(Applause Books). Joan Crawford (1908-1977) was best known for her starring roles in The Women , Grand Hotel , Mildred Pierce , for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, Johnny Guitar , and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Charlotte Chandler's fascinating and intimate portrait includes interviews with Crawford; her first husband, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; Bette Davis; and Myrna Loy, and is perhaps her finest biography yet.