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Registration date : 2009-01-06
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 Subject: Jane Seymour  Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:17 am |
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With her petite form, ethereal beauty, long dark hair, different colored eyes (one hazel, one green), and an accent to die for, British actress Jane Seymour is one of the loveliest creatures ever to grace the silver screen. That she has also proven herself as an actress, author, artist, designer, and humanitarian only underscores her status as Hollywood’s English Rose.
Jane Seymour was born Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg on February 15th, 1951 in Hayes, London, England. She is the daughter of John Frankenberg, a British obstetrician, and his Dutch wife Mieke. Young Joyce, always interested in performing, studied dance at The Arts Educational School in Tring, Hertfordshire, England, and made her theatre debut at 13 with the London Festival Ballet. She took the stage name Jane Seymour when she was 17 -- the moniker also belonged to King Henry VIII’s third wife. In 1968, Jane appeared in her first film, as a chorus girl in director Richard Attenborough’s Oh, What a Lovely War!
After appearing in The Only Way (1970), Young Winston (1972), and the British telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story (1973 - a cult classic with Jane playing the Bride of Frankenstein), the actress got her biggest exposure to date when she was cast as the card-reading Solitaire in Roger Moore’s first outing as James Bond, Live and Let Die (1973). Of all the Bond girls who have joined 007 on his adventures over nearly 50 years, Jane, to this day, consistently ranks among the most popular. Soon after this success, Jane packed up and moved to Los Angeles.
Though her notoriety as a Bond girl brought her recognition, good roles were still hard to come by. Jane played Bathsheba in a TV version of The Story of David (1976), as well as appearing in a few other television productions, but arguably her biggest role throughout this period was as Princess Farah in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). Much more television work followed, including cheesetastic fare like Killer on Board (1977), Battlestar Galactica (1978 - Jane appeared in the pilot and 3 episodes as Serina), and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (1979).
But it wasn’t until 1980 that Jane would get the part for which she is most fondly remembered: that of Elise McKenna in the adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel Bid Time Return, later retitled Somewhere in Time. Starring opposite Christopher Reeve, hot off Superman, the story involved a playwright who, while staying at an old hotel, becomes obsessed with the photo of an actress who lived decades earlier. When he time travels back to 1912 to meet her, romance and tragedy ensue. During its initial theatrical run, the film was lambasted by critics and ignored by audiences. Yet over the ensuing years, thanks to cable and home video, the film soon became a cult classic, and is now widely considered to be one of the best film romances ever made. It has even garnered its own fan club INSITE (The International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts) which meet annually at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan where the movie was filmed.
Following this, Jane appeared in the Chevy Chase/Benji comedy Oh, Heavenly Dog. She was also excellent in the 1981 TV miniseries of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden (for which Jane won a Best Actress Golden Globe). After a few more telefilms, Jane appeared in the 1984 Tom Selleck thriller Lassiter, but the film flopped. Throughout the rest of the 1980s, Jane acted mainly in television roles, notably The Phantom of the Opera (1983), Dark Mirror (1984), Jack the Ripper (1988), and War and Remembrance (1989), where she portrayed Natalie Henry, a Jewish American trapped in Europe during World War II.
Live And Let Die  1973 Danjaq LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved.
In the 1990s, Jane continued to be a staple of television dramas, including Sidney Sheldon’s Memories of MIdnight (1991), and Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1992). In 1993, Jane was cast as Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn in the CBS western/drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Jane portrayed a widowed physician who sets up a medical practice in Colorado Springs. The series was an instant success, and ran on CBS for six seasons. After its cancellation in 1998, die hard fans inundated the network with letters to bring it back. While the show was not renewed, two reunion movies were produced between 1999 and 2001. The series is still shown in syndication, and CBS, to this day, still receives thousands of letters requesting its return. While all of the cast members have shown interest in making at least another film, nothing has been announced.
