Lesley-Anne Down
Lesley-Anne Down (born 17 March 1954) is a British actress, singer and former model.
Lesley-Anne Down | |
|---|---|
Down in 2008 | |
| Born | Lesley Anne Down 17 March 1954 Wandsworth, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, model |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouse(s) | Enrique Gabriel (m. 1980; div. 1981) |
| Partner | Bruce Robinson (1969–1979) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | lesleyannedown |
She achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs (1973–75). She received further recognition for her performances in the films The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), A Little Night Music (1977), The First Great Train Robbery (1979), Hanover Street (1979), Rough Cut (1980), Sphinx (1981) and Nomads (1986). She is also known as Madeline Fabray in the miniseries North and South (1985–86), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1986.
In 1990, Down played the role Stephanie Rogers in the CBS drama series Dallas. During 1997–99, she played Olivia Richards in the NBC series Sunset Beach. From April 2003 to February 2012, she portrayed Jackie Marone in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.[1]
Life and career
Early life and career
Down was born on 17 March 1954 and brought up in Wandsworth, London, England.[2] She began acting and modelling, and in her teenage years won several beauty pageants. She was voted Britain's most beautiful teenager at the age of 15.[1][2]
She made her feature film debut in 1969 in a supporting role in the British drama The Smashing Bird I Used to Know. She later had roles in several other British films, such as All the Right Noises, Assault, and Countess Dracula, and guest-starred in the television series Six Dates with Barker, Out of the Unknown, and Public Eye.[citation needed]
Film and television roles
In 1973, Down was cast as Georgina Worsley, Marchioness of Stockbridge, on the Emmy Award-winning British drama series, Upstairs, Downstairs. Her fame led to a nude photoshoot for the magazine Mayfair in 1975.[3] Upstairs, Downstairs was her career breakthrough; after the show ended in 1975, she moved to Hollywood and began her film career. She starred in the 1976 movie The Pink Panther Strikes Again, and later was cast opposite Elizabeth Taylor on the film adaptation of A Little Night Music.[4] Her major roles were in The Betsy (1978), The First Great Train Robbery (1979), Hanover Street (1979), Rough Cut (1980), and box-office bomb Sphinx (1981).[5][6]
She appeared onstage in Hamlet and a musical version of Great Expectations.[citation needed]
Down has played a number of leading roles in made-for-television movies and miniseries. She starred in 1978 British drama The One and Only Phyllis Dixey (as the title character). She played the role of Esméralda in a British-American TV movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1982 (opposite Anthony Hopkins), Indiscreet (1988), and Ladykillers (1988). In 1985, she starred in Arch of Triumph with Anthony Hopkins and Donald Pleasence. She starred in the ABC miniseries The Last Days of Pompeii in 1984, and in North and South in 1985. For her role as Madeline Fabray LaMotte Main in North and South, she was nominated for Golden Globe Award in 1986.[7] She later starred in North and South, Book II (1986), and Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III (1994).
In 1990, Down was cast as series regular for a limited run in the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas as Stephanie Rogers. She earned a quarter of a million dollars' salary for a 10-week shoot.[2]
Later career
In the 1990s, Down starred in several small feature and television films, and played guest roles on television series such as The Nanny and Diagnosis: Murder. She starred in the 1994 film Death Wish V: The Face of Death, opposite Charles Bronson, and later appeared with him in the 1995 TV movie Family of Cops.
