Imitation of Life

Living a lie is a poor substitute for living the truth - sometimes it takes the harsh realties of life to help US discover who we truly are. The legendary Lana Turner stars in this 1959 version of Fannie Hurst's emotionally charged drama, which chronicles two widows and their troubled daughters as they struggle to find true happiness amidst racial prejudice. Lana Turner plays Lora, a single white mother whose Hollywood starlet ambitions come at the expense of any meaningful relationship with her daughter, Susie (Sandra Dee). Lora's black housekeeper, Annie (Juanita Moore), has troubles of her own as she faces the rejection of her own fair-skinned daughter, Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), who abandons her heritage for a chance to be accepted as white. As years of selfishness and denial pass, tragedy strikes and forces the women to come to terms with their own identities. Moore and Kohner were both Oscar nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" for their stirring performances. This lavish production, directed by Douglas Sirk (Magnificent Obsession), was a critical and commercial success, and today remains both a testament to it's time and a beloved Hollywood classic.

Director: Douglas Sirk
Director: John M. Stahl
Producer: Art Wolff
Producer: Del Tenney
Producer: Edward R. Pressman
Producer: Joseph Papp
Producer: Ross Hunter
Actor: Claudette Colbert
Actor: Lana Turner
Actor: Warren William
Actor: John Gavin
Actor: Sandra Dee
Actor: Juanita Quigley
Actor: Rochelle Hudson
Actor: Ned Sparks
Actor: Susan Kohner
Actor: Louise Beavers
Actor: Robert Alda
Actor: Dan O'Herlihy
Actor: Fredi Washington
Actor: Alan Hale
Actor: Henry Armetta
Actor: Wyndham Standing
Actor: Juanita Moore
Actor: Baby Jane
Actor: Karen Dicker
Actor: Terry Burnham
Actor: Sandra Gould
Actor: Eddie Parker
Actor: Mahalia Jackson
Actor: Marilyn Knowlden
Actor: John Vivyan
Actor: Sebie Hendricks
Actor: Dorothy Black
Actor: Lee Goodman
Actor: Ann Robinson
Actor: Clarence Hummel Wilson
Actor: Troy Donahue
Actor: Henry Kolker
Actor: G. P. Huntley Jr.
Actor: David Tomack
Actor: Joel Fluellen
Actor: Paul Porcasi
Actor: Jack Weston
Actor: Paullyn Garner
Actor: Alice Ardell
Actor: Billy House
Actor: Walter Walker
Actor: Maida Severn
Actor: Noel Francis
Actor: Franklin Pangborn
Actor: Tyler Brooke
Actor: Cicely Evans
Actor: Bess Flowers
Actor: William Austin
Actor: Edgar Norton
Actor: Paul Bradley
Actor: Napoleon Whiting
Actor: Alma Tell
Actor: Lenita Lane
Actor: Nelson Leigh
Actor: John McNamara
Actor: Barry Norton
Actor: Lynne Hunter
Actor: Joyce Compton
Actor: Myrna Fahey
Actor: Reverend Gregg
Actor: Edna Bowdoin
Actor: Ted Thorpe
Actor: Paul Levitt
Actor: Daisy Bufford
Actor: Robert Darin
Actor: Ethel Sykes
Actor: Richard Collier
Actor: Monya Andre
Actor: Joe Mell
Actor: Curry Lee
Actor: Claire McDowell
Actor: Edwin Parker
Actor: Tedd Hadfield
Actor: Norma Drew
Actor: Madame Sul-Te-Wan
Actor: Fred Somers
Actor: George Barrows
Actor: Stuart Johnston
Actor: Fred Toones
Actor: Chuckie Bradley
Actor: Hattie McDaniel
Actor: Hayes Robinson
Actor: Martin Turner
Actor: Jean Westmore
Actor: Shep Houghton
Actor: Libby Taylor
Actor: Norman Stevans
Actor: Elizabeth Jones
Actor: Bessie Lyle
Actor: John Marlowe
Actor: Julius Molnar
Actor: Paul Gustine
Actor: William B. Davidson
Actor: Gay Seabrook
Actor: Bruce Warren