View source for Joan Fontaine

{{Short description|British actress (1917–2013)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name            = Joan Fontaine
| image           = Joan Fontaine in 1943.jpg
| caption         = Fontaine in 1943
| birth_name      = Joan de Beauvoir de{{nbsp}}Havilland
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1917|10|22}}
| birth_place     = [[Tokyo City]], [[Empire of Japan]]
| death_date      = {{death date and age|2013|12|15|1917|10|22}}
| death_place     = [[Carmel Highlands, California]], U.S.
| other_names     = {{hlist|Joan Burfield}}
| citizenship     = {{plainlist|
* United Kingdom
* United States (from 1943){{sfn|Weatherford|2009|p=302}}
}}
| alma_mater      = [[American School in Japan]]
| occupation      = Actress
| years_active    = 1935–1994
| party           = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse          = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Brian Aherne]]|1939|1945|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[William Dozier]]|1946|1951|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Collier Young]]|1952|1961|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Alfred Wright Jr.|1964|1969|reason=divorced}}
}}
| children        = 2
| father          = [[Walter de Havilland]]
| mother          = [[Lilian Fontaine]]
| relatives       = {{plainlist|
* [[Olivia de Havilland]] (sister)
* [[Hereward de Havilland]] (cousin)
* [[Geoffrey de Havilland]] (cousin)
}}
| awards          = [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] (1941)
}}
'''Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland''' (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as '''Joan Fontaine''', was a British-American actress best known for her roles in [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] films during the [[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age of Hollywood]]. Fontaine appeared in more than 45 films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress [[Olivia de Havilland]]. Their rivalry was well documented in the media at the height of Fontaine's career.

Fontaine began her film career in 1935, signing a contract with [[RKO Pictures]]. Fontaine received her first major roles in ''[[The Man Who Found Himself]]'' (1937) and in ''[[Gunga Din (film)|Gunga Din]]'' (1939). Her career prospects improved greatly after her starring role in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]'' (1940), for which she received her first of three nominations for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]. The following year, she won that award for her role in Hitchcock's ''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]'' (1941). A third nomination came with ''[[The Constant Nymph (1943 film)|The Constant Nymph]]'' (1943). She appeared mostly in drama films through the 1940s, including ''[[Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948 film)|Letter from an Unknown Woman]]'' and the comedy ''[[You Gotta Stay Happy]]'' (both 1948), which she co-produced with her second husband [[William Dozier]] through their film production company Rampart Productions. In the next decade, after her role in ''[[Ivanhoe (1952 film)|Ivanhoe]]'' (1952), her film career began to decline and she moved into stage, radio and television roles. She appeared in fewer films in the 1960s, which included ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'' (1961), and her final film role in ''[[The Witches (1966 film)|The Witches]]'' (1966), also known as ''The Devil's Own''.

She released an autobiography, ''No Bed of Roses'', in 1978, and continued to act until 1994. Her [[Academy Award]] for ''Suspicion'' makes Fontaine the only actress to have won an Oscar for acting in a Hitchcock film. She and her sister Olivia remain the only [[List of Academy Award-winning families|siblings to have won lead-acting Academy Awards]].

{{TOC limit|limit=2}}

== Early life ==
[[File:Lilian Fontaine with her daughters, Joan and Olivia, c. 1922.png|left|thumb|252x252px|Fontaine with sister [[Olivia de Havilland]] (center) and mother [[Lilian Fontaine]], c. 1922]]
Joan de Beauvoir de{{nbsp}}Havilland was born on October 22, 1917, in Tokyo City, in the then [[Empire of Japan]], to English parents. Her father, [[Walter de Havilland]] (1872–1968), was educated at the [[University of Cambridge]] and served as an English professor at the [[University of Tokyo|Imperial University]] in Tokyo before becoming a [[patent attorney]].<ref name="thomas-20">Thomas 1983, p. 20.</ref> Her mother, [[Lilian Fontaine|Lilian Augusta Ruse de Havilland Fontaine]] (1886&ndash;1975),<ref name="filmref">[http://www.filmreference.com/film/75/Olivia-de-Havilland.html Olivia de Havilland] ''FilmReference'' {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183740/http://www.filmreference.com/film/75/Olivia-de-Havilland.html |date=March 3, 2016}}. Retrieved February 15, 2013.</ref> was educated at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] in London and became a stage actress who left her career after going to Tokyo with her husband.<ref name="thomas-20"/> Her mother returned to work with the stage name "Lilian Fontaine" after Joan and her elder sister [[Olivia de Havilland]] achieved prominence in the 1940s. Joan's paternal cousin was Sir [[Geoffrey de Havilland]] (1882–1965), an aircraft designer known for the [[de Havilland Mosquito]],<ref name="french">French, Philip. "Screen Legends No.73". ''The Observer'', Review Section, 2009.</ref> and founder of the aircraft company which bore his name. Her paternal grandfather, the Reverend Charles Richard de{{nbsp}}Havilland, was from [[De Havilland family|a family]] from [[Guernsey]], in the [[Channel Islands]].<ref name="beeman">Beeman 1994, p. 24.</ref><ref name="thomson">Thomson 2010, p. 339.</ref>

De Havilland's parents married in 1914 and separated in 1919 when she was two; the divorce was not finalized, however, until February 1925.<ref name=bubbeo>{{cite book |last=Bubbeo |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nmjetV92THsC&pg=PP1 |title=The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-1137-5 |year=2002 |page=55 |access-date=April 1, 2014}}</ref>

Taking a physician's advice, Lilian de{{nbsp}}Havilland moved Joan{{nsmdns}}reportedly a sickly child who had developed [[anaemia]] following a combined attack of the [[measles]] and a [[streptococcal]] infection{{nsmdns}}and her sister to the United States.<ref>Fontaine 1978, p. 19.</ref><ref name=bubbeo/> The family settled in [[Saratoga, California]], and Fontaine's health improved dramatically during her teen years. She was educated at nearby [[Los Gatos High School]] and was soon taking [[diction]] lessons alongside Olivia. When she was 16 years old, Joan returned to Japan to live with her father. There she attended the [[American School in Japan]], graduating in 1935.<ref>[http://community.asij.ac.jp/Page.aspx?pid=464 "Prominent Alumni."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303053437/http://community.asij.ac.jp/Page.aspx?pid=464 |date=March 3, 2012}} ''The American School in Japan.'' Retrieved October 6, 2011.</ref>

== Career ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = Joan Fontaine in The Women trailer.jpg
| caption1 = [[Trailer (promotion)|Trailer]] for ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' (1939)
| image2 = Joan Fontaine in Suspicion trailer.JPG
| caption2 = With [[Cary Grant]] in ''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]'' (1941)
| image3 = Jane Eyre-Joan Fontaine-2.jpg
| caption3 = ''[[Jane Eyre (1943 film)|Jane Eyre]]'' (1943)
}}

Fontaine made her stage debut in the West Coast production of ''[[Call It a Day (play)|Call It a Day]]'' (1935) and made her film debut in [[MGM]]'s ''[[No More Ladies]]'' (1935), in which she was credited as Joan Burfield.<ref name=AFI>{{AFI person|83603-Joan-Fontaine}}</ref> She was leading lady to [[Bruce Bennett]] (billed as Herman Brix) in a low-budget independent film, ''[[A Million to One (film)|A Million to One]]'' (1937).<ref name="Quinlan">Quinlan 1996, pp. 172–173.</ref>

===RKO===
Fontaine signed a contract with [[RKO Pictures]]. Her first film for the studio was ''[[Quality Street (1937 film)|Quality Street]]'' (1937) starring [[Katharine Hepburn]], in which Fontaine had a small unbilled role.

