Just looking at Joan's bio on IMDB which states the family moved from Japan to California in the hope of improving the girls' health following recurring ailments. Looks like it worked since they've both lived into their 90s.
Joan Fontaine was a much more limited actress than Olivia de Havilland. Fontaine was good in timid, mousey roles like Rebecca, Jane Eyre and Diary of an Unknown Woman (her three best films by far), but that's all she convinced as and she had a perpetually pained, lopsided facial expression which was rather unvarying.
Olivia Havilland on the other hand really had range. She played a lot of nice girls in the 30s, but she was equally good as an all out bitch in Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte or the film noir Broken Mirror (where she played twins: one nice, one evil) and she too could do timid like in The Heiress. She had a much more interesting and varied career and a far more impressive filmography.
The sisters have been estranged since the 40s due to a feud over career competitiveness.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.