Actress. Born Lucille LeSueur (professionally known as Joan Crawford), on March 23, 1906, in San Antonio, Texas. Her parents, Thomas and Anna Bell Johnson LeSueur, had three children. The eldest of the three died in infancy. Their father, a laborer, deserted the family when Crawford was very young. She was raised along with her older brother in Lawton, Oklahoma and Kansas City. In 1929, Crawford eloped to New York with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (son of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and stepson to Mary Pickford). In 1945, she completed the film Mildred Pierce. It was Mildred Pierce, co-starring Ann Blyth and Eve Arden, that brought Joan Crawford the recognition as a great talent. She won an Academy Award as best actress for her role in the movie.