LANA TURNERFEBRUARY 8, 1921-JUNE 29, 1995
Block 3 Mon/wed/Fri
THE HAWKS
Lana Turner, or Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner was born in Wallace, Idaho to John and Mildred Turner February 8th 1921. Lana grew up without a father, he had won a big card game one night then was robbed and killed in 1929, later she heard that he had been bragging about using the money he won to buy her the tricycle she had been begging him for. He worked in the mines and his card skills helped the family throughout tough times. Lana had also never met her grandmother who had died giving birth to Mildred Turner, from a disease that destroyed Lana's chances from having anymore children after her daughter Cheryl was born. Lana was married eight times to a variety of men.
Lana had loved going to the movies, saving 5 cents each weekday from lunch to go to a movie every weekend for 25 cents. This pretty much shows you that she loved movies very much. Everything then changed, Lana and her mother moved to California to find better jobs. At this time Lana had been 15 and was noticed by a Hollywood Reporter W.R Wilkerson. He then introduced Lana to a movie director named Mervyn LeRoy. Then at the age of 17 Lana entered the movie biz. After the first couple of movies she was immediately noticed. Being in movies wasn't really her dream, it was was to become a fashion designer. Lana still stood strong and brought attention to the audience with her beauty.
Lana had started out making $50 a week then LeRoy left Warner Bros and signed onto MGM so her salary increased to $100 a week. With all of that money Lana earned she bought a house for her and her mother to live in. Her salary began to increase more and by the age of 20 she was making $1,500 a week. When the U.S. entered WWII Lana started to travel with railroad tours that sold bonds. In her own words she said,
"I'm told I increased the defense budget by several million dollars."Not only did that increase but her salary did when she signed another contract with MGM in 1945 which gave her an addition of $4000 a week. I 1948 Lana filmed "The Three Musketeers" her first colored movie. Lana began to start filming more and more movies like Imitation of life(1959), Portrait in Black(1960), and The Bad and the Beautiful which won 5 Academy Awards. On October 25, 1981 the National Film society awarded Lana with Artistry in an Cinema Award. Her movie Lifestyle then Ended on June 29th, 1995 from throat cancer. Lana Turner had been cremated and then given to her daughter.
Sources: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001805/bio
http://www.cmgww.com/stars/turner/
http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542242
