JESSICA LANGE


'Jessica Phyllis Lange' (born April 20, 1949) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress.

Contents
Biography
Early life
Career
Personal life
Filmography
Academy Awards & Nominations
Footnotes
External links

Biography


Early life

Lange, the third of four children, was born in Cloquet, Minnesota to Dorothy Florence Sahlman and Albert John Lange. Her maternal grandparents were of Finnish descent, while her paternal grandfather was German and her paternal grandmother was Dutch.[1] She studied art briefly at the University of Minnesota before going to Paris where she studied mime. She returned to New York City in 1973 and took acting lessons while working as a waitress and a fashion model for the Wilhelmina modeling agency.
Career

In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis cast her in his motion picture remake ''King Kong'', which started and almost ended her career. Although, the King Kong remake was a top moneymaker for Paramount Pictures, film critics were not kind to the film. The unfavorable reviews were devastating but critics took notice when she made an impressive turn in Bob Rafelson's remake of ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1981).
Her performance in her next film, ''Frances'' (1982), in which she portrayed actress Frances Farmer, was highly lauded and earned her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination. She received two nominations that year, the other as Supporting Actress in the comedy ''Tootsie'' (1982), for which she won. She continued giving impressive performances through the 80s and 90s in films such as ''Sweet Dreams'' (1984) (playing country/western singer Patsy Cline), ''Music Box'' (1989), ''Men Don't Leave'' (1990), and ''Blue Sky'' (1994) for which she won the Best Actress Academy Award.
Lange's former home in Stillwater, Minnesota
Lange once stated that her role as Patsy Cline in the film Sweet Dreams was her all time favorite role because of Cline’s fascinating character.
In 1992, Lange made her Broadway debut opposite Alec Baldwin in Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. In 2000, she appeared on the London stage as Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's ''Long Day's Journey Into Night''. In 2005, she returned to Broadway in another Tennessee Williams' play, ''The Glass Menagerie'' with actor Christian Slater. The revival was met with mostly negative reviews in New York, although it was acclaimed by the European press.
Personal life

Lange was married to photographer Paco Grande from 1970-1981. Since 1982, she has lived with playwright/actor Sam Shepard. She has three children, Alexandra (born 1981) with dancer/actor Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Hannah Jane (born 1985) and Walker Samuel (born 1987) with Shepard. Lange currently lives in New York City.
Lange is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She has also been a public critic of President George W. Bush, once remarking "I despise him and his entire administration."[2]

Filmography


Year Title Role Notes
1976 ''King Kong'' Dwan
1979 ''All That Jazz'' Angelique
1980 ''How to Beat the High Co$t of Living'' Louise
1981 ''Notre Dame of the Cross'' (uncredited) (documentary)
1981 ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' Cora Papadakis
1982 ''Tootsie'' Julie Nichols
1982 ''Frances'' Frances Farmer
1984 ''Country'' Jewell Ivy
1985 ''Sweet Dreams'' Patsy Cline
1986 ''Crimes of the Heart'' Margaret 'Meg' Magrath
1988 ''Far North'' Kate
1988 ''Everybody's All-American'' Babs Rogers Grey
1989 ''Music Box'' Ann Talbot
1990 ''Men Don't Leave'' Beth Macauley
1991 ''Cape Fear'' Leigh Bowden
1992 ''O Pioneers!'' Alexandra Bergson
1992 ''Night and the City'' Helen Nasseros
1994 ''A Century of Cinema'' Herself (documentary)
1994 ''Blue Sky'' Carly Marshall
1995 ''Losing Isaiah'' Margaret Lewin
1995 ''Rob Roy'' Mary MacGregor
1997 ''A Thousand Acres'' Ginny Cook Smith
1997 '' Herself (uncredited)(documentary)
1998 ''Hush'' Martha Baring
1998 ''Cousin Bette'' Cousin Bette
1999 ''Titus'' Tamora
2001 ''Prozac Nation'' Mrs. Wurtzel
2003 ''XXI Century'' (Documentary)
2003 ''Masked and Anonymous'' Nina Veronica
2003 ''Big Fish'' Older Sandra Bloom
2003 ''Normal'' Irma Applewood
2004 '' Narrator (documentary)
2005 ''The Needs of Kim Stanley'' (documentary)
2005 ''Broken Flowers'' Carmen
2005 ''Don't Come Knocking'' Doreen
2005 ''Neverwas'' Katherine Pierson
2006 ''Bonneville'' Arvilla
2007 ''The Mermaids Singing'' upcoming

Academy Awards & Nominations


Lange won two Academy Awards:

1982 - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress - ''Tootsie''

1994 - Academy Award for Best Actress - ''Blue Sky''
She received the following nominations at the Academy Awards:

1982 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Leading Role - ''Frances''

1984 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Leading Role - ''Country''

1985 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Leading Role - ''Sweet Dreams''

1989 - Nominated - Best Actress in a Leading Role - ''Music Box''

Footnotes


1. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/lange.htm
2. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/7/9/90000.shtml ''Newsmax.com''

External links







2007 Interview from 'Alternatives to Valium'

Jessica Lange commentary on the Iraq War

Jessica Lange biographical page

Jessica Lange Fanlisting

PopMatters.com, Jessica Lange: The Anti-Streep

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