Joan Crawford

17 5.0

An American film actress famous for leading roles in the 1930s and 1940s

proper noun
/dʒoʊn ˈkrɔːfərd/

: Joan Crawford

I wanted to be Joan Crawford, Josephine Baker.

Examples

In Torch Song, Joan Crawford made her final musical film... ...as a fading legend... ...performing in tropical makeup for the song "Two-Faced Woman. "

That's Entertainment! III (1994)
A star like Joan Crawford would sometimes... ...have her look redesigned numerous times... ...until it matched the exact mood of the role she was to play.

That's Entertainment! III (1994)
Joan Crawford won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in 'Mildred Pierce' in 1945.
Despite fierce competition, Joan Crawford maintained her status as a top star for decades.
Many classic films from Hollywood's golden age feature Joan Crawford in leading roles.

Surface Forms

Joan Crawford main

Morphology

Joan + Crawford

This is a proper name referring to a specific person; the meanings of the constituent tokens 'Joan' and 'Crawford' do not compose to yield 'a prominent American film actress'. Personal names are referential rather than compositional, so a B1 learner who only knows the name parts would not be able to infer the biographical/professional meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur but took the 'stage name' Joan Crawford when she became an actress, and that new name became her public identity. So, when people say Joan Crawford, they mean the famous Hollywood star known for glamour and strong leading roles.