Christina Crawford
Encyclopedia
Christina Crawford is an American
writer
and actress, best known as the author of Mommie Dearest
, an exposé of alleged child abuse
by her mother, actress Joan Crawford
.
, California
in 1939 to unmarried parents.
According to Christina Crawford's interview with Larry King her father was married to another woman, and her mother unmarried. Her father was in the Navy
at the time. Christina Crawford was adopted
out-of-state in 1940. Subsequent documentation showed that the adoption was handled by Georgia Tann
through Tann's infamous Tennessee Children's Home Society
. Christina was one of four children adopted by Joan Crawford.
Christina Crawford has stated that her childhood was affected by her adopted mother's violent mood swings. At the age of ten she was sent to the Chadwick School
, in Palos Verdes, California. However, she was removed from Chadwick by her mother because of her "misbehavior" with one of the male students (The real story was that her boyfriend came to visit her while Commander and Mrs. Chadwick were away from the house) Shortly afterward she returned to Chadwick School, but shortly before Thanksgiving during a call to her mother Joan Crawford asked her about her Christmas Card List. Joan Crawford got angry that Christina had not completed them, so as punishment Joan Crawford
then placed her in a Catholic boarding school, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Canada,(now the City of La Canada Flintridge) California and forbade Christina any form of outside contact until her graduation. Crawford later moved from California to the East Coast to attend Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
and then studied at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City
. She holds a B.A.
degree
, magna cum laude, from UCLA
and a Master's Degree
in Communications Management
from USC
.
Medlinsky was a Broadway stage manager she met while attending acting school and they were married only briefly She met her second husband, film producer David Koontz, when she worked in public relations
for Getty Oil
.
, including a production of Splendor in the Grass
. She has also acted in a number of Off-Broadway
productions.
In 1961, Crawford appeared in a small role in Wild in the Country
starring Elvis Presley
. She also had a role in Faces
(1968
), directed by John Cassavetes
and starring John Marley
and Gena Rowlands
. In 1962, she appeared in the play The Complaisant Lover. She played five character parts in Ben Hecht
's controversial play Winkelberg. In October 1965 she appeared in Neil Simon
's Barefoot in the Park
, opposite film legend (and friend of her mother's) Myrna Loy
.
She played "Joan Borman Kane" on the TV
soap opera
The Secret Storm
in New York from 1968 until 1969. When Christina went on sick leave in October 1968, Joan Crawford, then over 60 years old, was the temporary replacement in the role of the 24-year-old character, appearing in four episodes. Christina was let go from the series, and claimed her mother's behaviour had contributed to her being fired. The producers had provided the explanation that the character and her storyline had simply run its course.
Christina Crawford also appeared on the TV series Medical Center
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
, Matt Lincoln
, Ironside
and The Sixth Sense
.
$2 million will "for reasons which are well-known to them".
In 1978 Crawford wrote the best-selling book Mommie Dearest
which described the alleged abuse to which she maintains she and her brother were subjected, and in which her mother was depicted as a cruel, overbearing alcoholic who was more interested in her career as a movie star than in the children she had adopted. The book made child abuse
a prominent issue at a time when it was just beginning to be widely acknowledged as a public problem.
In 1981, a movie version
of the same title was released, starring Faye Dunaway
as Joan Crawford and Diana Scarwid
as Christina (teen and adult). Christina has also published subsequent books including Survivor, and other books/novels which focus on the subject of child abuse. For seven years she served as President of Los Angeles' Inter-Agency Council on Abuse and Neglect Associates, during which time she campaigned for the reform of laws regarding child abuse.
After a near-fatal stroke in 1981, Crawford spent five years in rehabilitation
before moving to the Northwest where she ran a bed and breakfast
called "Seven Springs Farms" in Tensed, Idaho
, between 1994 and 1999.
She formed Seven Springs Press in 1998
to publish the 20th Anniversary Edition of Mommie Dearest in paperback
from the original manuscript
. Also included in this edition was material omitted from the first printing. This primarily concerns the years following her graduation from high school. Christina Crawford continues in the capacity of company publisher.
In 1999, Crawford began working as Special Events Manager at the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Idaho
.
On November 22, 2009, Crawford was appointed county commissioner in Benewah County, Idaho
by Governor Butch Otter. In the November 2010 general election, she supported Otter's general election and was herself defeated for re-election.
