On the evening of April 4, 1958, 14-year-old Cheryl Crane stabbed 32-year-old Johnny Stompanato, the boyfriend of her mother, actress Lana Turner, at Turner's rented home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. [202] Turner and Armstrong later returned with two Scotland Yard detectives to the rented house where she and Stompanato were staying. [183] Released in December 1957, Peyton Place was a major blockbuster success, which worked in Turner's favor as she had agreed to take a percentage of the film's overall earnings instead of a salary. Pamela Tiffin She stopped smoking after her diagnosis and, in February 1993, announced she was cancer free. William McGinley, holding the knife used to kill Johnny Stompanato, questions Lana Turner during the. According to Closer Weekly, Turner was married eight times, including twice to the same man. Turner was a regular drinker[270] and cigarette smoker for most of her life. Her next film, Imitation of Life (1959), proved to be one of the greatest commercial successes of her career, and her starring role in Madame X (1966) earned her a David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress. [85] Meanwhile, the press continued to fuel rumors that Turner and Gable were romantic offscreen, which Turner vehemently denied. [111] A lifelong Democrat, she spent the remainder of the year campaigning for Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1944 presidential election. [47] Her first starring role for MGM was scheduled to be an adaptation of The Sea-Wolf, co-starring Clark Gable, but the project was eventually shelved. [135][136] Around this time, she began dating Henry J. [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]). [53] Turner left Warner Bros. and signed a contract with MGM for $100 a week ($1,885 in 2021 dollars [43]). [16] Lana's parents had first met while 14-year-old Mildred, the daughter of a mine inspector, was visiting Picher, Oklahoma, with her father, who was inspecting local mines there. After the war, Turner was cast in a lead role opposite John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), a film noir based on James M. Cain's debut novel of the same name. [114] The film was a box-office hit.[114][115]. "[310] She also likened her to Clara Bow, adding: "Both of them, trusting and lovable, use their hearts instead of their heads. [329] Basinger considers her the "epitome of the Hollywood machine-made stardom". [346] Turner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard. [258] She was diagnosed with throat cancer in the spring of 1992. [244] In September of that year,[245] Turner and May separated, divorcing shortly after in October. Her next marriage was to Joseph Stephen Crane in 1942 (via Livingly ). Lana Turner was one of the most enigmatic and iconic actresses of all time. [328] While discussions surrounding Turner have largely been based on her cultural prevalence, little scholarly study has been undertaken on her career,[329] and opinion of her legacy as an actress has divided critics. "[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. [59], Mayer helped further Turner's career by giving her roles in several youth-oriented films in the late 1930s, such as the comedy Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938) in which she played the sister of a poor woman romanced by a wealthy man, and Dramatic School (1938), in which she portrayed Mado, a troubled drama student. Turner left the majority of her estate to her maid, Carmen Lopez Cruz, who had been her companion for 45 years and caregiver during her final illness. [11] She was an admirer of Bette Davis, whom she cited as her favorite actress. 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. [224][307] However, her image in 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice marked a departure from her strictly-sex symbol screen persona to that of a full-fledged femme fatale. "[33] Several years after the film's release, Modern Screen journalist Nancy Squire wrote that Turner "made a sweater look like something Cleopatra was saving for the next visiting Caesar". [260] Despite ABC's extensive publicity campaign and the presence of other big-name stars, the program fared badly, and it was canceled halfway into the season after a 15-week run in 1970. Lana was born Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner on February 8, 1921. She was 74 years old. [38], By Turner's own account, she was a junior at Hollywood High School when she skipped a typing class and bought a Coca-Cola at the Top Hat Malt Shop[34][40] located on the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and McCadden Place. There was something smoldering underneath that innocent face. [76] After completing the film, Turner and co-star Garland remained lifelong friends, and lived in houses next to one another in the 1950s. "[27], Turner sometimes lived with family friends or acquaintances so that her impoverished mother could save money. After all those years as a sex symbol, nothing had changed--Lana was still as beautiful as ever. Johnny Stompanato Is Killed By Lana Turner's Daughter. He was found struggling to breathe on the sidewalk in front of his Encino home, the LAPD told the New York. [92] During the tour, she began promising kisses to the highest war bond buyers; while selling bonds at the Pioneer Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, she sold a $5,000 bond to a man for two kisses,[93] and another to an elderly man for $50,000. [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. She was 75. Cause of death: esophageal cancer. [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. Harrison was smoker. Getty Images The murder of mobster Johnny Stompanato was ultimately ruled a "justifiable homicide.". "[330], Defenders of Turner's acting ability, such as Jessica Hope Jordan[331] and James Robert Parish,[332] cite her performance in The Postman Always Rings Twice as an argument for the value of her work. [232][233] She was replaced by Lee Remick. [177], In 1956, Turner discovered she was pregnant with Barker's child, but gave birth to a stillborn baby girl seven months into the pregnancy. "[250] The role earned Turner a David di Donatello Golden Plaque Award for