The studio considered her a rising star, and touted ''[[The Man Who Found Himself]]'' (1937) with [[John Beal (actor)|John Beal]] as her first starring role, placing a special screen introduction, billed as the "new RKO screen personality" after the end credit.<ref name="Fristoe">{{cite web |author=Fristoe, Roger |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82735/the-man-who-found-himself#articles-reviews |title=Articles: The Man Who Found Himself |website=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=October 11, 2012 |archive-date=April 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415162158/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82735/The-Man-Who-Found-Himself/articles.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Fontaine later said it had "an A budget but a Z story".<ref name="budget">{{cite news |title=Joan Fontaine Wins Stardom by Being Self: Has Fought Comparison With Sister, Olivia de Havilland, Since Age of 10 |first=Lucie |last=Neville |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 3, 1940 |page=L1}}</ref>

RKO put her in ''[[You Can't Beat Love]]'' (1937) with [[Preston Foster]] and ''[[Music for Madame]]'' (1937) with [[Nino Martini]].

She next appeared in a major role alongside [[Fred Astaire]] in his first RKO film without [[Ginger Rogers]], ''[[A Damsel in Distress (1937 film)|A Damsel in Distress]]'' (1937).<ref>{{cite news |title=Joan Fontaine New Lead for Astaire |date=August 3, 1937 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=14}}</ref> Despite its being directed by [[George Stevens]], audiences were disappointed and the film flopped. She was top-billed in the comedies ''[[Maid's Night Out]]'' and ''[[Blond Cheat]]'', then was [[Richard Dix]]'s leading lady in ''[[Sky Giant]]'' (all 1938).

[[Edward Small]] borrowed her to play [[Louis Hayward]]'s love interest in ''[[The Duke of West Point]]'' (1938), then Stevens used her at RKO in ''[[Gunga Din (film)|Gunga Din]]'' (1939) as [[Douglas Fairbanks Jr.]]'s love interest. The film was a huge hit, but Fontaine's part was relatively small. Republic borrowed her to support Dix in ''[[Man of Conquest]]'' (1939) but her part was small. [[George Cukor]] gave her a small role in MGM's ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' (1939).<ref name="Quinlan"/><ref name="budget"/>

===David O. Selznick and Hitchcock===
Fontaine's luck changed one night at a dinner party when she found herself seated next to producer [[David O. Selznick]]. Selznick and she began discussing the [[Daphne du Maurier]] novel ''[[Rebecca (novel)|Rebecca]]'', and Selznick asked her to audition for the part of the unnamed heroine. She endured a grueling six-month series of film tests along with hundreds of other actresses before securing the part sometime before her 22nd birthday.

[[File:Cary Grant Joan Fontaine Suspicion.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Fontaine and [[Cary Grant]] in promotional still for ''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]'' (1941)]]''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]'' (1940), starring [[Laurence Olivier]] alongside Fontaine, marked the American debut of British director [[Alfred Hitchcock]]. The film was released to glowing reviews, and Fontaine was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].<ref name="Quinlan"/> Fontaine did not win that year ([[Ginger Rogers]] took home the award for ''[[Kitty Foyle (film)|Kitty Foyle]]''), but she did win the following year for Best Actress in ''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]'', which co-starred [[Cary Grant]] and was also directed by Hitchcock.<ref name="Quinlan"/> This was the only Academy Award-winning acting performance to have been directed by Hitchcock.<ref name="booker">Booker 2011, p. 134.</ref>

Fontaine was then one of the biggest female stars in Hollywood, although she was typecast in female melodrama. "They seemed to want to make me cry the whole Atlantic", she later said. {{clarification needed span|text=However, historically, she had become the top female star of the 1940s.|reason=This statement needs both clarification and qualification: by what measure? Salary? Number of times ranked number one in fan polls? Most awards collected? It is simply overstated as overbroadly claimed.|date=June 2025}}<ref name="cry"/>

[[20th Century Fox]] borrowed her to appear opposite Tyrone Power in ''[[This Above All (film)|This Above All]]'' (1942) then she went to [[Warner Brothers]] to star alongside [[Charles Boyer]] in ''[[The Constant Nymph (1943 film)|The Constant Nymph]]''. She was nominated for a third Academy Award for her performance in this film.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/16/arts/joan-fontaine-who-won-an-oscar-for-hitchcocks-suspicion-dies-at-96.html| title=Joan Fontaine, Who Won an Oscar for Hitchcock's 'Suspicion,' Dies at 96| date=December 17, 2013| work=[[The New York Times]]| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine to Play Role in 'Constant Nymph'| first=Frank| last=Daugherty| date=April 10, 1942| newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]| page=15}}</ref>

She also starred as the titular protagonist in the film ''[[Jane Eyre (1943 film)|Jane Eyre]]'' that year, which was developed by Selznick then sold to Fox.

During the war Fontaine occasionally worked as a nurse's aide.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joan Fontaine a Nurse's Aide |date=December 1, 1943 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=24 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/12/01/archives/joan-fontaine-a-nurses-aide.html |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

[[File:Arturo de Córdova and Joan Fontaine, Frenchman's Creek (1944).jpg|thumb|Fontaine with [[Arturo de Córdova]] in ''[[Frenchman's Creek (film)|Frenchman's Creek]]'' (1944)]]

She starred in the film ''[[Frenchman's Creek (film)|Frenchman's Creek]]'' (1944). Like ''Rebecca'', this was based on a novel by Daphne du Maurier. Fontaine personally considered ''Frenchman's Creek'' one of her least favorites among the films she starred in.

Selznick wanted to cast her in ''[[I'll Be Seeing You (1944 film)|I'll Be Seeing You]]'' (1944) but she refused, saying she was "sick of playing the sad sack". Selznick suspended her for eight months.<ref>{{cite news |author=Hopper |first=Hedda |date=March 8, 1945 |title=Joan Fontaine Puts Curb on Hot Temper: Joan Fontaine Goes Sweet Playing First Comedy Role |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-joan-fontaine-puts/169249527/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=B1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Eventually she went back to work in ''[[The Affairs of Susan]]'' (1945) for [[Hal Wallis]] at Paramount, her first comedy. She returned to RKO for ''[[From This Day Forward]]'' (1946).

