Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1946
Joan Crawford Mildred Pierce 1946
SEX WORKER ROLE
Sadie Thompson in Rain 1932
Character Is A Prostitute
Joan Crawford in Rain 1932
Based on a short story by W. Somerset Maugham, “Rain” has been both a stage play and a film. For the screen adaptation, the prostitution angle was deemphasized, as the plot centers around a group of passengers shipwrecked on an island. Joan plays Sadie Thompson, a hooker. Walter Huston plays Alfred Davidson, a preacher. Naturally, these two are butting heads over almost everything on the island. Soon the preacher is determined to reform the prostitute by any means necessary. Joan disliked the film and said, “I hope they burn every print of this turkey that exists.”
Watch clip of the film “Rain”
To read more about other Oscar-winning actresses playing characters working in the sex trade industry, please continue perusing Oscar Hookers