Best Foreign Actress that year. [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. [28] They also frequently moved, for a time living in Sacramento and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. [60] Upon completing Dramatic School, Turner screen-tested for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). [197] Their meeting was initially happy, but they soon began fighting. She was the subject of the poem "Lana Turner has collapsed" by Frank O'Hara,[340] and was depicted as a minor character in James Ellroy's novel L.A. Following her film debut in . Nittolo and Liotta got engaged in December of 2020. San Sebastin International Film Festival, "A star was born in Idaho; Wallace folks remember Turner's early years. [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. . [303] Cheryl challenged the will, and Cruz said that the majority of the estate was consumed by probate costs, legal fees and medical expenses.[304]. In her reign as a movie goddess of the 1940s and early 1950s, Lana Turner came to crystallize the opulent heights to which show business could usher a small-town girl, as well as its darkest, most tragic and narcissistic depths. [215] Stompanato's family sought a wrongful death suit of $750,000 in damages against both Turner and her ex-husband, Steve Crane. After a trial in 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life. Lana Turner (/ln trnr/; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921 - June 29, 1995) was an American actress who over the course of her nearly 50-year career achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a dramatic actress as well as for her highly publicized personal life. [253] In April 1969,[254] Turner filed for divorce from Eaton after four years of marriage upon discovering he had been unfaithful to her. Ralphie May's wife was a fellow comedian named Lahna Turner. According to his son, Arthur Marx, it was the only time he ever saw his father cry. "[109] Critic Anita Loos praised Turner's performance in the film, writing: "Lana Turner typifies modern allure. [260] Meanwhile, after six months of marriage, Turner discovered Pellar had stolen $35,000 she had given him for an investment. [182] The film, directed by Mark Robson, was adapted from Grace Metalious' best-selling novel of the same name. I'm anxious to get started. Her hands were trembling so she could barely read the script. [50][51], In late 1937, LeRoy was hired as an executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), and asked Jack L. Warner to allow Turner to relocate with him to MGM. In 1936, when Turner was 15, she was discovered while purchasing a soda at the Top Hat Malt Shop in Hollywood. So what happened? [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. He was replaced by Ricardo Montalbn. [145], In 1949, Turner was to star in A Life of Her Own (1950), a George Cukor-directed drama about a woman who aspires to be a model in New York City. Scotty Bowers, who claimed to have been one of Hollywood's most infamous hustlers and procurers, arranging illicit liaisons with both straight and gay film stars, often taking part in . [212][299] According to Cheryl, Turner's death was a "total shock", as she had appeared to be in better health and had recently completed seven weeks of radiation therapy. [94] Upon completing the tour, Turner had sold $5.25 million in war bonds. [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. Stompanato was known to have been physically abusive to Turner. An Aspiration Cut Short. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical . Miss Turner was discovered in. [34] She soon became a protge of LeRoy, who suggested that she take the stage name Lana Turner, a name she would come to legally adopt several years later. [204] Stompanato, angered that he did not attend with her, awaited her return home that evening, whereupon he physically assaulted her. [147] On May 24, 1950, Turner left her handprints and footprints in cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. "I knew that my looks might get me . [210] More than 100 reporters and journalists attended the April 12, 1958 inquest, described by attendees as "near-riotous". [259] Premiering in September 1969, the series was given a major national marketing campaign, with billboards featuring life-sized images of Turner. [240] Upon completing filming, Turner collected the remaining $92,000 from her pension fund with MGM. . [122] Turner later recalled she was surprised about replacing Hepburn, saying: "I'm about the most un-Hepburnish actress on the lot. [269], In the early 1970s, Turner transitioned to theater, beginning with a production of Forty Carats, which toured various East Coast cities in 1971. [289] She subsequently guest-starred on an episode of The Love Boat in 1985,[290] which marked her final on-screen appearance. Turner's role in the film has also caused her to be frequently associated with film noir and the femme fatale archetype in critical circles. ChickComedy/YouTube Comedian Lahna Turner was married to Ralphie May. [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. Mervyn LeRoy on Turner during her first audition, December 1936[34], Turner's discovery is considered a show-business legend and part of Hollywood mythology among film and popular cultural historians. [179][180] According to Cheryl, Turner confronted Barker before forcing him out of their home at gunpoint. She'd grown up poor and uneducated, yet her mother always knew that Ava had what it took to be a movie star. [170], MGM then gave Turner the titular role of Diane de Poitiers in the period drama Diane (1956), which had originally been optioned by the studio in the 1930s for Greta Garbo. [212][213] Cheryl remained a temporary ward of the court until April 24, when a juvenile court hearing was held, during which the judge expressed concerns over her receiving "proper parental supervision". [199][200] Stompanato got wind of the plan and showed up on the set with a gun, threatening her and Connery. [79] The studio recast Turner in the smaller role, though she was still given top billing. [211] After four hours of testimony and approximately 25 minutes of deliberation, the jury deemed the killing a justifiable homicide.