Biography
Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison; July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. Her career spanned over five decades. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped her secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Leigh appeared in radio programs before her first formal foray into acting, making her film debut in the drama The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947). With MGM, she appeared in many films which spanned a wide variety of genres, which include the crime-drama Act of Violence (1948), the drama Little Women (1949), the comedy Angels in the Outfield (1951), the romance Scaramouche (1952) and the western drama The Naked Spur (1953). She played dramatic roles during the late 1950s, in such films as Safari (1956) and Orson Welles's film noir Touch of Evil (1958). With RKO Radio pictures she co-starred in the romantic comedy Holiday Affair (1949) with Robert Mitchum. Leigh achieved her biggest success starring as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller Psycho (1960). For her performance, Leigh won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress…
Movies & TV Shows
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Psycho (1960) — Marion Crane
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Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) — Norma
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The Fog (1980) — Kathy Williams
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Touch of Evil (1958) — Susan 'Susie' Vargas
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Columbo (1971) — Grace Wheeler Willis
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962) — Eugenie Rose Chaney
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Psycho II (1983) — Marion Crane (archive footage) (uncredited)
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Murder, She Wrote (1984) — Cornelia Montaigne Harper
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Psycho III (1986) — Marion Crane (archive footage) (uncredited)
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The Vikings (1958) — Morgana
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The Naked Spur (1953) — Lina Patch
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The Twilight Zone (1985) — Barbara LeMay
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Little Women (1949) — Meg
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Harper (1966) — Susan Harper
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The Love Boat (1977) — Joan Philipps / Gail
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Touched by an Angel (1994) — Vera King
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Night of the Lepus (1972) — Gerry Bennett
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Bye Bye Birdie (1963) — Rosie DeLeon
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Act of Violence (1949) — Edith Enley
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Scaramouche (1952) — Aline de Gavrillac de Bourbon
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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) — Self
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Holiday Affair (1949) — Connie Ennis
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The Oscars (1953) — Self
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E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
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Houdini (1953) — Bess Houdini
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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) — Miss Diketon
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Prince Valiant (1954) — Princess Aleta
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Pictures of Ghosts (2023) — Self (archive footage)
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Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (2025) — Self (archive footage)
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Pepe (1960) — Janet Leigh
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Tales of the Unexpected (1979) — Joan Stackpole
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Jet Pilot (1957) — Lt. Anna Marladovna Shannon / Olga Orlief
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Grand Slam (1967) — Mary Ann
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The American Nightmare (2000) — Self
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Living It Up (1954) — Wally Cook
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) — Self (uncredited)
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The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) — Lady Anne of Mackworth
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Angels in the Outfield (1951) — Jennifer Paige
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Who Was That Lady? (1960) — Ann Wilson
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Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) — Ivy Conrad