She won an Academy award for Best Actress in 1945 for Mildred Pierce. However, Joan’s most powerful performance was probably in the 1962 thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. She starred alongside Bette Davis in the film and portrayed a woman who was physically and emotionally abused by her sister. The most shocking scene in the film was when Bette Davis’ character kicked Joan’s character repeatedly while she was lying helpless on the floor. Even more intense, it seems that Joan later complained that Bette Davis actually did kick her during the filming of the scene.
