He is survived by his wife, fellow comic Lahna Turner, and their two . [29], While baptized a Protestant at birth,[32] Turner attended Mass with the Hislops, a Catholic family with whom her mother had temporarily boarded her in Stockton, California. [71] In the film, she portrayed Sheila Regan, an alcoholic aspiring actress based on Lillian Lorraine. "I'm getting close to that point, honey. [121] In August 1946, it was announced she would replace Katharine Hepburn in the big-budget historical drama Green Dolphin Street (1947), a role for which she darkened her hair and lost 15 pounds. During the shoot, Turner began an affair with her co-star Fernando Lamas, which ended after Lamas physically assaulted her; the incident also caused Lamas to lose his MGM contract upon the production's completion. Lana Turner's autobiography was finished just before her death. Actor (1945 - 1973 (bef.)) [62] In her next film, Dancing Co-Ed (1939), Turner was given first billing portraying Patty Marlow, a professional dancer who enters a college as part of a rigged national talent contest. Tina Turner's son Ronnie Turner 's cause of death has been revealed. In a 1958 inquest, killing of Lana Turner's boyfriend was detailed Deputy Dist. Not so Lana. Multiple accounts have the ashes still in Cheryl's possession, while other accounts say the ashes were scattered in the ocean, but which ocean and location varies by the sources. [64] In the midst of her marriage to Shaw, she starred in We Who Are Young, a drama in which she played a woman who marries her coworker against their employer's policy. "[33], Her next project was Johnny Eager (1941), a violent mobster film in which she portrayed a socialite. They had nothing to do with the role, but they had to do with her particular self-image. "[38] With her mother's permission, Turner was referred by Wilkerson to the actor/comedian/talent agent Zeppo Marx. [218], In the wake of negative publicity related to Stompanato's death, Turner accepted the lead role in Ross Hunter's remake of Imitation of Life (1959) under the direction of Douglas Sirk. Despite treatment, the cancer returned in July 1994. [205] Around 8:00p.m. on Friday, April 4, Stompanato arrived at Turner's rented home at 730 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills. In an interview, Turner said: "I even go running around in the jungles of New Zealand in a dress that's filthy and ragged. The project was shelved for several months, and Turner told journalists in December 1949: "Everybody agrees that the script is still a pile of junk. In her years as a top box office draw, she and longtime studio MGM forged her statuesque form into any number of pop . The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) [Cora Smith]: Killed in a car accident while riding with John Garfield; we see the car go off the road . "[337], Because of the intersections between Turner's high-profile, glamorous persona, and storied, often troubled personal life, she is included in critical discussions about the Hollywood studio system, specifically its capitalization on its stars' private travails. In 1982, she accepted a much-publicized and lucrative recurring guest role in the television series Falcon Crest, which afforded the series notably high ratings. Stompanato was known to have been physically abusive to Turner. She was 74 years old when she passed away. [176] Turner gleefully told a reporter at the time that she was "walking around in a daze. There was something smoldering underneath that innocent face. [224][230] Worried she was still suffering from the trauma of Stompanato's death, Turner sent Cheryl to the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut. [52] Warner obliged, as he believed Turner would not "amount to anything". [14][15] She was the only child of John Virgil Turner, a miner from Montgomery, Alabama, of Dutch descent, and Mildred Frances Cowan from Lamar, Arkansas, who had English, Scottish and Irish ancestry. Her acting skills were more than adequate, but first and foremost, how the camera loved her. "That, and a sense of loss and of growing up too fast. [68] In the spring of 1940, after the two had divorced, Turner discovered she was pregnant and had an abortion. [97] They remained friends throughout her later life. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical . [237], In November 1960, Turner married her fifth husband, Frederick "Fred" May, a rancher and member of the May department-store family whom she had met at a beach party in Malibu shortly after filming Imitation of Life. Lana Turner (/ln/ LAH-n;[a] born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921 June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Lana Turner. [47] The film earned her the nickname of the "Sweater Girl" for her form-fitting attire, which accentuated her bust. The same year, she had what she referred to as a "religious awakening", and again began practicing her Catholic faith. [322][325] Film historians Joe Morella and Edward Epstein have observed that, unlike many female stars, Turner "wasn't resented by female fans", and that women made up a large part of her fan base in later years. Article. [275] In the fall of 1978, she appeared in a Chicago production of Divorce Me, Darling, an original play in which she portrayed a San Francisco divorce attorney. [22] In the mid-1930s, Turner's mother developed respiratory problems and was advised by her doctor to move to a drier climate, upon which the two moved to Los Angeles in 1936.