Jessica Lange’s Acting Debut Was The Role Of A Lifetime But Producers Were ‘Not Interested’ In Her At First

Apr 21, 2022 by apost team

When it comes to Hollywood royalty, it’s safe to say that Jessica Lange is one of the top names on the list. The actress has been in the business since the 1970s and has continued to shine in the decades that followed. She is one of the few actresses who has achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, meaning she has won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award. Lange is so impressive that she has actually achieved more than just the standard for the Triple Crown, as she has won two Oscars and three Emmy Awards in total.

Lange was born on April 20, 1949, in Cloquet, Minnesota, which makes the actress 73 years old. She moved around quite a bit during her childhood before she graduated from Cloquet High School. In 1967, Lange received a scholarship to the University of Minnesota where she studied art and photography. She ended up meeting her first husband there and the two married in 1970. However, they divorced in 1982.

During this time, the budding star had found a new passion and began studying acting at HB Studio in New York City. She went on to land her first major film role in 1976 and has continued to grace both the big screen and small screen ever since. While Lange has taken breaks at times, it’s clear that her presence is always welcomed in every project she participates in.

Nowadays, the actress is best known for her work in “King Kong,” “Grey Gardens” and “American Horror Story.” Let’s take a look at Lange’s life and career over the years. 

While Lange has been in the business since the 1970s, much of her most popular work comes from some of her more recent career ventures. The successful actress had somewhat of a revival during the 2010s thanks to her starring roles in multiple seasons of “American Horror Story.” Time and again, Lange wowed viewers with her dynamic characters and genuine performances on the TV series, with some of her more notable roles being Sister Jude in the second season, “Asylum,” and Fiona Goode in the third season, “Coven.”

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lange talked about how she came to be cast on the TV series. While she was at her farm in upstate New York, she received a call from creator Ryan Murphy, although she wasn’t very familiar with his work at the time. Lange said she appreciated his “energy” and “enthusiasm,” and she knew that she just had to be on the show.

Following her time on “American Horror Story,” Lange went on to star in another TV series called “The Politician” in 2019. Since then, Lange has not appeared in anything new, but her IMDb page states that she has a few projects in the works, including a movie called “Marlowe” and an untitled TV miniseries.

In her personal life, Lange was previously married to a photographer named Francisco Grande. They divorced in 1982 but had already separated during the late 1970s. During this time, Lange was connected to ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the two welcomed a child together named Shura Baryshnikov. In the 1980s, Lange was in a relationship with playwright Sam Shepard, and the pair had two children together. However, they separated in 2009. 

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While newer audiences know Lange for her work on television, the actress started out with exceptional roles in films. Some of her critically acclaimed works over the years include “All That Jazz” in 1979, “Tootsie” in 1982, “Music Box” in 1989 and “Blue Sky” in 1994.

She is certainly a professional today, but Lange was once just an up-and-coming star. Fortunately for the actress, her first role was an incredibly impactful one. Lange made her professional film debut in 1976 with a remake of the 1933 classic “King Kong.” This version of the monster adventure movie was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. Playing opposite Lange were actors Jeff Bridges and Charles Grodin. The movie earned Lange her first-ever Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.

In her Vanity Fair interview, Lange said that she had taken acting classes at the time and worked as a waitress when she auditioned for “King Kong.” She went to a modeling agency in hopes she could make some extra money, but the agent instead helped Lange land her first role. However, it didn’t exactly go as planned. 

“They took one look at me and they were not interested at all,” Lange revealed. Once Lange read her lines, though, the director and production team realized that she had great potential. “It was one of those crazy, hard to believe stories,” Lange said. “But that’s how it happened.”

From that point on, Lange became even more interested in acting and has continued to thrive in the industry ever since. She is the epitome of an icon. 

What do you think about Jessica Lange’s career over the years? What’s your favorite film or TV series she’s starred in? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your loved ones.