In 1996, Aaron Spelling cast her as Olivia Richards on the NBC soap opera Sunset Beach. The series aired from January 1997 to December 1999. After the soap was cancelled, Down starred in Lifetime movies The Perfect Wife and You Belong to Me.[citation needed]
In 2003, Down was cast in another soap as Jackie Marone on CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful. In January 2012, Down confirmed that she would be departing the programme.[8] Down also appeared in the films The King's Guard with Eric Roberts and Ron Perlman, The Meeksville Ghost, 13th Child, Today You Die, and Seven Days of Grace (on which she was also a screenwriter).[9]
In 2011, Down appeared in Victor Salva's thriller film Rosewood Lane with Rose McGowan, Ray Wise, and Lauren Vélez.[10] She later starred alongside Kirsten Vangsness in the comedy film Kill Me, Deadly,[11] and played mother of leads in Dark House, I Am Watching You and Justice.[12]
In 2020, Down returned to acting playing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the biographical drama Reagan starring Dennis Quaid.[13]
Personal life
After ending a 10-year relationship with actor-writer Bruce Robinson,[14] Down married Enrique Gabriel in 1980, but ended their marriage after a year and a half. Her second marriage was to film director William Friedkin from 1982 to 1985, with whom she had one son, Jack (born 1982).[2]
She met her third husband, cinematographer Don E. Fauntleroy, during filming of the television miniseries North and South in 1985. They began a relationship, which ended Down's marriage to Friedkin and Fauntleroy's marriage to Susan Ducat.[15] The resulting legal and custody proceedings interrupted the careers of both Down and Fauntleroy for two years and ultimately cost Down and Friedkin US$1 million each.[2][15] Down and Fauntleroy have a son, George-Edward (b. 1998).[15][16]
Down has spoken on several occasions about dealing with sexual predators in the film industry. In 2002, she spoke of finding fame in the late 1960s: "The casting couch was in full swing, people expected it... My teenage years were pretty intense, a lot of pressure and a lot of horrible old men out there".[17] In a 1977 interview, she had also said: "I was promised lots of lovely big film parts by American producers if I went to bed with them. Believe me, the casting couch is no myth".[18]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | The Smashing Bird I Used to Know | Diana | |
| 1971 | All the Right Noises | Laura | |
| 1971 | Assault | Tessa Hurst | |
| 1971 | Countess Dracula | Ilona Nodosheen | |
| 1972 | Pope Joan | Cecilia | |
| 1973 | Scalawag | Lucy-Ann | |
| 1974 | From Beyond the Grave | Rosemary Seaton | segment "The Door" |
| 1975 | Brannigan | Luana | |
| 1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Olga Bariosova | |
| 1977 | A Little Night Music | Anne Egerman | |
| 1978 | The Betsy | Lady Bobby Ayres | |
| 1978 | The First Great Train Robbery | Miriam | |
| 1979 | Hanover Street | Margaret Sellinger | |
| 1980 | Rough Cut | Gillian Bromley | |
| 1981 | Sphinx | Erica Baron | |
| 1986 | Nomads | Flax | |
| 1987 | Scenes from the Goldmine | Herself | |
| 1992 | Out of Control | Elaine Patterson | |
| 1993 | Night Trap | Christine Turner | |
| 1994 | Munchie Strikes Back | Linda McClelland | |
| 1994 | Death Wish V: The Face of Death | Olivia Regent | |
| 1994 | In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful | Jean Bradshaw | |
| 1996 | The Secret Agent Club | Eve | |
| 1997 | Meet Wally Sparks | Hooker Nurse | cameo |
| 2000 | The King's Guard | Queen Beatrice | |
| 2001 | The Meeksville Ghost | Emily Meeks | |
| 2002 | 13th Child | District Attorney Murphy | |
| 2005 | Today You Die | Bank Manager | |
| 2006 | Seven Days of Grace | Lillian | Actress and writer |
| 2006 | Mercenary for Justice | cameo | Uncredited |
| 2011 | Cinnamon | Aunt Dora | |
| 2011 | Rosewood Lane | Dr. Cloey Talbot | |
| 2014 | Dark House | Lilian Di Santo | |
| 2015 | Kill Me, Deadly | Grand Dame Lady Clairmont | |
| 2015 | Absolution | Zvetlana | |
| 2015 | Of God and Kings | Madame Renard | |
| 2017 | Justice | Elizabeth | |
| 2017 | Gates of Darkness | Sister Clare | Actress and writer |
| 2018 | Alex & the List | Victoria | |
| 2023 | Reagan | Margaret Thatcher | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Six Dates with Barker | Cheeky | 1 episode, "2774 AD: All the World's a Stooge" |
| 1971 | Out of the Unknown | Diana Carver | 1 episode, "To Lay a Ghost" |
| 1971 | Public Eye | Anne Biddersloe | 1 episode, "Shades of White" |
| 1973–1975 | Upstairs, Downstairs | Georgina Worsley | 22 episodes |
| 1976 | When the Boat Comes In | Jane Cromer | 1 episode, "King for a Day" |
