Today we celebrate the incomparable Janet Leigh, born on this day in 1927—a screen legend whose career spanned decades but whose legacy was cemented in just 45 shocking minutes. Leigh’s portrayal of Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) didn’t just redefine what a horror heroine could be; it redefined what horror could do. Her performance gave audiences a false sense of security before Hitchcock shattered it with that shower scene—one of cinema’s most unforgettable moments, still studied, parodied, and revered more than sixty years later.

Long before she screamed in black and white, Janet Leigh had built a reputation as a talented and versatile actress, with standout roles in classics like Touch of Evil (1958) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). But it’s Marion Crane—vulnerable yet relatable, flawed yet sympathetic—who remains her most indelible character. Leigh’s courage in taking on such a shocking part in a time when Hollywood heroines were meant to be untouchable helped pave the way for future generations of genre-defying performances.

Off-screen, Leigh’s influence didn’t stop with her own career. Her daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis, would go on to become the ultimate “Scream Queen” herself, carrying forward her mother’s horror legacy with Halloween (1978) and beyond—proof that cinematic chills can run in the family.

Though Janet Leigh left us in 2004, her shadow looms large every time a bathroom door creaks or a violin screeches on a soundtrack. Her work reminds us that sometimes the most iconic characters are the ones who don’t make it to the final reel—but stay with us forever. Happy Birthday to a true Hollywood legend.