Joan Crawford was an American film and television actress, widely regarded as one of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood cinema. One of the leading actresses of the 1930s, she is best remembered for her performances in Mildred Pierce—for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress—and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, a cult classic from her later years. She was especially popular among women, as she often portrayed hard-working, middle-class characters that resonated with female audiences struggling during the Depression era. One of the highest-paid actresses of her generation, Crawford rose from humble beginnings to achieve remarkable success. She was raised in a dysfunctional family, and her early life was quite chaotic. She struggled to focus on her formal education due to family problems. Ambitious from a young age, she overcame her difficult childhood and began her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies. Beautiful, talented, and confident, she soon made her way to Broadway, and Hollywood quickly followed. It did not take her long to establish herself as a highly sought-after actress, and she went on to star in more than 60 films over a career spanning more than 45 years. After retiring, she became increasingly reclusive and passed away in 1977.