Famed 'Psycho' Star Janet Leigh Dies
Leigh Was 77
POSTED: 7:33 am EDT October 4, 2004
LOS ANGELES -- Actress Janet Leigh, best known as the slasher victim in the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," has died.
Leigh died at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday after suffering from an inflammation of the blood vessels. She was 77.
Leigh's spokeswoman said her children, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis, were at her side when she died.
Leigh costarred with James Stewart, John Wayne and Frank Sinatra in films of the 1940s to 1960s. She appeared in such classics as Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" and the political thriller "The Manchurian Candidate."
Yet her achievements were overshadowed by one long scene opposite Anthony Perkins in "Psycho." Leigh was nominated for an Oscar for her brief appearance in the horror film, and she has often said that she hadn't been able to take a shower since the movie.
In a 2000 interview with wnbc.com @ The Movies' Tim Lammers, Leigh said it wasn't the seven days of shooting the scene that made her fear showers, but what came after.
"When I saw it condensed and edited in a way that only Hitchcock could do it, it was so frightening to me that it made me realize that it's an extremely vulnerable position we're in, while in a shower," Leigh said. "I never even thought about it that way before. I just couldn't get back in a shower after that. I just thought it was stupid to put yourself in that position."
The movie also led to some unusual behavior by fans. She recalled one particular unnerving incident for @ The Movies that happened during her book signing tour for "Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller" in 1995.
"I had to have a metal detector for book signings because some people brought knives," she said. "One frightening experience happened on the way to doing a radio show. I was with a book rep, the radio people and security, when we spotted a man in the hallway of the building down from the doors of the station.
"He reached into his briefcase and pulled out his knife. We absolutely froze. It was so unreal. Then the security went after him. He said, 'I'm not crazy I just want people to sign this knife.'"
Leigh was married four times, including a 1951 marriage to actor Tony Curtis when they were at the height of their fame. They divorced in 1963, and a year later Leigh married businessman Robert Brandt.




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