Joan Collins

Beautiful in an Elizabeth Taylor-Jean Simmons way and once more famous for the men she had bedded than anything else, sexy, savory Joan Collins soared to superstardom as the conniving Alexis Carrington on the popular, campy 1980s ABC primetime soap opera "Dynasty". The daughter of a theatrical booking agent, she studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for 18 months and made her film debut as a beauty pageant contestant in "Lady Godiva Rides Again" (1951). After playing primarily erring juveniles in Britain, Collins ventured to Hollywood and immediately capitalized on her sultry appeal in "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing" (1955), portraying Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, the femme fatale whose involvement with prominent architect Stanford White brought about his shocking murder in early 20th Century NYC. She acted in many forgettable films throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s but did have the distinction of appearing with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the last of their 'road' movies, "The Road to Hong Kong" (1961).

Collins showed herself to great effect on TV during 1967, guest-starring on two episodes of "Batman" (ABC) and delivering a memorably radiant portrayal of 1930s suffragette Edith Keeler in "The City on the Edge of Forever", a two-part "Star Trek" (NBC) episode, then disappeared from the small screen to resume making run-of-the-mill features. Though she continued to work, her career was without any real momentum until deliciously naughty performances in "The Stud" (1978) and "The Bitch" (1979), movies made from the novels of her sister Jackie, thrust her back in the public eye. Collins returned to the London stage in "The Last of Mrs Cheney" (1980-81) before the success of "Dynasty" opened a whole new world of opportunity. Playboy beckoned, featuring her as "50 Is Beautiful", and she debuted her Joan Collins Fashion Eyewear Line in 1985. She also branched out as executive producer (as well as star) of two CBS miniseries, "Sin" and "Monte Carlo" (both 1986).

Collins had already written three books when she followed in sister Jackie's footsteps and published her first novel, "Prime Time" (1988), setting the stage for her grand drama with Random House. The publisher signed her to a two-book deal that guaranteed her $4 million but reneged on receipt, suing her for return of a $1.3 million advance. The high profile case revealed her purple prose as laughable, but the jury vindicated her, though giving credit for just one book, calling the second one in question a rehash of the first. The 90s saw Collins embrace the work of the late Noel Coward, playing Amanda Prynne in "Private Lives" on the London stage and in her 1992 Broadway debut. The raven-haired beauty also associate produced and starred in "Collins and Coward" (A&E, 1992), performing three of his one-act plays. She gave her signature diva role a new spin as a frosty agent in Kenneth Branagh's "A Midwinter's Tale" (1996) but could not save "Pacific Palisades" (Fox, 1997) for old pal and "Dynasty" executive producer Aaron Spelling.

• Also Credited As:
  Joan Henrietta Collins
• Born:
  May 23, 1933 in London, England, United Kingdom
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Producer, Writer, Entrepreneur, Model

Family

• Brother: William Collins Jr. born c. 1946
• Daughter: Katyana Kass. born on June 20, 1972; father, Ronald Kass; struck by a car in 1980, suffering severe brain injuries
• Daughter: Tara Cynara Newley. born on October 12, 1963; father, Anthony Newley; sings and plays guitar with folk-rock band; married to record producer Michael Adam
• Father: Will Collins. ran a theatrical agency with Lew Grade in the 1930s
• Mother: Elsa Collins.
• Sister: Jackie Collins. born October 4, 1941; married to art gallery and club owner Oscar Lerman who died in March 1992
• Son: Alexander Anthony Newley. born on November 8, 1965; father, Anthony Newley

Significant Others

• Companion: Harry Belafonte.
• Companion: Nicky Hilton.
• Companion: Rafael Trujillo.
• Companion: Robin Hurlstone. born c. 1958; British; together from c. 1987 until the relationship ended in early 2001
• Companion: Ryan O Neal.
• Companion: Warren Beatty. engaged in the early 1960s

Education

• Frances Holland School, London, England
• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England

Milestones

• 1945 London stage debut as a boy in A Doll s House
• 1951 Film debut in uncredited role as a beauty contestant in Lady Godiva Rides Again
• 1951 First small film role in The Woman s Angle
• 1952 Appeared in revue Rat s Revel Society on London stage
• 1955 Portrayed Evelyn Nesbit Thaw in The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing
• 1956 Cast in The Opposite Sex, a remake of Clare Boothe Luce s play The Women
• 1962 Appeared with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in The Road to Hong Kong
• 1967 Acted in two-part epiosde of Star Trek (NBC), The City on the Edge of Forever , playing Captain Kirk s love interest
• 1967 Played Lorelei Circe-the Siren in Ring Around the Riddler and The Wail of the Siren episodes of Batman (ABC)
• 1969 Acted opposite then-husband Anthony Newley in Newley s film Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happinesss
• 1972 Portrayed Lorraine in the Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of The Man who Came to Dinner (NBC)
• 1976 First time acting in a miniseries, Arthur Hailey s The Moneychangers (NBC)
• 1978 Appearance in a steamy film version of her sister s book The Stud helped revive her stalled career; followed with The Bitch (1979), also adapted from sister s work
• 1980 Returned to London stage in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
• 1981 Starred as Alexis Carrington Colby on ABC s primetime soap Dynasty (not in the original cast when the show premiered in January of 1981)
• 1982 Played the witch in Hansel and Gretel episode of Showtime s Faerie Tale Theatre
• 1983 Posed in a 50 Is Beautiful spread in Playboy magazine
• 1985 Debuted her Joan Collins Eyewear Fashion Line
• 1986 Executive produced and starred in Sins and Monte Carlo , both CBS miniseries
• 1988 Published first novel, Prime Time
• 1990 Legendary agent Swifty Lazar negotiated a cotract with Random House, guaranteeing her payment of $4 million for two novels even if the manuscripts were rejected for publication
• 1991 Reprised Alexis role in ABC s Dynasty: The Reunion
• 1992 Associate producer and star of A&E s Collins Meets Coward , performing three one-act plays by Noel Coward
• 1992 Made Broadway debut as Amanda in Noel Coward s sophisticated comedy Private Lives
• 1995 Portrayed the evil Lady Edwina Hogbottom in Annie: A Royal Adventure , an ABC movie
• 1996 Gave her signature diva role a new spin as a frosty agent in Kenneth Branagh s A Midwinter s Tale
• 1996 Made headlines when Random House sued her for return of her $1.3 million advance after rejecting her manuscript; Collins won the case, receiving an additional $1.3 million and the rights to publish her novel outside the USA
• 1997 Recruited by executive producer Aaron Spelling to add her champaign fix to the short-lived primetime soap Pacific Palisades
• 1997 Subject of Joan Collins for A&E s Biography
• 2000 Appeared in the play Love Letters
• 2001 Had co-starring role in the ABC movie These Old Broads
• 2001 Headlined the London production of the stage comedy Over the Moon (titled Moon Over Buffalo when it played on Broadway)
• 2002 Appeared in a limited run on the legendary daytime soap opera Guiding Light
• 2004 Toured the United Kingdom with a revival of the play Full Circle
• 2006 Joined forces with Linda Evans on the Broadway stage in Legends! a comedy by Tony Award-winning author James Kirkwood
• 2006 Toured in A Night With Joan Collins, a one-woman show in which she detailed the highs and lows of her roller coaster career, directed by her husband Percy Gibson