In 2011 Christina Crawford became the first president of the newly formed Benewah Human Rights Coalition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and actress, best known as the author of Mommie Dearest
Mommie Dearest
Mommie Dearest is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. The book, which depicts Christina's childhood and her relationship with her mother, was published in 1978.-Christina Crawford's claims:...
, an exposé of alleged child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
by her mother, actress Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
.
Early life and education
She was born in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1939 to unmarried parents.
According to Christina Crawford's interview with Larry King her father was married to another woman, and her mother unmarried. Her father was in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
at the time. Christina Crawford was adopted
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
out-of-state in 1940. Subsequent documentation showed that the adoption was handled by Georgia Tann
Georgia Tann
Georgia Tann, born Beulah George Tann , operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee. Tann used the unlicensed home as a front for her black market baby adoption scheme from the 1920s until a state investigation closed the institution in 1950...
through Tann's infamous Tennessee Children's Home Society
Tennessee Children's Home Society
Tennessee Children's Home Society was an orphanage operated in the state of Tennessee during the first half of the twentieth century, and is most often associated with its Memphis branch operator Georgia Tann as an organization involved with the kidnapping of children and their illegal adoptions....
. Christina was one of four children adopted by Joan Crawford.
Christina Crawford has stated that her childhood was affected by her adopted mother's violent mood swings. At the age of ten she was sent to the Chadwick School
Chadwick School
Chadwick School is a nonsectarian independent K-12 day school located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, California.-History:...
, in Palos Verdes, California. However, she was removed from Chadwick by her mother because of her "misbehavior" with one of the male students (The real story was that her boyfriend came to visit her while Commander and Mrs. Chadwick were away from the house) Shortly afterward she returned to Chadwick School, but shortly before Thanksgiving during a call to her mother Joan Crawford asked her about her Christmas Card List. Joan Crawford got angry that Christina had not completed them, so as punishment Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
then placed her in a Catholic boarding school, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Canada,(now the City of La Canada Flintridge) California and forbade Christina any form of outside contact until her graduation. Crawford later moved from California to the East Coast to attend Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
The Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is the oldest degree-granting drama program in the United States, founded in 1914 as a division of the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and then studied at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She holds a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, magna cum laude, from UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Communications Management
Communications management
Communications management is the systematic planning, implementing, monitoring, and revision of all the channels of communication within an organization, and between organizations; it also includes the organization and dissemination of new communication directives connected with an organization,...
from USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Personal life
Christina Crawford has been married three times: to Harvey Medlinsky; David Koontz; and Michael Brazzel. As of 2010 she is not married.Medlinsky was a Broadway stage manager she met while attending acting school and they were married only briefly She met her second husband, film producer David Koontz, when she worked in public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
for Getty Oil
Getty Oil
Getty Oil is an oil company founded by J. Paul Getty. It was at its height during the 1960s. In 1971, the Getty Realty division was formed to manage the real estate needs of Getty stations. The division was later spun off, but now owns the rights to the Getty brand...
.
Acting career
Crawford appeared in summer stockSummer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
, including a production of Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass is a 1961 romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from...
. She has also acted in a number of Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
productions.
In 1961, Crawford appeared in a small role in Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country
Wild in the Country is a 1961 film drama starring Elvis Presley in which he portrays a troubled young man from a dysfunctional family who pursues a literary career. The screenplay was written by playwright Clifford Odets.-Synopsis:...
starring Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. She also had a role in Faces
Faces (film)
Faces is a 1968 drama film, directed by John Cassavetes and starring John Marley, Cassavetes' wife Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin, who both received Academy Award nominations for this film....
(1968
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
), directed by John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
and starring John Marley
John Marley
John Marley was an American actor who was known for his role as Phil Cavalleri in Love Story and as Jack Woltz— the defiant film mogul who awakens to find the severed head of his prized horse in his bed—in The Godfather...
and Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands is an American actress of film, stage and television. The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner is best known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, in two of which, Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence, she gave Academy...
. In 1962, she appeared in the play The Complaisant Lover. She played five character parts in Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
's controversial play Winkelberg. In October 1965 she appeared in Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's Barefoot in the Park
Barefoot in the Park
This article is about the Broadway production. For the film adaptation see Barefoot in the Park .Barefoot in the Park is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The original Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened October 23, 1963, with the four lead roles taken by actors Elizabeth Ashley ,...
, opposite film legend (and friend of her mother's) Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...
.
