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Joan
Collins is first and foremost an actress, but she is also a
best-selling author, an accomplished producer, a successful
entrepreneur and a devoted mother.
The daughter of theatrical agent Joe Collins and his wife Elsa, Joan
Collins was born on 23 May 1933 in London and made her London stage
debut at the age of nine in Ibsen's "A Dolls House" at the
ArtsTheatre. She went on to become a student at the Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art when she was 16 and after 18 months was signed to an
exclusive film contract by the Rank Organization.
Under that contract Joan made several films and also built a
successful theatrical career. Her first major theatrical role was as
Sabina in Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth", and
other leading roles included "The Seventh Veil", "The
Praying Mantis", "Jassy" and "Claudia &
David". After working in films and television for several
years, Joan Collins returned to the British stage in 1980 to
play the title role in the Chichester Festival Theatre's production
of "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney", which soon moved to the
West End and played to sell-out houses throughout its run. In 1990,
Joan played Amanda in a revival of Noel Coward’s "Private
Lives", which won her outstanding reviews both in the West
end and on Broadway. In 2000, she completed an American tour of
"Love Letters" opposite Stacy Keach; in 2001, she starred
in Ken Ludwig’s "Over the Moon" at London’s Old
VicTheater and in 2004 she toured the UK in Alan Melville's
"Full Circle".
Nominated for an Emmy award and winner of the Golden Globe and
People's Choice Award, as well as numerous other awards worldwide,
Joan appeared in more than 55 feature films and dozens of television
programmes. Some of her more memorable films are "The Girl
in the Red Velvet Swing", "Rally Round the Flag
Boys", "The Virgin Queen", "The Bravados",
"The Oposite Sex", "Land of the Pharaohs",
"Road to Hong Kong" and "The Big Sleep". She has
worked with some of the greatest movie legends including Richard
Burton, Bing Crosby, Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, Gene Kelly, Laurence
Harvey, Bob Hope, James Mason, Ray Milland, Robert Mitchum, Paul
Newman, Gregory Peck, Edward G. Robinson, Rod Steiger, Joanne
Woodward, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Nigel Hawthorne. She has guest
starred in some of the most popular TV series, such as "Star
Trek". "Starsky & Hutch", "Mission
Impossible", "Love Boat", "The Persuaders",
"Space 1999", "Batman", "The Man from
U.N.C.L.E.", "Policewoman", "Baretta",
"The Nanny", "Will & Grace" and
"Roseanne".
She produced and starred in "Sins", a six-hour mini-series
for television that topped the ratings in the US. Following the huge
success of "Sins", Joan also produced and starred in
"Monte Carlo", a four-hour mini-series with George
Hamilton.
Joan Collins is internationally renowned for her role of Alexis
Carrington Colby in "Dynasty", one of the most highly
rated evening TV dramas of all time. For eight years, viewers were
treated to a weekly dose of Alexis' elaborate schemes for power,
money and love, during the course of which Joan created one of
televisions most popular characters, and etched a place for herself
in Hollywood history. "Dynasty" continues to be aired
worldwide. In 1997, Alexis was reunited with Aaron Spelling and
guest-starred in several special episodes of his nighttime drama
"Pacific Palisades".
In the last decade, Joan has starred in the following films: Steven
Berkoff's "Decadence"; Kenneth Branagh's "In the
Black Midwinter", a film that premiered at the Venice Film
Festival to critical acclaim; Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph
& The Amazing Tehnicolor Dreamcoat", with Donny Osmond and
Richard Attenborough; "The Clandestine Marriage", an 18th
century period comedy with the late Nigel Hawthorne; the
Flintstone’s prequel movie "Viva Rock Vegas", as
Pearl Slaghoople, executive produced by Steven Speilberg; "Hart
to Hart" movie of the week with Robert Wagner and Stephanie
Powers; "Annie: A Royal Adventure"; and "These Old
Broads", a TV Movie of the Week with Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley
MacLaine and Debbie Reynolds.
Joan Collins has published thirteen books to date, beginning in 1985
with her first best-selling autobiography, "Past
Imperfect", which she followed with "The Joan Collins
Beauty Book". Her debut novel, "Prime Time", was
published in 1988 and her second novel, "Love & Desire
& Hate" followed in 1990. Her beauty book "My
Secrets" was published in 1994 and remained on the best-selling
list for over three months. Another novel "Too Damn
Famous" also went into the best-selling lists in 1995. Her
second autobiography, "Second Act", also went straight
into the best-seller lists and she then wrote a sequel to "My
Secrets" entitled "My Friends Secrets". Another
novel, "Star Quality" came out in 2002 and was quickly
followed by a beauty and self-help book "Joan's Way" in
October of the same year. Her latest novel, "Misfortune's
Daughters", was published this year.
Joan Collins has three children: A son, Sacha, and two daughters,
Tara and Katy. She is deeply concerned about children the world
over and is an honorary founding member of the National Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She has supported several
foster children in India for 25 years. Since 1983 she has been a
patron of the International Foundation for children with Learning
Disabilities and in March 1988 the Foundation awarded her with its highest
honour for her continuing support and special interest. In May 1988
the Joan Collins Wing of the Children's Hospital of Michigan was
opened and, in November 1994, the Association of Breast Cancer
Studies presented Joan with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her
unceasing humanitarianism and is a tireless worker for may UK
charities associated with breast cancer and children. She is a
patron of The Shooting Star Hospice, which opened its doors to
terminally ill children and their families this year, thanks in part
to fundraising efforts led by Joan. In February 2002 Joan married
Theatrical Manager Percy Gibson and they live happily between New
York, London and France.
In 1997 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presented Joan Collins with
the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) for her lifetime
contribution to the arts and her continuing charity work.
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complete data from Joan
Collins filmography is included in
the biggest film data-base on the internet, site Internet
Movie Database, and we have inter-linked the IMDb site with
the individual pages of each Dynasty actor. |
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