Lana Turner’s tumultuous relationship with notorious organized crime figure Johnny Stompanato was on the decline when tensions reached a tragic climax.
Allegedly, Stompanato had threatened to disfigure Turner and sabotage her career, inciting a protective fury in Turner’s teenage daughter, Cheryl Crane.
In a moment of panic, Crane grabbed a kitchen knife. Mistaking a clothes hanger in Stompanato’s hand for a weapon, she fatally stabbed him in the stomach.
The incident quickly turned into one of Hollywood’s most sensational scandals, with Crane’s trial drawing widespread attention.
Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of Crane, determining she acted in self-defense and classifying the incident as justifiable homicide.
Stompanato was known to be an influential associate of the infamous Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen, serving as his right-hand man.
But he was famously in a rocky relationship with Lana Turner, one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Stompanato had proved himself a nightmare for Turner and a nuisance for those around them.
As she filmed Another Time, Another Place the previous year, Stompanto became convinced she was having an affair with her co-star.
He came onto the set and pointed a gun at the young Scottish actor.
While Connery was not a known actor, he had previously established himself as a bodybuilder and a “hard man” on the streets of Edinburgh.
He didn’t follow their advice and became one of the most popular actors of all time.