===Rampart Productions===
In August 1946 Fontaine set up her own company, '''Rampart Productions''', with her then-husband [[William Dozier]]. Her contract with Selznick ended in February 1947 and Fontaine would work exclusively for Rampart apart from one film a year for RKO.<ref>{{cite news |author=Hopper |first=Hedda |date=August 3, 1947 |title=Career of Joan Fontaine Enters Upon New Phase |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-career-of-joan-fon/169249543/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=C1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Litvak to Produce 'Snake Pit' for Fox: Owner of Screen Rights Will Make Picture as First of Two He Owes Company Of Local Origin| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/08/19/archives/litvak-to-produce-snake-pit-for-fox-owner-of-screen-rights-will.html| date=August 19, 1946| newspaper=The New York Times| page=A28}}</ref>

Their first film was ''[[Ivy (1947 film)|Ivy]]'' (1947), a thriller where she played an unsympathetic part.

Fontaine also appeared in ''[[Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948 film)|Letter from an Unknown Woman]]'' (1948) directed by [[Max Ophüls]], produced by [[John Houseman]] and co-starring [[Louis Jourdan]]. It was made by Rampart Productions and released through [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]. It is today considered to be a classic with one of the finest performances of her career.<ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine Casts a Vote for Independence| first=Thomas M.| last=Pryor| newspaper=The New York Times| date=November 16, 1947| page=X5| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/11/16/archives/joan-fontaine-casts-a-vote-for-independence.html| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

At Paramount, she appeared opposite [[Bing Crosby]] in [[Billy Wilder]]'s ''[[The Emperor Waltz]]'' (1948) then went to Universal for another film for Rampart, ''[[You Gotta Stay Happy]]'' (1948), a comedy with James Stewart.

Fontaine starred in ''[[Kiss the Blood Off My Hands]]'' (1948), with [[Burt Lancaster]], [[Nathan Juran]] and [[Bernard Herzbrun]]. Art directors, and set decorators created thirty blocks of huge sets to represent the waterfront district of London's [[East End]] in this successful film noir. At Paramount she did ''[[September Affair]]'' (1950) with [[Joseph Cotten]] for Wallis, ''[[Darling, How Could You!]]'' (1951) and ''[[Something to Live For (film)|Something to Live For]]'' (1952), a third film with George Stevens. At RKO she was a femme fatale in ''[[Born to Be Bad (1950 film)|Born to Be Bad]]'' (1950).

MGM hired Fontaine to play the love interest in ''[[Ivanhoe (1952 film)|Ivanhoe]]'' (1952), a big success. She was reunited with Jourdan in ''[[Decameron Nights]]'' (1953) then went to Paramount for the low-budget ''[[Flight to Tangier]]'' (1953) with Jack Palance.

===Film, TV, and theatre===
Fontaine made ''[[The Bigamist (1953 film)|The Bigamist]]'' (1953), directed by [[Ida Lupino]]. She began appearing in TV shows such as ''[[Four Star Playhouse]]'', ''[[Ford Theatre]]'', ''[[Star Stage]]'', ''[[The 20th Century Fox Hour]]'', ''[[The Joseph Cotten Show (TV series)|The Joseph Cotten Show]]'', and ''[[General Electric Theater]]''.

She won good reviews for her role on Broadway in 1954 as Laura in ''[[Tea and Sympathy (play)|Tea and Sympathy]]'', playing the role originated by [[Deborah Kerr]]. She appeared opposite [[Anthony Perkins]] and toured the show for a few months.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joan Fontaine Confides Her Method of Staying Slim |last=Lane |first=Lydia |date=April 15, 1956 |work=Los Angeles Times |page=D18}}</ref>

She was [[Bob Hope]]'s leading lady in ''[[Casanova's Big Night]]'', then supported [[Mario Lanza]] in ''[[Serenade (1956 film)|Serenade]]'' (both 1956). She was in [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956 film)|Beyond a Reasonable Doubt]]'' (1956) at RKO.

Fontaine had a big hit with ''[[Island in the Sun (film)|Island in the Sun]]'' (1957) having a romance with [[Harry Belafonte]]. At MGM she appeared with [[Jean Simmons]] and [[Paul Newman]] in ''[[Until They Sail]]'' (1957) then she made ''[[A Certain Smile (film)|A Certain Smile]]'' (1958) at Fox.

===1960s===
[[File:Joan Fontaine & Alfred Hitchcock 1963.jpg|thumb|Fontaine with [[Alfred Hitchcock]] in 1963]]

Fontaine had the female lead in the popular ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'' (1961) at Fox. She had a key role in ''[[Tender Is the Night (film)|Tender Is the Night]]'' (1962) also at Fox.

Most of her 1960s work was done on television or stage. TV shows included ''[[General Electric Theater]]'', ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]'', ''[[Startime (1959 TV series)|Startime]]'', ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond]]'', ''[[Checkmate (American TV series)|Checkmate]]'', ''[[The Dick Powell Show]]'', ''[[Kraft Television Theatre]]'', ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'', and ''[[The Bing Crosby Show (1964 TV series)|The Bing Crosby Show]]''.

In October 1964 she returned to Broadway to appear in ''[[A Severed Head]]''.<ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine Gets Role| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/19/archives/joan-fontaine-gets-role.html| date=August 19, 1964| work=The New York Times| page=30| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

She appeared in a [[Hammer horror]] film, ''[[The Witches (1966 film)|The Witches]]'' (1966) which she also co-produced. It would become the final theatrical film role for her, although she continued to act in television productions and on stage.

Her stage work included ''[[Cactus Flower (play)|Cactus Flower]]'' and an Austrian production of ''[[The Lion in Winter]]''.

In 1967, she appeared in ''[[Dial M for Murder]]'' in [[Chicago]].<ref name="cry">{{cite news |author=Clifford |first=Terry |date=April 16, 1967 |title=Joan Fontaine Prefers Comedy in Films |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-joan-fontaine-prefers-co/169249506/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=E18 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The following year she appeared in ''[[Private Lives]]''.<ref>{{cite news |author=Knoch |first=Joanne |date=May 5, 1968 |title=Veteran Actress Doubles as Her Own Manager |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-veteran-actress-doubles/169249563/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=B13 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

She played ''[[Forty Carats]]'' on Broadway.

===Later career===
In the 1970s Fontaine appeared in stage shows and toured with a poetry reading.<ref>{{cite news |author=Christon |first=Lawrence |date=February 1, 1976 |title=Stage Review: Poetry Gains Joan Fontaine |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-poetry-gains-joan/169249589/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=B7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

She returned to Hollywood for the first time in 15 years in 1975 to appear in an episode of ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]'' especially written for her.<ref>{{cite news |author=Lane |first=Lydia |date=December 11, 1975 |title=Joan Fontaine Style of Maturity |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-joan-fontaine-styl/169249606/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=H9 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> She was in ''[[The Users (film)|The Users]]'' (1978) and was nominated for an [[Emmy Award]] for the soap opera ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'' in 1980.

