Joan Crawford

"I have always known what I wanted, and that was beauty...in every form."-Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford's career spanned nearly fifty years, making her one of the longest-employed movie stars in Hollywood's history. She was able and versatile but, more importantly, she was the possessor of a ferocious tenacity. It was this last quality, rather than exceptional ability, that ensured her longevity.

Madonna was not the originator of physical and career reinvention--Crawford had her beat by half a century. Both started out as sexy, vigorous representations of their generations. In order to move their careers forward, they adapted and, in so doing, often set trends. Joan Crawford transformed herself from jazzy Flapper to Depression-era working girl to Boss Lady, surviving periods where she was distinctly out of fashion to bounce back higher than before.

She exemplified, perhaps more than any other celebrity, what it meant to be famous during Hollywood's Golden Age. She devoted more time,energy and ingenuity into developing and maintaining her image than anyone before or since. She was not an outstanding beauty, and her talent was average. She transformed her ordinary gifts into something that was, while not exactly perfection, an admirable mixture of style, relatability and sexiness.

"Hollywood is like life, you face it with the sum total of your equipment."-Joan Crawford