Actress Joan Collins becomes a dame
The 81-year-old actress Joan Collins renowned for her ageless glamour and her portrayal of powerfully bitchy Alexis Carrington in US soap Dynasty, which brought her international fame in the 1980s.
Born in London in 1933, started her stage debut at nine, the daughter of a Jewish South African-born theatrical agent, made her way into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) at aged 17.
With her brunette locks and pale complexion, Collins was signed up by British film-makers Rank, and spent the first phase of her career as a young star with magnetic looks in a string of British cinema releases.
Her uncredited screen debut was in Lady Godiva Rides Again in 1951 as an entrant to a beauty contest. Four years later her role in Egyptian epic Land of the Pharaohs brought her to spotlight. Collins landed a contract to act alongside the likes of Bing Crosby and Paul Newman.
By 1990s, Joan Collins took up the pen like her younger sister Jackie Collins, writing a series of memoirs, novels and glamour guides which eventually involved a legal wrangle with publishing house Random House in which she was accused of breaching her contract. The courts found in Collins’ favour. She was made an OBE in the 1997 honours list in recognition of her work in the arts and for charity. Her charity work – which gains her an appointment as a DBE – extends to the support of children with learning disabilities, the NSPCC and breast cancer research. She also acts as honorary president of Rada Associates. Her motto in life is “Get a husband 32 years younger and have lots of laughs, hard work, never get too thin or too fat”.