Fontaine published her autobiography, ''No Bed of Roses'', in 1978.<ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine's Roses: Book World 'No Bed of Roses: An Autobiography' Morrow. 319 pp| first=Faiga| last=Levine| date=September 28, 1978| newspaper=The Washington Post| page=B8}}</ref> In 1982, she traveled to Berlin, Germany, and served as a jury president for the [[Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="hollywoodreporter.com">{{cite news| first=Mike| last=Barnes| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/actress-joan-fontaine-dies-rebecca-suspicion-665831| title=Legendary Actress Joan Fontaine Dies at 96| newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]| access-date=December 9, 2020}}</ref>

In the early 1980s, after 25 years in New York, she moved to [[Carmel, California]]. "I have no family ties anymore, so I want to work", she said. "I still host an interview show for cable in New York. I lecture all over the country. But it wasn't enough. My theory is that if you stay busy, you haven't time to grow old. Or at least you don't notice it."<ref name="times"/>

She starred in ''[[Aloha Paradise]]'', ''[[Bare Essence]]'', and ''[[Crossings (miniseries)|Crossings]]'' (1986).<ref>{{cite news |author=Flander |first=Judy |date=March 1, 1983 |title=TV highlights: Joan Fontaine joins 'Essence' cast |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-tv-highlights-joan-font/169249617/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=D7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> She played the lead in a TV movie, ''[[Dark Crossings]]'' (1986), replacing [[Loretta Young]]. She said, "At my time in life, I don't want to do bit parts. Also, [[Rosalind Russell]] once said, 'Always escape the mother parts.' And I've avoided them."<ref name="times">{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine to Appear in ABC Film| first=Stephen| last=Farber| work=The New York Times| date=May 6, 1985| page=C15| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/06/arts/joan-fontaine-to-appear-in-abc-film.html| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Fontaine's last role for television was in the 1994 TV film ''Good King Wenceslas'', after which she retired to her estate, Villa Fontana, in [[Carmel Highlands, California]], where she spent time in her gardens and with her dogs.<ref name="dailynews">{{cite news |last1=Rush |first1=George |last2=Molloy |first2=Joanna |last3=Jones |first3=Barid |date=June 23, 1996 |title=A Catalogue Of Complaints For Fontaine |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/06/23/a-catalogue-of-complaints-for-fontaine/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref>

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Fontaine has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1645 Vine Street. She left her hand and foot prints in front of the [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]] on May 26, 1942.

She was a practicing [[Episcopalian]] and a member of Episcopal Actors Guild.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://littlechurch.org/about/a-brief-history| title=A Brief History| website=The Church of the Transfiguration| access-date=December 9, 2020}}</ref>

== Sibling rivalry ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = Joan Fontaine and Gary Cooper.jpg
| caption1 = Fontaine and [[Gary Cooper]] holding their Oscars at the [[14th Academy Awards]], 1942
| image2 = Olivia de Havilland at the Academy Awards 1946.jpg
| caption2 = Fontaine's sister [[Olivia de Havilland]], with her first [[19th Academy Awards|Oscar]] award March 13, 1947
}}

Fontaine and her elder sister, [[Olivia de Havilland]], are the only [[List of Academy Award–winning families|siblings to have won lead acting Academy Awards]]. Olivia was the first to become an actress; when Fontaine tried to follow her lead, their mother, who favored Olivia, initially refused to let Joan use the family name. Subsequently, Fontaine first adopted Joan Burfield. She assumed her mother's married surname as a stage name when she appeared in the play ''Call It a Day'', being credited as Joan Fontaine. 

Biographer [[Charles Higham (biographer)|Charles Higham]] records that the sisters had an uneasy relationship from early childhood, when Olivia would rip up the clothes Joan had to wear as hand-me-downs, forcing Joan to sew them back together. A large part of the friction between the sisters stemmed from Fontaine's belief that Olivia was their mother's favorite child.<ref name=CharlesHigham>Higham 1984, p. 257.</ref>

De Havilland and Fontaine were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1942. Fontaine won for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Suspicion'' over de{{nbsp}}Havilland's performance in ''[[Hold Back the Dawn]]''. Higham states that Fontaine "felt guilty about winning given her lack of obsessive career drive ...". Higham has described the events of the awards ceremony, stating that as Fontaine stepped forward to collect her award, she pointedly rejected de{{nbsp}}Havilland's attempts to congratulate her and that de{{nbsp}}Havilland was both offended and embarrassed by her behavior. Fontaine, however, tells a different story in her autobiography, explaining that she was paralyzed with surprise when she won the Academy Award, and that de{{nbsp}}Havilland insisted that she get up to accept it. "Olivia took the situation very graciously", Fontaine wrote. "I was appalled that I'd won over my sister."<ref>{{cite book |last=Fontaine |first=Joan |date=1978 |title=No Bed of Roses: An Autobiography |location=New York |publisher=William Morrow |page=[https://archive.org/details/nobedofroses00font/page/136 136] |isbn=978-0-688-03344-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/nobedofroses00font/page/136}}</ref> Several years later, however, de{{nbsp}}Havilland apparently remembered what she perceived as a slight and exacted her own revenge by brushing past Fontaine, who was waiting with her hand extended, because de{{nbsp}}Havilland took offense at a comment Fontaine had made about de{{nbsp}}Havilland's husband.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

Contrary to press reports, the sisters continued their relationship after the 1940s. After Fontaine's separation from her husband in 1952, de{{nbsp}}Havilland went to her apartment in New York often, and at least once they spent Christmas together there, in 1961. They were photographed laughing together at a party for [[Marlene Dietrich]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/joan-fontaine-and-sister-olivia-de-havilland-during-marlene-news-photo/105274140/| title=Marlene Dietrich's Opening Party| date=September 9, 1967| first=Ron| last=Galella| website=Getty Images}}</ref> Fontaine also visited de{{nbsp}}Havilland in Paris in 1969.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/joan-fontaine-olivia-de-havilland-666087?page=2| title=Joan Fontaine-Olivia de Havilland Feud: New Details Revealed| newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter| date=December 17, 2013| first=Scott| last=Feinberg| access-date=December 9, 2020}}</ref>

The sisters reportedly did not completely stop speaking to each other until 1975, after their mother's funeral, to which Joan, who was out of the country, was not invited.<ref name="Washington Post"/>

