Joan Fontaine: Quick Facts

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Oct. 18, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland • Joan Burfield • Joan St. John
Born	October 22, 1917 • Tokyo • Japan
Died	December 15, 2013 (aged 96) • Carmel • California
Awards And Honors	Academy Award (1942) • Academy Award (1942): Actress in a Leading Role
Notable Family Members	sister Olivia de Havilland
Married To	Alfred Wright, Jr. (1964–1969) • William Dozier (1946–1951) • Collier Young (1952–1961) • Brian Aherne (1939–1945)
Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In)	"Something to Live For" (1952) • "A Damsel in Distress" (1937) • "You Gotta Stay Happy" (1948) • "Darling, How Could You!" (1951) • "Blond Cheat" (1938) • "You Can't Beat Love" (1937) • "Crossings" (1986) • "September Affair" (1950) • "Bare Essence" (1983) • "The Bing Crosby Show" (1965) • "The Affairs of Susan" (1945) • "Serenade" (1956) • "Ivy" (1947) • "The Dick Powell Show" (1962) • "Decameron Nights" (1953) • "From This Day Forward" (1946) • "The Ford Television Theatre" (1956) • "A Certain Smile" (1958) • "General Electric Theater" (1956–1961) • "No More Ladies" (1935) • "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" (1959) • "Kraft Mystery Theater" (1962) • "Island in the Sun" (1957) • "The 20th Century-Fox Hour" (1956) • "Maid's Night Out" (1938) • "Music for Madame" (1937) • "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1963) • "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (1956) • "A Million to One" (1937) • "Startime" (1960) • "Kiss the Blood Off My Hands" (1948) • "Letter from an Unknown Woman" (1948) • "The Love Boat" (1981) • "Suspicion" (1941) • "The Emperor Waltz" (1948) • "Cannon" (1975) • "On Trial" (1956) • "The Duke of West Point" (1938) • "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1961) • "Flight to Tangier" (1953) • "The Constant Nymph" (1943) • "Rebecca" (1940) • "This Above All" (1942) • "The Man Who Found Himself" (1937) • "Four Star Playhouse" (1953–1955) • "Sky Giant" (1938) • "Ivanhoe" (1952) • "Ryan's Hope" (1980) • "Star Stage" (1956) • "One Step Beyond" (1960) • "Checkmate" (1961) • "Hotel" (1986) • "Tender Is the Night" (1962) • "Until They Sail" (1957) • "Frenchman's Creek" (1944) • "The Women" (1939) • "Casanova's Big Night" (1954) • "Born to Be Bad" (1950) • "The Bigamist" (1953) • "Wagon Train" (1963) • "Man of Conquest" (1939) • "Jane Eyre" (1943) • "Gunga Din" (1939) • "The Witches" (1966)

Top Questions

When was Joan Fontaine born?

Joan Fontaine was born on October 22, 1917.

Where was Joan Fontaine born?

Joan Fontaine was born in Tokyo, Japan.

Is Joan Fontaine married?

Brian Aherne (1939–1945), Collier Young (1952–1961), William Dozier (1946–1951), Alfred Wright, Jr. (1964–1969)

Photos

Joan Fontaine poses in a glamorous 1950s studio portrait, wearing a strapless satin gown and pearl earrings, with short wavy hair and a confident expression.

Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson in Rebecca

Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier stand close together, looking concerned, in a black-and-white scene from the film Rebecca (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Joan Fontaine in Suspicion

John Abbott, Orson Welles, and Joan Fontaine in a black-and-white scene from the 1943 film Jane Eyre, with Fontaine in a bridal veil and gown beside stone walls.

Robert Taylor as Ivanhoe, Joan Fontaine as Rowena, and Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca stand together in medieval costumes, with Ivanhoe holding Rowena's arm and Rowena holding Rebecca's hands, in a tournament setting from the 1952 film Ivanhoe.

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