In 2004, Jane made several appearances on The WB network’s Superman-origin series Smallville, portraying the evil Genevieve Teague. At the end of her run, her lovely-but-despicable character was rightly, and bloodily, dispatched. That same year, Jane made a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2005, Jane returned to the big screen with a supporting role in the ribald comedy Wedding Crashers. More TV appearances followed: Modern Men (2006), How I Met Your Mother (2006), Justice (2006), Agatha Christie’s Marple: Ordeal by Innocence (2007), and Dear Prudence (2008). Jane appeared as a contestant on season five of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars -- she was the seventh dancer eliminated in November 2007.
Jane has been lucky in her acting success -- but not so much in love. She has been married five times, and has four children. Michael Attenborough (1971 - 1973), Geoffrey Planer (1977 - 1978), Christopher Demetriou (1979 - 1980), David Flynn (1981 - 1992, one daughter, Katherine, born 1982, one son, Sean, born 1986), and actor/producer/director James Keach (1993 to present). The couple have twin sons, Johnny (named after close friend Johnny Cash), and Kris (named for Christopher Reeve) -- they were born on November 30th, 1995. The family resides in Malibu, California.
Jane has done much charity work over the years. She is the Official Spokesperson for UNICEF, International Ambassador for Childhelp USA (a child abuse prevention and treatment organization), and Honorary Chairperson for City Hearts. On New Years Eve 1999, she was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. On February 11th, 2005, Jane became a US citizen during a naturalization ceremony held in Los Angeles. On December 2nd, 2008, Jane was honored by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for her work with people with disabilities.
Jane is a published author, having written 8 books, including Jane Seymour's Guide to Romantic Living (1986), Two At A Time: Having Twins - The Journey Through Pregnancy and Birth (2001), Remarkable Changes: Turning Life's Challenges Into Opportunities (2003), Making Yourself At Home: Finding Your Style and Puttin it All Together (2007), Open Hearts: If Your Heart is Open it Can Never Stay Broken (2008), as well as a series of children’s books (inspired by their twin sons), This One 'N That One, co-authored with husband James Keach between 1998 - 99.
Jane Seymour Quotes:
“You have to count on living every single day in a way you believe will make you feel good about your life -- so that if it were over tomorrow, you'd be content with yourself.”
Regarding her looks: "I had ordered long legs, but they never arrived. My eyes are weird too, one is gray and the other is green. I have a crooked smile and my nose looks like a ski slope. No, I would not win a Miss contest."
“After I had my first child, I stopped breast-feeding early because I had been told that there was a possibility that I might star in The Thorn Birds, which I wanted more than life itself. I went to do the screen test and everything went great until we [Richard Chamberlain and I] did the love scene. I had stopped feeding for three weeks and unexpectedly my milk came in! I lifted myself up in my pink 1930s negligee, and it's a wet T-shirt contest! I looked up and it was just terrible. There was a big puddle of white milk all over his bare chest. I mean a puddle. This was a serious incident. His reaction was not good. You just say, What can you do?"
“Moterhood has relaxed me in many ways. You learn to deal with crisis. I've become a juggler, I suppose. It's all a big circus, and nobody who knows me believes I can manage, but sometimes I do.”
On having twins at age 44: “It is amazing I was able to have them at my age and it's another incredible blessing that they are healthy. They have made my life complete.”
“You cannot do everything at once, so find people you trust to help you. And don't be afraid to say no.”
“Beauty is a radiance that originates from within and comes from inner security and strong character.”
Regarding her husband, James Keach, producing the 2005 film Walk the Line: “It was just the most fantastic day. We made this film, because Johnny Cash asked him to make it. This is a man and a woman who were very close to us and who had a very special connection to us.”
"In a time when TV is showing us real life violence by 15 years olds, there has to be programming that demonstrates other ways to deal with their problems."
“Live each day the fullest you can, not guaranteeing there'll be a tomorrow, not dwelling endlessly on yesterday.”
“Even though I make those movies, I find myself wishing that more of those magic moments could happen in real life.”
“If we keep our hearts open, love will always find its way in."
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