Both sisters largely refused to comment publicly about their relationship. In a 1978 interview, however, Fontaine said of the sibling rivalry, "I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she'll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!"<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/joan-fontaine-academy-award-winning-actress-from-the-1940s-dies-at-96/2013/12/15/807d78e4-c5da-11df-94e1-c5afa35a9e59_story.html| title=Joan Fontaine, Academy Award-winning actress from the 1940s, dies at 96| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=December 16, 2013| access-date=December 9, 2020| quote=A year earlier, she had told the ''Hollywood Reporter'', “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she’ll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!”}}</ref> The following year, in a 1979 interview, Fontaine claimed the reason her sister and she stopped speaking to each other was that de{{nbsp}}Havilland wanted their mother (who was suffering from cancer) to be treated surgically at the age of 88. Fontaine disagreed with the idea especially after having spent months talking to her mother preparing her for death (Lilian did not want to live). Fontaine also claimed in her 1979 interview that after their mother died, de{{nbsp}}Havilland did not bother to try to find where Fontaine could be reached (Fontaine was on tour in a play). Instead, de{{nbsp}}Havilland sent a telegram, which did not arrive until two weeks later at Fontaine's next stop.<ref>{{YouTube|m9f7gjHkR9M|"RetroBites: Joan Fontaine – Sisters (1979)"}}, December 2, 2010.</ref> According to Fontaine, de{{nbsp}}Havilland did not invite her to a memorial service for their mother. De{{nbsp}}Havilland claims she informed Fontaine, but Fontaine brushed her off, claiming she was too busy to attend. Higham records that Fontaine had an estranged relationship with her own daughters, as well, possibly because she discovered that they were secretly maintaining a relationship with de{{nbsp}}Havilland.<ref name=CharlesHigham/>

== Personal life ==
Fontaine held dual citizenship; she was British by birthright (both her parents were British) and became an American citizen in April 1943.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C2pIAAAAIBAJ&pg=5675,4049662| title=Joan Fontaine To Seek Divorce| newspaper=The [[Evening Independent]]| location=St. Petersburg, Fla| agency=[[Associated Press]]| date=March 28, 1944| page=9| access-date=December 9, 2020| volume=37| number=124}}</ref>{{sfn|Weatherford|page=302|2009}} Outside of acting, Fontaine was also noted as being a licensed pilot, an accomplished interior decorator, and a [[Le Cordon Bleu|Cordon Bleu]]–level chef.<ref name="hollywoodreporter.com"/>

She was married and divorced four times. Her first marriage was to actor [[Brian Aherne]], in 1939, at the [[St. John's Chapel, Del Monte|St. John's Chapel]] in [[Del Monte, California]];<ref>{{cite news| title=Aherne Weds Joan Fontaine| newspaper=The New York Times| date=August 21, 1939| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/08/21/archives/aherne-weds-joan-fontaine.html| page=14| url-access=subscription}}</ref> they divorced in April 1945.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LaFPAAAAIBAJ&pg=7195,5838627| title=Joan Fontaine, A Guest No More, Wins Freedom| newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]| date=June 3, 1944| page=5| access-date=December 8, 2012}}</ref>

In May 1946, she married actor/producer [[William Dozier]] in Mexico City. They had a daughter, Deborah Leslie, in 1948, and separated in 1949. Deborah is Fontaine's only biological child.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qHMoAAAAIBAJ&pg=4508,368073| title=Joan Fontaine And Husband Separate| newspaper=[[The Daytona Beach News-Journal|Daytona Beach Morning Journal]]| date=August 4, 1949| page=14| agency=Associated Press| access-date=December 8, 2012}}</ref> The following year, Fontaine filed for divorce, charging Dozier with desertion. Their divorce was final in January 1951.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 9, 1950 |title=Joan Fontaine Sues Producer for Divorce |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-joan-fontaine-sues/169249659/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The two of them had a custody battle over their child which lingered through the 1950s.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 22, 1952 |title=Joan Fontaine, Ex-Mate Drop Custody Battle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-joan-fontaine-ex/169249673/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=5 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=November 8, 1958 |title=Court Clears Joan Fontaine of Contempt |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-court-clears-joan/169249688/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=B1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

Fontaine's third marriage was to producer and writer [[Collier Young]] on November 12, 1952. They separated in May 1960, and Fontaine filed for divorce in November 1960.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MYBPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4341,2095247| title=Joan Fontaine Sues 3rd Mate For Divorce| newspaper=[[Star-Banner|Ocala Star-Banner]]| date=November 6, 1960| page=3| access-date=December 8, 2012}}</ref> Their divorce was final in January 1961.<ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine Gets Divorce| newspaper=The New York Times| date=January 4, 1961| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/01/04/archives/joan-fontaine-gets-divorce.html| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Fontaine's fourth and final marriage was to ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' golf editor Alfred Wright Jr, on January 23, 1964, in [[Elkton, Maryland]]; they divorced in 1969.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 24, 1964 |title=Names In The News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tri-city-herald-names-in-the-news/169249770/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |newspaper=[[Tri-City Herald]] |page=7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Fontaine also had a personal relationship with politician [[Adlai Stevenson II]]: "We had a tenderness for each other that grew into something rather serious. There was so much speculation about our marrying in the press that over lunch at his apartment in the Waldorf Towers he told me he could not marry an actress. He still had political ambitions and the 'little old ladies from Oshkosh' wouldn't approve. I told him it was just as well. My family would hardly approve of my marrying a politician".<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://people.com/archive/in-no-bed-of-roses-joan-fontaine-talks-about-the-thorns-in-her-life-vol-10-no-21/| title=In No Bed of Roses, Joan Fontaine Talks About the Thorns in Her Life| first= Christopher P.| last=Andersen| date=November 20, 1978| journal=[[People (magazine)|People]]}}</ref>

Fontaine had an affair with actor and producer [[John Houseman]] after her marriage to Aherne. "Ours was what was known in Hollywood as a 'romance,'—which meant that we slept together three or four nights a week, got invited to parties together, went away together for weekends and sometimes talked about getting married without really meaning it," Houseman wrote in ''Front and Center'', his second autobiography.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/10/07/john-housemans-done-it-all-and-in-good-company/55c3b208-1cbf-46c4-a66c-17dec2a78424/| title=John Houseman's Done It All -- And In Good Company| first=James|last=Lardner| date=October 7, 1979| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

