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Janet Leigh (July 6, 1927 in Merced, California—October 3, 2004 in Beverly Hills) born Jeanette Helen Morrison was an American actress.
An only child, she was discovered by actress Norma Shearer, whose late husband Irving Thalberg had been a senior executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In what sounds like something out of a movie, Shearer showed talent agent Lew Wasserman the photograph she had seen of Jeanette while vacationing at the ski resort where the girl's parents worked. She left College of the Pacific, where she was studying music and psychology, after Wasserman secured a contract with MGM.
Leigh's best-known role was in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho. Years later, she wrote a book about the making of that film, in which she dispelled the urban legends which had popped up around it, notably, about the immortal "shower scene." Her performance earned her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.
Leigh married her third husband, Tony Curtis, on June 4, 1951. They had two children, Kelly and Jamie Lee. Curtis, who has admitted to cheating on her throughout their marriage, left Leigh in 1962 for the 17 year-old German co-star of his then-latest film. Leigh was granted a divorce, and married stockbroker Robert Brandt later that year in Las Vegas; they remained married until her death.
Leigh starred in more than sixty films, including:
Leigh served on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Foundation, a medical-services provider for actors.
She died at her home from vasculitis at age 77. Her family was at her side.
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