She played "Joan Borman Kane" on the TV
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
in New York from 1968 until 1969. When Christina went on sick leave in October 1968, Joan Crawford, then over 60 years old, was the temporary replacement in the role of the 24-year-old character, appearing in four episodes. Christina was let go from the series, and claimed her mother's behaviour had contributed to her being fired. The producers had provided the explanation that the character and her storyline had simply run its course.
Christina Crawford also appeared on the TV series Medical Center
Medical Center (TV series)
Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
, Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
, Matt Lincoln
Matt Lincoln
Matt Lincoln was a television medical drama which was aired by ABC as part of its 1970-71 lineup.Matt Lincoln starred Vince Edwards as Dr. Matt Lincoln, a psychiatrist who had founded a telephone hotline for troubled teenagers...
, Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
and The Sixth Sense
The Sixth Sense (TV series)
The Sixth Sense is an American paranormal thriller television series featuring Gary Collins and Catherine Ferrar. Based on the 1971 television movie Sweet, Sweet Rachel, the series was broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company from January 1972 through December 1972.-Synopsis:Collins is...
.
Career after mother's death
After Joan Crawford died in 1977, Christina and her brother Christopher learned that they had been disinherited by their mother in her USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$2 million will "for reasons which are well-known to them".
In 1978 Crawford wrote the best-selling book Mommie Dearest
Mommie Dearest
Mommie Dearest is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. The book, which depicts Christina's childhood and her relationship with her mother, was published in 1978.-Christina Crawford's claims:...
which described the alleged abuse to which she maintains she and her brother were subjected, and in which her mother was depicted as a cruel, overbearing alcoholic who was more interested in her career as a movie star than in the children she had adopted. The book made child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
a prominent issue at a time when it was just beginning to be widely acknowledged as a public problem.
In 1981, a movie version
Mommie Dearest (film)
Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical drama film about Joan Crawford, starring Faye Dunaway. The film was directed by Frank Perry. The story was adapted for the screen by Robert Getchell, Tracy Hotchner, Frank Perry, and Frank Yablans, based on the 1978 autobiography of the same name by...
of the same title was released, starring Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
as Joan Crawford and Diana Scarwid
Diana Scarwid
Diana Scarwid is an American actress. Scarwid has done work in film, television and theater.-Personal life:Scarwid was born in Savannah, Georgia, and left Georgia at the age of 17, heading to New York to become an actress. She graduated from Pace University and The American Academy of Dramatic...
as Christina (teen and adult). Christina has also published subsequent books including Survivor, and other books/novels which focus on the subject of child abuse. For seven years she served as President of Los Angeles' Inter-Agency Council on Abuse and Neglect Associates, during which time she campaigned for the reform of laws regarding child abuse.
After a near-fatal stroke in 1981, Crawford spent five years in rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)
Rehabilitation of sensory and cognitive function typically involves methods for retraining neural pathways or training new neural pathways to regain or improve neurocognitive functioning that has been diminished by disease or traumatic injury....
before moving to the Northwest where she ran a bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
called "Seven Springs Farms" in Tensed, Idaho
Tensed, Idaho
Tensed is a city in Benewah County, Idaho, United States. The population was 126 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tensed is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, between 1994 and 1999.
She formed Seven Springs Press in 1998
1998 in literature
The year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
to publish the 20th Anniversary Edition of Mommie Dearest in paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
from the original manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
. Also included in this edition was material omitted from the first printing. This primarily concerns the years following her graduation from high school. Christina Crawford continues in the capacity of company publisher.
In 1999, Crawford began working as Special Events Manager at the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
On November 22, 2009, Crawford was appointed county commissioner in Benewah County, Idaho
Benewah County, Idaho
Benewah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. Established on January 23, 1915, from sections of Kootenai County, it was named for a chief of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. As of the 2010 census the county had a population of 9,285. The county seat and largest city is St...
by Governor Butch Otter. In the November 2010 general election, she supported Otter's general election and was herself defeated for re-election.
In 2011 Christina Crawford became the first president of the newly formed Benewah Human Rights Coalition.
Books
- Mommie DearestMommie DearestMommie Dearest is a memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. The book, which depicts Christina's childhood and her relationship with her mother, was published in 1978.-Christina Crawford's claims:...
(1978) ISBN 0-9663369-0-9 - Black Widow: A Novel (1981) ISBN 0-425-05625-2
- Survivor (1988) ISBN 0-515-10299-7
- No Safe Place: The Legacy of Family Violence (1994) ISBN 0-88268-184-2
- Daughters Of The Inquisition: Medieval Madness: Origin and Aftermath (2003) ISBN 0-9663369-1-7