[22][25]. He was found struggling to breathe on the sidewalk in front of his Encino home, the LAPD told the New York. [22], The Turner family struggled financially, and relocated to San Francisco when she was six years old, after which her parents separated. February 27, 2023 . [316] Columnist Dorothy Kilgallen took note of the intersections between Turner's life and screen persona early in her career, writing in 1946: Lana Turner is a super-star for many reasons but chiefly because she is the same off-screen as she is on. When Frank Sinatra saw the film The Postman Always Rings Twice, his eyes were on stalks. [261] Pellar denied the accusations and no charges were filed against him. [201] Connery answered by grabbing the gun out of Stompanato's hand and twisting his wrist, causing him to run off the set. Lana Turner relationship list. [231], Shortly before the release of Imitation of Life in the spring of 1959, Turner was cast in a lead role in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder, but walked off the set over a wardrobe disagreement, effectively dropping out of the production. Mildred was four days shy of her 17th birthday when she gave birth to her only child. A long-time heavy smoker, Turner was diagnosed with throat cancer in May 1992. [288] In September, Turner released an autobiography entitled Lana: The Lady, the Legend, the Truth. [327] She has also been cited by scholars as a gay icon because of her glamorous persona and triumphs over personal struggles. She died in Los Angeles and buried in California . For the fashion stylist and collector, see, 19481952: Studio rebranding and personal struggles, 19531957: MGM departure and film resurgence, 19581959: Johnny Stompanato homicide scandal, 19661985: Later films, television and theatre. ChickComedy/YouTube Comedian Lahna Turner was married to Ralphie May. But every time I went into my argument about how bad a picture was, they'd say, "well, it's making a fortune". [311] The likeness was most evident in Peyton Place and Imitation of Life, both films in which Turner portrayed single mothers struggling to maintain relationships with their teenage daughters. [125][33] During this time, she also had romantic affairs with Frank Sinatra[126] and Howard Hughes, the latter of which lasted for 12 weeks in late 1946. [63] The film was a commercial success, and led to Turner appearing on the cover of Look magazine. [286] Her appearance was a ratings success, and her character returned for an additional five episodes.[287]. Her tempestuous personal life -- seven marriages, a stable of lovers, and a very public murder scandal -- only increased her reputation as a larger-than-life screen and sex goddess. Cheryl, who is Lana's daughter with second husband Steve Crane, was tried and acquitted for Stampanato's death. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Indeed, there is cause for suspicion that they didn't even bother to think. "She was doing fine. In her early 60s, Turner reportedly took a photo of herself at 27 to a plastic surgeon, Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, and said, "This is what I want to look like." . Read Complete Obituary Photos "[4] Michael Gordon, who directed Turner in Portrait in Black, remembered her as "a very talented actress whose chief reliability was what I regarded as impoverished taste Lana was not a dummy, and she would give me wonderful rationalizations why she should wear pendant earrings. The growth of maturity is reflected neatly in her distinguished portrayal. [172][173] The production was rushed to accommodate a Christmas release and was completed in only three months, but it received unfavorable reviews from critics. Lana was 74 years old at the time of death. Spector's motive for killing Lana Clarkson is still unknown, And since Spector died at age 81 on Jan. 16, 2021, due to complications related to COVID-19, the world may never know the motive behind the murder. [262] She filed for divorce in January 1970,[97] after which she claimed to be celibate for the remainder of her life. Though Turner only appeared on screen for a few minutes,[46] Wilkerson wrote in The Hollywood Reporter that her performance was "worthy of more than a passing note". [42], In December 1936, Marx introduced Turner to film director Mervyn LeRoy, who signed