She wanted to become an actress because of her mother's love of movies. Her mother named her for Joan Crawford, using the Southern pronunciation of the name – "Joanne". She went to the premiere of "Gone with the Wind" in Atlanta, when she was nine years old. During the parade of stars, she ran over and sat on the lap of Laurence Olivier. He was the romantic partner of a star in the movie, Vivien Leigh. The couple later married.