Joan Collins

Joan Henrietta Collins was born on 23 May 1933 in Paddington, London, and raised in Maida Vale. Her father, Joseph William Collins, was a talent agent of South African Jewish heritage whose clients would come to include Shirley Bassey, the Beatles, and Tom Jones. Her mother, Elsa Collins, née Bessant, was a British Anglican and worked as a dance teacher. Collins grew up alongside two younger siblings: Jackie, who became a novelist, and Bill, who worked as a property agent. She was educated at the Francis Holland School in London and made her stage debut at the age of nine in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. At sixteen she enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and at seventeen she was signed to the Rank Organisation.

Her early film work under Rank included a small role as a beauty contestant extra in Lady Godiva Rides Again (1951), a part as a Greek maid in The Woman's Angle (1952), and a more substantial role as a gangster's moll in Judgment Deferred (1952). Alongside these film appearances she returned to the stage in London, appearing at the Q Theatre in The Seventh Veil in March 1952, playing the title role in Jassy in April of that year, and receiving top billing opposite Maxwell Reed in The Skin of Our Teeth later in 1952. Her breakthrough film role came as a juvenile delinquent in I Believe in You (1952), which established her provocative screen image and earned her the nickname "England's Bad Girl." Further Rank productions followed, including Decameron Nights (1953) with Joan Fontaine, the X-certificate drama Cosh Boy (1953) directed by Lewis Gilbert, Turn the Key Softly (1953), The Square Ring (1953), and Our Girl Friday (1953), in which she received top billing. Lewis Gilbert directed her again in The Good Die Young (1954) with Laurence Harvey and Gloria Grahame. Between film commitments she appeared on the London stage in The Praying Mantis (1954) and Claudia and David (1954).

American director Howard Hawks selected Collins to play the scheming Princess Nellifer in Land of the Pharaohs (1955), a Warner Brothers historical epic that, despite an unsuccessful initial release, later attracted a cult following championed by Martin Scorsese and French auteur critics. Her performance impressed 20th Century Fox chief Darryl Zanuck, who signed her to a seven-year contract. Under that contract she made her Hollywood debut in The Virgin Queen (1955), receiving equal billing with Bette Davis and Richard Todd, and starred as Evelyn Nesbit in The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955) opposite Ray Milland and Farley Granger, a role originally intended for Marilyn Monroe. MGM borrowed Collins for The Opposite Sex (1956), a musical remake of The Women in which she played the gold-digging Crystal, a role Joan Crawford had originated. She starred top-billed over Richard Burton in Sea Wife (1957), appeared in the major box-office success Island in the Sun (1957), and received top billing over Jayne Mansfield in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Wayward Bus (1957), which earned a Golden Berlin Bear nomination at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival. She then co-starred with Robert Wagner in Stopover Tokyo (1957), served as Gregory Peck's leading lady in The Bravados (1958), appeared alongside Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in Rally Round the Flag, Boys (1958), and starred opposite Edward G. Robinson and Rod Steiger in Seven Thieves (1960).

Collins grew disillusioned with 20th Century Fox after losing the title role in Cleopatra to Elizabeth Taylor, and was released from her contract at her own request following the epic Esther and the King (1960). Her film appearances in the 1960s were selective, including The Road to Hong Kong (1962) and Warning Shot (1967). She also appeared in an episode of Star Trek in 1967 and in Subterfuge (1968). Returning to work in Britain during the 1970s, she appeared in a succession of films including Revenge and Quest for Love (both 1971), Tales from the Crypt and Fear in the Night (both 1972), Dark Places and Tales That Witness Madness (both 1973), Empire of the Ants (1977), which earned her a Saturn Award nomination, The Stud and Zero to Sixty (both 1978), and Game for Vultures and The Bitch (both 1979).

The defining chapter of Collins's career began in 1981 when she was cast as Alexis Colby in the ABC soap opera Dynasty, a role she held until 1989. The part brought her international stardom and critical recognition, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series — Drama in 1982 and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1984. In 1983, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Collins worked more selectively in film and television. Notable credits from this period include The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) and the television film These Old Broads (2001), in which she appeared alongside Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, and Shirley MacLaine. It was also during this period that Collins brought her talents to Broadway, performing from 1992 to 2006 in productions including Legend and the play Private Lives. Her return to mainstream television came in the 2010s through recurring roles in Happily Divorced (2011–2013), The Royals (2014–2018), Benidorm (2014–2017), and American Horror Story: Apocalypse (2018). Her first starring film role since the 1980s came with The Time of Their Lives (2017), and she appeared in the critically acclaimed independent film Gerry (2018).

Beyond her performing career, Collins has been recognized for her philanthropy, particularly her advocacy on behalf of children's causes. In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II made her a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her charitable services, with the honor presented by the Prince of Wales. Collins is also an author and columnist, and her accolades across her career include a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She was born in London, England, and her career has spanned stage, film, and television across more than seven decades.