her to a $50 weekly contract with Warner Bros. on February 22, 1937 ($942 in 2021 dollars [43]). [190] He pursued Turner aggressively, sending her various gifts. These desires often lead the women to unfortunate places - mid-century Hollywood . [133] By this period, Turner was at the zenith of her film career, and was not only MGM's most popular star, but also one of the ten highest-paid women in the United States, with annual earnings of $226,000. Ronnie Turner was 62 when he died last Thursday. [309], After Turner's first marriage in 1940, columnist Louella Parsons wrote: "If Lana Turner will behave herself and not go completely berserk she is headed for a top spot in motion pictures. [17], The family lived in Burke, Idaho at the time of Turner's birth,[18] and relocated to nearby Wallace in 1925,[d] where her father opened a dry cleaning service and worked in the local silver mines. However, she doesn't look like a vamp. [137][138] Turner's wedding celebrations interfered with her filming schedule for The Three Musketeers, and she arrived to the set three days late. The physical allure is just as heavy when she looks at a headwaiter as when she looks at a hero. [139][140] Studio head Louis B. Mayer threatened to suspend her contract, but Turner managed to leverage her box-office draw with MGM to negotiate an expansion of her role in the film, as well as a salary increase amounting to $5,000 per week ($60,678 in 2021 dollars [43]). Popular African-American vocalist and entertainer Barbara McNair dazzled audiences with her singing prowess and exceptional beauty for well over four decades until her death on February 4, 2007 of throat cancer in Los Angeles. William McGinley, holding the knife used to kill Johnny Stompanato, questions Lana Turner during the. [69] In contemporaneous press, it was noted she had been hospitalized for "exhaustion". Groucho Marx wept at the funeral. [324] She favored the designers Salvatore Ferragamo, Jean Louis, Helen Rose and Nolan Miller. [281] In 1980, Turner made her final feature-film appearance alongside Teri Garr in the comedy horror film Witches' Brew. "When six o'clock came, he went his way and I went mine. So did she. "I knew that my looks might get me . She died on June 25, 1995, in Culver City, California, after a long bout with cancer. "[266] In April 1975, Turner spoke at a retrospective gala in New York City examining her career, which was attended by Andy Warhol, Sylvia Miles, Rex Reed and numerous fans. [192] After a friend informed her of who Stompanato actually was, she confronted him and tried to break off the affair. [300][301], Cheryl and her partner Joyce LeRoy, whom Turner said she accepted "as a second daughter",[302] inherited some of Turner's personal effects and $50,000 in Turner's will. I'll work for nothing, just give me a good story. [70], In 1940, Turner appeared in her first musical film, Two Girls on Broadway, in which she received top billing over established co-stars Joan Blondell and George Murphy. "[250] The role earned Turner a David di Donatello Golden Plaque Award for Best Foreign Actress that year. [83] In January 1942, she began shooting her second picture with Gable, titled Somewhere I'll Find You;[84] however, the production was halted for several weeks after the death of Gable's wife, Carole Lombard, in a plane crash. In the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States, and one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) biggest stars, with her films earning more than $50 million for the studio during her 18-year contract with them. In the mid-thirties, Columbia Pictures put her under a long-term contract, transforming dark-haired teenager Rita Cansino into redhead bombshell Rita Hayworth. Occupations. I don't wear any make-up and my hair's a mess." [224] Imitation of Life made more than $50 million in box office receipts. But the marriage was not a success, and in October 2015, Turner filed for divorce seeking joint custody of their two children. [79] While the film was financially successful,[80] Time magazine panned it, calling it "a pretentious resurrection of Robert Louis Stevenson's ghoulish classic As for Lana Turner, fully clad for a change, and the rest of the cast they are as wooden as their roles. [111] A lifelong Democrat, she spent the remainder of the year campaigning for Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1944 presidential election. Turner on her representation in press[305], When Turner was discovered, MGM executive Mervyn LeRoy envisioned her as a replacement for the recently deceased Jean Harlow and began developing her image as a sex symbol. [341] The Stompanato murder and its aftermath were also the basis of the Harold Robbins novel Where Love Has Gone (1962). But she had that sexy clean quality I wanted. [125] She discovered she was pregnant with Power's child in the fall of 1947, but chose to have an abortion.