Lana Turner
Known for
Born in Wallace, Idaho in 1921, Lana Turner was one of the definitive glamour icons of the Hollywood studio era. She grew up on the MGM lot through musicals and melodramas before becoming a full-blown noir presence as Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) opposite John Garfield. She earned her only Oscar nomination for Peyton Place (1957) and reached the summit of Douglas Sirk melodrama in Imitation of Life (1959). Her public life — the tabloid scandal around the death of her lover Johnny Stompanato — often threatened to overwhelm the work, but her best performances still stand as textbook Hollywood stardom.
Lana Turner
55 Movies
1 Series
Born in Wallace, Idaho in 1921, Lana Turner was one of the definitive glamour icons of the Hollywood studio era. She grew up on the MGM lot through musicals and melodramas before becoming a full-blown noir presence as Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) opposite John Garfield. She earned her only Oscar nomination for Peyton Place (1957) and reached the summit of Douglas Sirk melodrama in Imitation of Life (1959). Her public life — the tabloid scandal around the death of her lover Johnny Stompanato — often threatened to overwhelm the work, but her best performances still stand as textbook Hollywood stardom.
Movies
Plays Lady De Winter
The Three Musketeers
1948
Plays Lora Meredith
Imitation of Life
1959
Plays Georgia Lorrison
The Bad and the Beautiful
1952
Plays Sheila Regan
Ziegfeld Girl
1941
Plays Beatrix 'Bea' Emery
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1941
Plays Constance MacKenzie
Peyton Place
1957
Plays Elsa Keller
The Sea Chase
1955
Plays Cora Smith
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1946
Plays Elizabeth Cotton
Honky Tonk
1941
Plays Carla Van Oven
Betrayed
1954
Plays Crystal Radek
The Merry Widow
1952
Plays Holly Parker
Madame X
1966
Plays Virginia 'Jinny' Marshland
Cass Timberlane
1947
Producer
Plays Sara Scott
Another Time, Another Place
1958
Plays Lisbeth Bard
Johnny Eager
1941
Plays Maid
The Adventures of Marco Polo
1938
Plays Rosemary Howard
Bachelor in Paradise
1961
Plays Diane de Poitiers - Countess de Breze
Diane
1956
Plays Marjorie Penrose
By Love Possessed
1961
Plays Samarra
The Prodigal
1955
Plays Melanie Flood
Who's Got the Action?
1962
Plays Lana Turner
The Youngest Profession
1943
Plays Peggy Evans aka Carol Burden
Slightly Dangerous
1943
Plays Theodora "Theo" Scoffield West
Marriage Is a Private Affair
1944
Plays Fredda Barlo
Mr. Imperium
1951
Plays Marianne Patourel
Green Dolphin Street
1947
Plays Lily Brannel James
A Life of Her Own
1950
Plays Lt. Jane 'Snapshot' McCall
Homecoming
1948
Plays Paula Lane
Somewhere I'll Find You
1942
Plays Sheila Cabot
Portrait in Black
1960
Plays Carrie Masters
Persecution
1974
Plays Lady Edwina Esketh
The Rains of Ranchipur
1955
Plays Kit Jordon
Love Has Many Faces
1965
Plays Mado
Dramatic School
1938
Plays Mary Clay
They Won't Forget
1937
Plays Adriana Roman
The Big Cube
1969
Plays Jane Thomas
These Glamour Girls
1939
Plays Bunny Smith
Week-End at the Waldorf
1945
Plays Rosalie Lewett
Calling Dr. Kildare
1939
Plays Claire
Bittersweet Love
1976
Plays Valerie Parks
Keep Your Powder Dry
1945
Plays Mlle. Auber
The Great Garrick
1937
Plays Cynthia
Love Finds Andy Hardy
1938
Plays Maggie Colby
The Lady Takes a Flyer
1958
Plays Marjorie White Brooks
We Who Are Young
1940
Plays Patty Marlow
Dancing Co-Ed
1939
Plays Nora Taylor
Latin Lovers
1953
Plays Pat Mahoney
Two Girls on Broadway
1940
Plays Vivian Cross
Witches' Brew
1980
Plays Helen
Rich Man, Poor Girl
1938
Latest Trailers
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The Big Cube
Full Filmography
The Love Boat
Elizabeth Raley · 1 episode
1985
TV
Witches' Brew
Vivian Cross
1980
Film
Bittersweet Love
Claire
1976
Film
Persecution
Carrie Masters
1974
Film
The Big Cube
Adriana Roman
1969
Film
Madame X
Holly Parker
1966
Film
Love Has Many Faces
Kit Jordon
1965
Film
Who's Got the Action?
Melanie Flood
1962
Film
Bachelor in Paradise
Rosemary Howard
1961
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lana Turner still alive?
Lana Turner passed away on June 29, 1995 at age 74.
What are the most famous roles of Lana Turner?
Lana Turner is best known for roles in Singin' in the Rain, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Imitation of Life.
How many movies has Lana Turner been in?
Over a 59-year career (since 1936), Lana Turner has appeared in 55 movies and 1 TV shows.
What was Lana Turner's first movie?
The career of Lana Turner began with Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) (1936).
What is Lana Turner's most recent movie or series?
Lana Turner's most recent release is Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood, which premiered on May 18, 1987.
What TV shows has Lana Turner appeared in?
On television, Lana Turner has appeared in The Love Boat, The Oscars, The Carol Burnett Show, Falcon Crest.
Lana Turner
1921-02-08 · Wallace, Idaho, USA
Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget (1937). She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938). During the early 1940s she established herself as a leading actress in such films as Johnny Eager (1941), Ziegfeld Girl (1941) and Somewhere I'll Find You (1942). She is known as one of the first Hollywood scream queens thanks to her role in the 1941 horror film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and her reputation as a glamorous femme fatale was enhanced by her performance in the film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Her popularity continued through the 1950s, in such films as The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Peyton Place (1957), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
In 1958, her daughter, Cheryl Crane, stabbed Turner's lover Johnny Stompanato to death. A coroner's inquest brought considerable media attention to Turner and concluded that Crane had acted in self defense. Turner's next film, Imitation of Life (1959), proved to be one of the greatest successes of her career, but from the early 1960s her roles were fewer. She gained recognition near the end of her career with a recurring guest role in the television series Falcon Crest during 1982 and 1983. Turner made her final television appearance in 1991, and died from throat cancer in 1995.