine won for Suspicion. According to reports at the time, when de Havilland tried to congratulate her sister on winning, Fontaine turned away.

Fontaine starred in numerous well-remembered films, including Letter from an Unknown Woman with Louis Jourdan, Jane Eyre with Orson Welles, and Ivy with Patric Knowles. She remained a high-profile star until reaching middle age, when she was no longer offered interesting parts. She turned to television, making many appearances on live plays and anthology series, and she had brief success on Broadway when she replaced Deborah Kerr in the lead of Tea and Sympathy with Anthony Perkins.

Fontaine and her sister have long been at odds, over perceived slights to their husbands, snide comments reported in the media, or memories of Joan having to wear Olivia`s hand-me-downs in adolescence. Their battles reportedly reached a crescendo after their mother`s death in 1975, when Joan said she was not invited to the memorial service, and Olivia said Joan simply refused to attend. In the decades since, the two sisters have reportedly not spoken to each other.

Fontaine was married and divorced four times, and she has said that her mother, Lillian de Havilland, was the best friend she ever had. In retirement, Fontaine tends to her garden, and does not answer fan mail. She is reportedly not on speaking terms with her two daughters, because they are on speaking terms with their Aunt Olivia.

Miscellaneous Information

Friends and Family

Bob Hope [Associate]

Alfred Hitchcock [Friend]

George Cukor [Friend]

Charles Boyer [Friend]

Lillian Gish [Friend]

David Niven [Friend]

Anita Colby [Friend]

Jennifer Jones [Friend]

Ingrid Bergman [Friend]

Ida Lupino [Friend]

Olivia de Havilland [Sister] (actress)

Lillian Ruse Fontaine [Mother] (actress, b. 1886, d. 1975, cancer)

Walter Augustus de Havilland [Father] (British patent attorney, b. 1872, d. 1968)

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