Actors - Joan Collins

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	Actors - Joan Collins

Joan Henrietta Collins OBE (born May 23, 1933) is a British actress and bestselling author. Her younger sister is Jackie Collins, a famous novelist; and her much-younger brother is William Collins, an estate agent.

Family and early life

Collins was born in London, England to Joseph William "Will" Collins (a South African-born Jewish talent agent) and Elsa Bessant (an English mother). She was educated at the Francis Holland School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) with actors such as Sir Roger Moore and Sir Michael Caine. She has one sister, the author Jackie Collins, and a brother Bill Collins.

Early film career

At the age of 17 Collins was signed to the J. Arthur Rank Film Company, a highly profitable English studio and charm school.

In 1951, She made her feature debut as a beauty contest entrant in Lady Godiva Rides. In the early 1950s, she did double duty by posing for pin-up photos and acting in B-movies in Britain. After mild success, she was signed by 20th Century Fox in 1954 as their answer to Elizabeth Taylor.

However, after her youthful and highly splashy career as a sultry starlet, Collins became known more for her personal affairs with leading men such as Warren Beatty than her on-screen achievements. After losing such high-profile roles as Cleopatra (Collins was cast when Elizabeth Taylor fell ill, then dumped upon Taylor's recovery), Collins continued to work in films and occasionally in television.

Her notable guest appearances on American TV during the 1960s included Star Trek , Batman , Mission: Impossible
and Police Woman.

In the 1970s, Collins starred in the film versions of several of her sister Jackie Collins' romantic novels The Bitch and The Stud. The films, like the books which inspired them, were trashy, full of nudity and raunchy sex scenes. Both were smash hits in England, becoming the most profitable films since the James Bond series.

Dynasty

Collins career changed dramatically when she was offered a role in the then-struggling prime time TV soap opera Dynasty (1981 - 1989) by producer Aaron Spelling. Created by Esther Shapiro, Spelling wanted Collins to play the role of tycoon Blake Carrington's vengeful ex-wife.

The role of Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan successfully relaunched Collins as a powerful sex symbol and icon of independence in her late 40s. Her performance helped the show beat main rival Dallas to become the No. 1 U.S. TV show in the early 1980s, and she became the highest-paid actress on television at the time.

She also appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine at the age of 50 to further establish herself as a sex symbol despite the then popular cultural opinion that older women couldn't be sexy.

After Dynasty

After the end of Dynasty in 1989, Collins worked considerably less, making guest starring appearances in such wildly popular series as Roseanne and The Nanny
while dabbling in films like Decadence and A Midwinter's Tale
in the mid 1990s.

In 1992 she made her successful Broadway debut in an adaptation of Noel Coward's Private Lives. She also guest starred in six special episodes of Aaron Spelling's prime time soap opera Pacific Palisades in 1997.

In the late 1990s she appeared in several theatrical tours with the likes of George Hamilton and Stacey Keach. Additionally, she appeared in a West End production of Over the Moon with eccentric actor Frank Langella in 2000.

In 2002 she appeared in a limited run on the legendary daytime soap opera Guiding Light to favorable reviews. In 2004 she toured the United Kingdom with a revival of the play Full Circle to great success and much critical praise. In 2005 she proved to be a formidable guest host of the popular British quiz show Have I Got News For You, often making quick jokes with the audience.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Joan Collins ]

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Actors - Joan Collins

Family and early life

Early film career

Dynasty

After Dynasty

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