After Gone With the Wind, Selznick wanted her to star in Rebecca, but her home studio would not agree to another loan out, so the part went to her sister, Joan Fontaine. Tired of routine assignments, she went to court to keep the studio from adding extra years to her contract. The landmark decision in her favor shook the studio system to its roots.

Subsequently, she won two Oscars, for To Each His Own and The Heiress, and scored a major hit with The Snake Pit. Although she has limited her appearances in recent years, she won a Golden Globe for her supporting performance in the television mini-series "Anastasia: The True Story."