Dame Joan Henrietta Collins ,
DBE(born 23 May 1933) is anEnglishactress, author and columnist.
Born inPaddington , west
London, and brought up inMaida
Vale ,
Collins grew up during theSecond
World War . After making her stage debut inA
Doll's Houseat the age of nine, she trained as an actress at theRoyal
Academy of
Dramatic Art(
RADA) in London. She then signed an exclusive contract with theRank Organisationand appeared in various
British films.At the age of 22, Collins headed toHollywoodand landed sultry roles in several popular films, includingThe
Girl in the
Red Velvet Swing(
1955) andRally Round the
Flag,
Boys!(
1958). While she continued to make films in the US and the UK throughout the
1960s, she also guest starred in an episode ofStar
Trek,namedThe
City on the
Edge of Foreverin
1967 asEdith Keeler , her career languished in the
1970s, when she appeared in a number of horror flicks.
Near the end of the decade, she starred in two softcore pornographic films based on best-selling novels by her younger sisterJackie Collins :
The Stud(1978) and its sequelThe
Bitch(
1979).She began appearing on stage, playing the title role in the
1980 British revival ofThe
Last of
Mrs. Cheyney , and later had a lead role in the
1990 revival ofNoël
Coward 'sPrivate Lives . In
1981, she landed the role ofAlexis
Carrington Colby , the vengeful ex-wife ofJohn
Forsythe 's character, in the
1980s televisionsoap opera
Dynasty , winning aGolden
Globe Award for
Best Actressin
1982; she is credited for the success aroundDynasty,which was the most-watched television show in
America during the 1984-85 broadcast season. Collins also received a star on theHollywood
Walk of Famein
1983 for career achievement.Since the late 1970s, Collins has written several books (including beauty and autobiographical books). In
1988 she published her first novel,
Prime Time , and she has continued to publish various kinds of writing.Collins was born inPaddington , London, the daughter of
Elsa Collins (née Bessant), a dance teacher and nightclub hostess, and
Joseph William Collins (died 1988), an agent whose clients would later includeShirley Bassey ,the
Beatles , andTom
Jones . Her father, a native of
South Africa, wasJewish , and her British mother wasAnglican . She has two younger siblings,
Jackie(
1937–
2015) and
Bill, a property agent.She was educated at theFrancis
Holland School , an independent day school for girls in London and then trained at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art . At the age of 17, Collins was signed to theJ.
Arthur Rank Film Company , a
British film studio. Collins made her feature debut as a beauty contest entrant inLady
Godiva Rides Again(1951) followed byThe
Woman's
Angle(
1952) in a minor role as a
Greek maid.
Next was a more significant role as a gangster's moll inJudgment Deferred(1952). Her big break came when the
Rank Organisation signed her for a major role inI
Believe in You(1952). Other roles to follow includedCosh Boy(
1953),
Decameron Nights(1953),
Turn the Key Softly(1953),
The Square Ring(1953), andOur
Girl Friday(1953).She was chosen by directorHoward Hawksto star in his lavish production ofLand of the
Pharaohs(1955) as the scheming
Princess Nellifer oppositeJack
Hawkins . This role led to a contract at
20th Century Fox which had Collins appear or star in such films asThe Girl in the Red Velvet Swing(1955),
The Opposite Sex(
1956),
Sea Wife(
1957),
The Wayward Bus(1957),
Island in the Sun(1957),
Stopover Tokyo(1958),
The Bravados(1958), andRally Round the Flag, Boys(
1959). She finished her Fox contract with the crime caperSeven
Thieves(1960) and the biblical epicEsther and the
King(1960). One notable film release in the 1960s wasThe
Road to Hong Kong(1962), the last "road" picture ofBing CrosbyandBob
Hope .She took a hiatus from her film career to concentrate on having a family after marryingAnthony Newley , and when she resumed her career, it was in the medium of television. Her notable guest appearances on
American television during the 1960s and 1970s includedBatman ,
The Virginian ,
Mission: Impossible ,andPolice Woman ,andStar Trek ;in this last, she acted out the role of
Edith Keeler in the episode titled "
The City on the
Edge of Forever ."In the 1970s, Collins made several films, few of them notable, and then starred in the film versions of her sister
Jackie Collins's racy novelsThe StudandThe Bitch .The films were extremely successful financially.The Stud,made for $600,000, went on to gross over $20,000,000 internationally.In 1981, Collins
- published: 22 Jul 2016
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