| 1974 | Bedtime Stories | Monica | 1 episode, "The Snow Queen" |
| 1975 | The Sweeney | Caroline Selhurst | 1 episode, "Chalk and Cheese" |
| 1977 | Play of the Month | Ellie Dunn | 1 episode, "Heartbreak House" |
| 1977 | Supernatural | Felizitas | 1 episode, "Mr. Nightingale" |
| 1978 | The One and Only Phyllis Dixey | Phyllis Dixey | Television film |
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Unity Mitford | 1 episode, "Unity" |
| 1982 | Murder Is Easy | Bridget Conway | Television film |
| 1982 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Esmeralda | Television Film |
| 1984 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Chloe | TV mini-series |
| 1985 | Arch of Triumph | Joan Madou | Television film |
| 1985 | North and South | Madeline Fabray LaMotte | TV mini-series |
| 1986 | North and South, Book II | Madeline LaMotte Main | |
| 1988 | Indiscreet | Anne Kingston | Television film |
| 1988 | Ladykillers | Morganna Ross | Television film |
| 1989 | Night Walk | Geneva Miller | Television film |
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Cassandra | 1 episode, "Shivers" |
| 1990 | Dallas | Stephanie Rogers | 13 episodes |
| 1992 | 1775 | Annabelle Proctor | TV pilot |
| 1994 | The Nanny | Chloe Simpson | 1 episode, "Maggie the Model" |
| 1994 | Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III | Madeline Main | TV mini-series |
| 1995 | A Family of Cops | Anna Novacek | Television film |
| 1996 | Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus | Morgana | Television film |
| 1996 | Diagnosis: Murder | Catherine Windsor | 1 episode, "A Model Murder" |
| 1997–1999 | Sunset Beach | Olivia Richards | TV series, Main cast |
| 1998 | Young Hearts Unlimited | Barbara Young | Television film |
| 2001 | Days of Our Lives | Lady Sheraton | 5 episodes |
| 2001 | The Perfect Wife | Helen Coburn | Television film |
| 2001 | You Belong to Me | Dr. Susan Chancellor | Television film |
| 2003–2012 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Jackie Marone | TV series, Main cast |
| 2016 | I Am Watching You | Margaret | Television film |
| 2016 | A Cinderella Christmas | Victoria Carmichael | Television film |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Won | Evening Standard British Film Awards | Most Promising Newcomer – Actress | |
| 1986 | Nominated | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | North and South |
| 1997 | Won | Soap Opera Update Awards | Best Actress | Sunset Beach |
| 2005 | Won | Rose D'Or Light Entertainment Festival | Best Soap Female | The Bold and the Beautiful |
| 2005 | Nominated | Soap Opera Digest Awards | Favorite Return | The Bold and the Beautiful |
| 2006 | Won | TV Soap Golden Boomerang Award | Popular Supporting Female | The Bold and the Beautiful |
References
- ^ a b . CBS. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Ross, Deborah (30 November 1998). "Interview: Life's a Sunset Beach". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ "Upstairs, Downstairs - Out of Costume". Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 7 August 2009.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (11 February 1981). "Schaffner'S 'Sphinx'". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "Sphinx". Variety. 31 December 1980. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "Lesley-Anne Down". IMDb.
- ^ "B&B's Down Off Contract". Soap Opera Digest. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Thomas Needell (1 April 2006). "Seven Days of Grace (2006)". IMDb. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "First Images, Cast for 'Jeepers Creepers' Director's 'Rosewood Lane' – Bloody Disgusting!". Bloody Disgusting!. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Patrick Hipes (13 February 2016). "'Kill Me, Deadly' Trailer: 'Criminal Minds' Crew's Noir Spoof Movie – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Erik Pedersen (24 March 2016). "'Justice' Rounds Out Cast; Rory Cochrane Joins 'The Most Hated Woman in America' - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (11 November 2020). "Voltage Pictures' 'Reagan' finds its Margaret Thatcher (exclusive)". Screen.
- ^ "tutorgig.com". Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ a b c Allis, Tim (28 February 1994). "The Spoils of War". People. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 7 August 2009.
- ^ "Actress Lesley-Anne Down's career's definitely on the up and up". South Coast Today. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "Chatter". People Magazine. 21 March 1977. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Lesley-Anne Down at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database
- Lesley-Anne Down at AllMovie
- Lesley-Anne Down at TV Guide
- Lesley-Anne Down(Aveleyman)