While in South America for a film festival in 1951, Fontaine met a four-year-old Peruvian girl named Martita, and informally adopted her.<ref name="earlwilson">{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Earl |author-link=Earl Wilson (columnist) |date=1954-07-11 |title=Joan Fontaine Describes How She Adopted Inca Girl |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/svlcuqtdsprbpyofztbukrgbyzetcbxj_ip-10-166-46-109_1743404499615 |access-date=2025-03-31 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |page=17 |via=[[GenealogyBank.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine Is a New Woman| author=Parsons, Louella| date=September 4, 1961| newspaper=The Washington Post| page=B22}}</ref> Fontaine met Martita while visiting [[Inca Empire|Incan]] ruins where Martita's father worked as a caretaker. Martita's parents allowed Fontaine to become Martita's legal guardian to give the child a better life.<ref name=earlwilson/> Fontaine promised Martita's parents she would send the girl back to Peru to visit when she was 16 years old. When Martita turned 16, Fontaine bought her a round-trip ticket to Peru, but Martita refused to go and opted to run away. Fontaine and Martita became estranged following the incident. While promoting her autobiography in 1978, Fontaine addressed the issue, stating, "Until my adopted daughter goes back to see her parents, she's not welcome. I promised her parents. I do not forgive somebody who makes me break my word."<ref>{{cite news| last=Flander| first= Judy| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Fg5SAAAAIBAJ&pg=4175,7351434| title=Former Movie Queen Joan Fontaine Turns Author at 60| newspaper=Times-Union| location=Warsaw, Ind| agency=[[Washington Star]]| date=September 30, 1978| page=7| access-date=December 8, 2012}}</ref>

On December 15, 2013, Fontaine died in her sleep of natural causes at the age of 96 in her Carmel Highlands home. Her longtime friend Noel Beutel said, "She had been fading in recent days and died peacefully."<ref>{{cite news |date=December 15, 2015 |title=Oscar winner Joan Fontaine dies at 96 – lived in Carmel Highlands |url=https://www.montereyherald.com/2013/12/15/oscar-winner-joan-fontaine-dies-at-96-mdash-lived-in-carmel-highlands/ |access-date=July 17, 2025 |newspaper=[[Monterey Herald]]}}</ref> After Fontaine's death, Olivia de{{nbsp}}Havilland released a statement saying she was "shocked and saddened" by the news.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/olivia-de-havilland-shocked-and-saddened-by-sister-joan-fontaines-death/| title=Olivia de Havilland 'shocked and saddened' by sister Joan Fontaine's death| work=[[CBS News]]| date=December 16, 2013| access-date=December 17, 2013}}</ref>

Fontaine's Academy Award for Best Actress in ''Suspicion'' was initially to be sold at an animal rights auction; however, the academy threatened to sue since it was not offered back to them for $1 and Fontaine's estate retained possession.<ref>{{cite news| title=Dispute derails auction of Joan Fontaine's Oscar| date=December 12, 2014| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30449808| work=[[BBC News]]| access-date=December 9, 2020}}</ref>

Fontaine converted to the Episcopal Church in 1972 after a bleak period.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://guideposts.org/positive-living/entertainment/movies-and-tv/guideposts-classics-joan-fontaine-on-finding-a-church-home/ | title=Guideposts Classics: Joan Fontaine on Finding a Church Home | date=December 16, 2013 }}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1935
| ''[[No More Ladies]]''
| Caroline "Carrie" Rumsey
| Credited as Joan Burfield<ref name=AFI/>
|-
| rowspan="6"|1937
| ''[[A Million to One (film)|A Million to One]]''
| Joan Stevens
|
|-
| ''[[Quality Street (1937 film)|Quality Street]]''
| Charlotte Parratt
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[The Man Who Found Himself]]''
| Nurse Doris King
|
|-
| ''[[You Can't Beat Love]]''
| Trudy Olson
|
|-
| ''[[Music for Madame]]''
| Jean Clemens
|
|-
| ''[[A Damsel in Distress (1937 film)|A Damsel in Distress]]''
| Lady Alyce Marshmorton
|
|-
| rowspan="4"|1938
| ''[[Maid's Night Out]]''
| Sheila Harrison
|
|-
| ''[[Blond Cheat]]''
| Juliette "Julie" Evans
|
|-
| ''[[Sky Giant]]''
| Meg Lawrence
|
|-
| ''[[The Duke of West Point]]''
| Ann Porter
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|1939
| ''[[Gunga Din (film)|Gunga Din]]''
| Emmy
|
|-
| ''[[Man of Conquest]]''
| Eliza Allen
|
|-
| ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]''
| Mrs. John Day (Peggy)
|
|-
| 1940
| ''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]''
| The second Mrs. de Winter
| Directed by Alfred Hitchcock<br/>Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Actress]]<br/>Nominated – [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress]]
|-
| 1941
| ''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]''
| Lina
| Directed by Alfred Hitchcock<br/>Academy Award for Best Actress<br/>New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
|-
| 1942
| ''[[This Above All (film)|This Above All]]''
| Prudence Cathaway
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1943
| ''[[The Constant Nymph (1943 film)|The Constant Nymph]]''
| Tessa Sanger
| Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress
|-
| ''[[Jane Eyre (1943 film)|Jane Eyre]]''
| Jane Eyre (as an adult)
|
|-
| 1944
| ''[[Frenchman's Creek (film)|Frenchman's Creek]]''
| Dona St. Columb
|
|-
| 1945
| ''[[The Affairs of Susan]]''
| Susan Darell
|
|-
| 1946
| ''[[From This Day Forward]]''
| Susan Cummings
|
|-
| 1947
| ''[[Ivy (1947 film)|Ivy]]''
| Ivy
|
|-
| rowspan="4"|1948
| ''[[Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948 film)|Letter from an Unknown Woman]]''
| Lisa Berndle
|
|-
| ''[[The Emperor Waltz]]''
| Countess Johanna Augusta Franziska
|
|-
| ''[[You Gotta Stay Happy]]''
| Dee Dee Dillwood
|
|-
| ''[[Kiss the Blood Off My Hands]]''
| Jane Wharton
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1950
| ''[[September Affair]]''
| Marianne "Manina" Stuart
|
|-
| ''[[Born to Be Bad (1950 film)|Born to Be Bad]]''
| Christabel Caine Carey
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1951
| ''[[Darling, How Could You!]]''
| Alice Grey
|
|-
| ''[[Othello (1951 film)|Othello]]''
| Page
| Uncredited Cameo
|-
| rowspan="2"|1952
| ''[[Something to Live For (film)|Something to Live For]]''
| Jenny Carey
|
|-
| ''[[Ivanhoe (1952 film)|Ivanhoe]]''
| Rowena
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|1953
| ''[[Decameron Nights]]''
| Fiametta/Bartolomea/Ginevra/Isabella
|
|-
| ''[[Flight to Tangier]]''
| Susan Lane
|
|-
| ''[[The Bigamist (1953 film)|The Bigamist]]''
| Eve Graham
|
|-
| 1954
| ''[[Casanova's Big Night]]''
| Francesca Bruni
| Alternative title: ''Mr. Casanova''
|-
| rowspan="2"|1956
| ''[[Serenade (1956 film)|Serenade]]''
| Kendall Hale
|
|-
| ''[[Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956 film)|Beyond a Reasonable Doubt]]''
| Susan Spencer
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1957
| ''[[Island in the Sun (film)|Island in the Sun]]''
| Mavis Norman
|
|-
| ''[[Until They Sail]]''
| Anne Leslie
|
|-
| 1958
| ''[[A Certain Smile (film)|A Certain Smile]]''
| Françoise Ferrand
|-
| 1958
| ''[[South Pacific (1958 film)|South Pacific (film)]]''
| Polynesian woman
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Light That Failed]]''
| Hostess
| TV movie
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]''
| Dr. Susan Hiller
|
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Tender Is the Night (film)|Tender Is the Night]]''
| Baby Warren
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[The Witches (1966 film)|The Witches]]''
| Gwen Mayfield
| Alternative title: ''The Devil's Own''
|-
| 1978
| ''[[The Users (film)|The Users]]''
| Grace St. George
| TV movie
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Dark Mansions]]''
| Margaret Drake
| TV movie
|-
| 1994
| ''Good King Wenceslas''
| Queen Ludmilla
| TV movie
|}

