Joan Fontaine Dead: Oscar-Winning Actress Dies In Sleep, Aged 96

Joan Fontaine Dies, Aged 96

Joan Fontaine has died at the age of 96.

The Oscar-winning actress - who starred in several Alfred Hitchcock psychological thrillers - passed away in her sleep at her home in Carmel, California.

Joan Fontaine

The star - real name Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland - was born in Japan to British parents.

She moved to the US with her older sister Olivia to pursue a career in acting and went on to win an Oscar for her portrayal of a vulnerable wife in the 1942 movie 'Suspicion'.

She starred in more than 30 films including 'Letter From An Unknown Woman', 'The Constant Nymph', and 'Jane Eyre'.

She also played the lead in Hitchcock's first Hollywood work 'Rebecca'.

She was married - and divorced - four times and had a lifelong feud with her sister, who she wrote bitterly about in the memoir 'No Bed of Roses'.

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