Jamie Lee Curtis' mother was famous.
Janet Leigh -LRB- born Jeanette Helen Morrison ; July 6 , 1927 -- October 3 , 2004 -RRB- was an American actress , singer , dancer and author .. She is best remembered for her performance in Psycho , for which she was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and received an Academy Award nomination .. Psycho. Psycho ( 1960 film ). Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture. Academy Award. Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the first wife of actor Tony Curtis and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis .. Tony Curtis. Tony Curtis. Kelly Curtis. Kelly Curtis. Jamie Lee Curtis. Jamie Lee Curtis. Discovered by actress Norma Shearer , Leigh made her acting debut on radio in 1946 and secured a contract with MGM the following year .. Norma Shearer. Norma Shearer. MGM. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Early in her career , she appeared in popular films spanning a wide variety of genres , including Act of Violence -LRB- 1948 -RRB- , Little Women -LRB- 1949 -RRB- , Angels in the Outfield -LRB- 1951 -RRB- , Scaramouche -LRB- 1952 -RRB- , The Naked Spur -LRB- 1953 -RRB- and Living It Up -LRB- 1954 -RRB- .. The Naked Spur. The Naked Spur. Act of Violence. Act of Violence. Little Women. Little Women ( 1949 film ). Angels in the Outfield. Angels in the Outfield ( 1951 film ). Scaramouche. Scaramouche ( 1952 film ). Living It Up. Living It Up. She played mostly dramatic roles during the latter half of the 1950s , in such films as Safari -LRB- 1956 -RRB- and Touch of Evil -LRB- 1958 -RRB- , but achieved her most lasting recognition as the doomed Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock 's Psycho -LRB- 1960 -RRB- .. Psycho. Psycho ( 1960 film ). Safari. Safari ( 1956 film ). Touch of Evil. Touch of Evil. Marion Crane. Marion Crane. Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock. Her highly publicized marriage to Curtis ended in divorce in 1962 , and after starring in The Manchurian Candidate that same year , Leigh scaled back her career .. The Manchurian Candidate. The Manchurian Candidate ( 1962 film ). Intermittently , she continued to appear in notable films , including Bye Bye Birdie -LRB- 1963 -RRB- , Harper -LRB- 1966 -RRB- and Night of the Lepus -LRB- 1972 -RRB- as well as two films with her daughter , Jamie Lee  : The Fog -LRB- 1980 -RRB- and Halloween H20  : 20 Years Later -LRB- 1998 -RRB- .. Bye Bye Birdie. Bye Bye Birdie ( film ). Harper. Harper ( film ). Night of the Lepus. Night of the Lepus. The Fog. The Fog. She also wrote four books between 1984 and 2002 , including two novels .. Leigh died in 2004 at age 77 , following a year-long battle with vasculitis , an inflammation of the blood vessels .. vasculitis. vasculitis. Among her survivors was her husband of 42 years , Robert Brandt .