==Television credits==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Episode(s)
|-
| 1953–<br/>1954
| ''[[Four Star Playhouse]]''
| Trudy
| "Trudy"<br/>"The Girl on the Park Bench"
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Ford Theatre#Television|The Ford Television Theatre]]''
| Julie
| "Your Other Love"
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Star Stage]]''
| 
| "The Shadowy Third"
|-
| 1956
| ''[[The 20th Century Fox Hour]]''
| Lynne Abbott
| "Stranger In the Night"
|-
| 1956–<br/>1957
| ''[[The Joseph Cotten Show]]''
| Adrienne
| "Fatal Charm"<br/>"The De Santre Story"
|-
| 1956–<br/>1960
| ''[[General Electric Theater]]''
| Linda Stacey<br/>Judith<br/>Laurel Chapman<br/>Melanie Langdon<br/>Countess Irene Forelli
| "A Possibility of Oil"<br/>"The Story of Judith"<br/>"At Miss Minner's"<br/>"The Victorian Chaise Lounge"<br/>"In Summer Promise"
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Mr. Adams and Eve]]''
| Herself
| "Joan Fontaine"
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''
| Margaret Lewis
| "Perilous"
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Startime (1959 TV series)|Startime]]''
| Julie Forbes
| "Closed Set"
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond]]''
| Ellen Grayson
| "The Visitor"
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Checkmate (American TV series)|Checkmate]]''
| Karen Lawson
| "Voyage Into Fear"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Dick Powell Show]]''
| Valerie Baumer
| "The Clocks"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Kraft Television Theatre|Kraft Mystery Theatre]]''
| Margaret Lewis
| "Perilous"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Wagon Train]]''
| Naomi Kaylor
| "The Naomi Kaylor Story"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents|The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''
| Alice Pemberton
| Season 1 Episode 20: "The Paragon"
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Bing Crosby Show (1964 TV series)|The Bing Crosby Show]]''
| Mrs. Taylor
| "Operation Man Save"
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]''
| Thelma Cain
| episode: "The Star"
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Ryan's Hope]]''
| Paige Williams
| Five episodes<br/>Nominated – [[Daytime Emmy Award]] [[7th Daytime Emmy Awards#Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series|Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series]]
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Aloha Paradise]]''
| "Love Teacher/The Actress/Prodigy"<br/>"Turn Me On/Treasure Hunt/A Child Will Become Father"
|-
| 1981
| ''[[The Love Boat]]''
| Jennifer Langley
| "Chef's Special/Beginning Anew/Kleinschmidt"
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Bare Essence]]''
| Laura
| "Hour Four"<br/>"Hour Five"
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]''
| Ruth Easton
| "Harassed"
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Crossings (TV miniseries)|Crossings]]''
| Alexandra Markham
| Miniseries
|}

<!-- does not display correctly{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Radio
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1952
| ''Hallmark Playhouse''
|
|1935 ''Trade Wind''—no such film. A film called ''Trade Winds'' had Kay Kendall in a featured role. However, Joan Bennett played that part and it was notable for her first appearance in dark brown or black hair. The uncredited actress in the film with no lines Bennett's older sister Constance Bennett.
| Episode: ''The Professor''<ref>{{cite news| last=Kirby| first=Walter| title=Better Radio Programs for the Week| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2376557/the_decatur_daily_review/| newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review| date=April 20, 1952| page=46| via=[[Newspapers.com]]| access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref>
|}

 -->

== Broadway credits ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Production
! Role
|-
| September 30, 1953 – June 18, 1955
| ''[[Tea and Sympathy (play)|Tea and Sympathy]]''
| Laura Reynolds
|-
| December 26, 1968 – November 7, 1970
| ''[[Forty Carats]]''
| Ann Stanley
|}

