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Calgary Herald - Jul 26, 2008
Dynasty typecast dynamic Bellwood
Pamela Bellwood was fragile Claudia Blaisdel on Dynasty. She was created by the producers to be an "everywoman." She says viewers were meant to relate to her character.
"People were crazy about that show. You know, I remember being in Greece one time, and jewelry stores would open and say, 'What do you want?' And I thought it was mad! I still think it's mad."
When Bellwood was a kid growing up in Connecticut she had a "totally suburban existence that I couldn't wait to get out of." By the early '70s, she was winning awards and working in London and on Broadway. Bellwood moved to the West Coast to try her luck in movies. She wound up in Airport 77.
"I played Jimmy Stewart's daughter in that. It was so campy. Really campy. It is a dreadful movie, a whole dreadful series. But I met my husband doing that movie, so you know, it had some redeeming circumstances to it."
Dynasty premiered in 1981. At its height it was a cultural phenomenon. "Sometimes it was a lot of fun. Other times the nights were very late. And you know, it's not very exotic going at 5:45 in the morning and putting on feathers and boas and all that. But Dynasty was a cult experience, and I think we were all appreciative it of at the time."
Bellwood left the show twice. Once because her character went crazy. "I was off Dynasty the first time and there was a big writing campaign to get me back on the show. The producers called me in. We had this little talk about if I was going to come back and I remember one of the producers said to me, "You know, we're getting so much mail. And I looked down on the sofa and there were several letters from my mother 'cause I knew her handwriting."
The second time she was suspended because she got pregnant in real life. "I timed it so that I gave birth during hiatus, so I don't really see what the problem was. And then when they realized that that probably was not a good move politically (to fire her), so I came back and finished the season. Then they burnt me at the stake so I could never return."
Bellwood's role was extinguished in 1986, but the show continued for another three seasons. Sadly for her she was typecast as Claudia and her film career was over. So whatever happened to Pamela Bellwood?
"I've raised my kids, and I do some writing. I've written a childrens' book. What's next for me? I don't know. Being an actor is like being a circus performer. There is unfinished business that I'll always have."
Peter Hays
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