== Radio appearances ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode/source
|-
| 1941 || ''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]'' || ''[[Waterloo Bridge (1940 film)|Waterloo Bridge]]''
|-
|1943
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater">{{Citation|title=Screen Guild Theater|url=http://archive.org/details/ScreenGuildTheater|access-date=February 9, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|1943
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater"/>
|-
|1944
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''A Farewell to Arms''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater"/>
|-
|1945
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''Next Time We Love''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater"/>
|-
|1946
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''Last of Mrs. Cheyney''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater"/>
|-
| 1946 || ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[From This Day Forward]]''<ref>{{cite news| title=LRT Guest| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3323305/harrisburg_telegraph/| newspaper=Harrisburg Telegraph| date=October 26, 1946| page=21| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 1946|| ''[[Academy Award (radio)|Academy Award]]'' || ''[[Portrait of Jennie]]''<ref>{{cite news| title=Joan Fontaine Heard Wednesday In "Oscar" Role| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3212130/harrisburg_telegraph/| work=Harrisburg Telegraph| date=November 30, 1946| page=17| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=September 12, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 1946|| ''Hollywood Players''|| ''[[The Constant Nymph (1943 film)|The Constant Nymph]]''<ref>{{cite news| title=Nymph| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3206289/harrisburg_telegraph/| newspaper=Harrisburg Telegraph| date=December 14, 1946| page=17| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref>
|-
|1948
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''[[Ivy (1947 film)|Ivy]]''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater"/>
|-
| 1949|| ''Suspense''||''The Lovebirds''<ref>{{cite web| url=http://starsonsuspense.libsyn.com/episode-45-joan-fontaine| title=Episode 45 – Joan Fontaine| website=Stars on Suspense (Old Time Radio)}}</ref>
|-
|1950
|''[[The Screen Guild Theater]]''
|''[[Ninotchka]]''<ref name="Screen Guild Theater"/>
|-
| 1952|| ''[[Hallmark Playhouse]]'' || ''Miracle on the Blotter''<ref>{{cite news| last=Kirby| first=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2613413/the_decatur_daily_review/| newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review| date=December 7, 1952| page=52| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 14, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 1952|| ''Broadway Playhouse''|| ''Manhattan Serenade''<ref name=ddr121452/>
|-
| 1952|| ''[[The United States Steel Hour#Theatre Guild on the Air|Theatre Guild on the Air]]'' || ''[[The House of Mirth]]''<ref name=ddr121452>{{cite news| last=Kirby| first=Walter| title=Better Radio Programs for the Week| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2591748/the_decatur_daily_review/| newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review| date=December 14, 1952| page=54}}</ref>
|-
| 1952|| ''Hollywood Sound Stage'' || ''Ivy''<ref>{{cite news| last=Kirby| first=Walter| title=Better Radio Programs for the Week| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2477300/the_decatur_daily_review/| newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review| date=March 9, 1952| page=42| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=May 23, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 1953|| ''Theater of Stars'' || ''[[The Guardsman]]''<ref>{{cite news| last=Kirby| first=Walter| title=Better Radio Programs for the Week| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2668759/the_decatur_daily_review/| newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review| date=February 22, 1953| page=40| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 23, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 1953|| ''[[Lux Summer Theatre]]'' || ''[[Leave Her to Heaven]]''<ref name="Vindicator">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uexeAAAAIBAJ&pg=874%2C2308663&q=Leave+Heaven+Summer+Joan+Fontaine+stellar+role |last=Childress |first=Nancy |title=Plan Theater TV Shows Of Notre Dame's Games |page=7 |newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator (Ohio) |date=August 10, 1953 |access-date=March 18, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| 1953|| ''Lux Radio Theatre'' || ''[[Undercurrent (1946 film)|Undercurrent]]''<ref>{{cite news| last=Kirby| first=Walter| title=Better Radio Programs for the Week| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2770472/the_decatur_daily_review/| newspaper=The Decatur Daily Review| date=November 29, 1953| page=50| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref>
|-
| 1953|| ''[[General Electric Theater]]'' || ''Enchanted Cottage''
|-
| 1953|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''The President's Lady''<ref name="Pittsburgh Press">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MuYeAAAAIBAJ&pg=5000%2C8844171&q=President's+Lady+Joan+Fontaine+Charlton+Heston |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Features |page=31 |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |date=September 28, 1953 |access-date=March 18, 2023 }}</ref>
|-
| 1954|| ''Gunsmoke'' || ''The Handcuffs''
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Organization
! Category
! Title of work
! Result
!Ref.
|-
|[[13th Academy Awards|1941]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Academy Award|Academy Awards]]
|rowspan=3|[[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| ''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]''
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-05 |title=The 13th Academy Awards {{!}} 1941 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1941 |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=[[Oscars]] |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[14th Academy Awards|1942]]
| ''[[Suspicion (1941 film)|Suspicion]]''
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-03 |title=The 14th Academy Awards {{!}} 1942 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1942 |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=[[Oscars]] |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[16th Academy Awards|1944]]
| ''[[The Constant Nymph (1943 film)|The Constant Nymph]]''
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-05 |title=The 16th Academy Awards {{!}} 1944 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1944 |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=[[Oscars]] |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[1940 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1940]]
| rowspan="2" |[[New York Film Critics Circle|New York Film Critics' Circle]]
|rowspan=2|[[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| ''Rebecca''
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=1940 Awards |url=https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/ |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=[[New York Film Critics' Circle]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[1941 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1941]]
| ''Suspicion''
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://mubi.com/en/us/films/suspicion |title=Suspicion (1941) {{!}} MUBI |language=en |access-date=2025-08-25 |via=mubi.com}}</ref>
|-
|1943
| rowspan="2" |[[Golden Apple Award]]
|Least Cooperative Actress
|{{N/a}}
|{{Won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Golden Apple Sour Apple Award Winners |url=https://www.ranker.com/list/golden-apple-sour-apple-award-winners/ranker-film |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=Ranker |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|1947
| Most Cooperative Actress
|{{NA}}
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erwin |first=Fran |date=1971-12-21 |title=Four Named for Golden Apple Awards |url=https://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/InPrintPages/News1971Dec21_VanNuysValleyNewsandGreenSheet.pdf |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=[[Van Nuys Valley News]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[7th Daytime Emmy Awards|1980]]
| [[Daytime Emmy Award]]
| [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series|Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series]]
| ''[[Ryan's Hope]]''
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-01-21 |title=Joan Fontaine Fast Facts |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/us/joan-fontaine-fast-facts |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
|}

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book| last=Beeman| first=Marsha Lynn| title=Joan Fontaine: A Bio-Bibliography| location=Westport, Conn| publisher=Greenwood| year=1994| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVVZAAAAMAAJ&q=Joan+Fontaine:+A+Bio-Bibliography| isbn=978-0-313-28409-0}}
* {{cite book| last=Booker| first=M. Keith| title=Historical Dictionary of American Cinema| location=Lanham, Maryland| publisher=Scarecrow Press| year= 2011| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y04MQEgHbZsC&q=fontaine| page=134| isbn=978-0-8108-7459-6}}
* {{cite book| chapter=Joan Fontaine| title=Current Biography 1944| location=New York| publisher=H.W. Wilson Company| year=1945}}
* {{cite book| last=Fontaine| first=Joan| title=No Bed of Roses: An Autobiography| location=New York| publisher=William Morrow| year=1978| url=https://archive.org/details/nobedofroses00font/page/n5/mode/2up| isbn=978-0-688-03344-6| url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book| last=Higham| first=Charles| title=Sisters: The Story of Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine| location=New York| publisher=Coward McCann| year=1984| isbn=978-0-698-11268-1| url=https://archive.org/details/sistersstoryofol00high| url-access=registration}}
<!--
* Laufenberg, Norbert B. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mzTW9Nitee4C&dq=laufenberg+Entertainment+Celebrities&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8n7nM2sLtAhVSRKwKHUN9CNUQ6AEwAHoECAEQAg Entertainment Celebrities]''. London: Trafford Publishing. 2005 {{isbn|978-1-4120-5335-8}}. Likely vanity press
-->
* {{cite book| last=Quinlan| first=David| title=Quinlan's Film Stars| location=London| publisher=B.T. Batsford Ltd| url=https://archive.org/details/quinlansillustra0000quin_z6e6/page/172/mode/2up?q=fontaine| year=1996| page=172| isbn=978-0-7134-7751-1}}
* {{cite book| last=Weatherford| first=Doris| title=American Women During World War II: An Encyclopedia| location=New York| publisher=Routledge| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzmMAgAAQBAJ&q=fontaine| date=2009| isbn=978-0-415-99475-0}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* {{AFI person|83603-Joan-Fontaine}}
* {{IMDb name|0000021}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{TV Guide person}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=1614 Photographs of Joan Fontaine]
* [http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Joan+Fontaine.html Joan Fontaine at the CinéArtistes] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Joan Fontaine
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{{AcademyAwardBestActress 1941–1960}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress}}
}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Joan}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
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