Stephanie Beacham

Infobox actor
name = Stephanie Beacham

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birthdate = birth date and age|1947|2|28|df=y
birthplace = Barnet, London, United Kingdom
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spouse = John McEnery (1973–1978)
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Stephanie Beacham (born 28 February 1947) is an English actress.

Biography

Early life

Beacham, one of four children, was born in Barnet, North London, England, [ [http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/overseas/article1272125.ece Moroccan dynasty ] ] the daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and a father who was an insurance executive and the managing director of the Grosvenor estate. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/34/Stephanie-Beacham.html Stephanie Beacham Biography (1947-) ] ] Shortly after birth, she was diagnosed as being completely deaf in her right ear as her mother had contracted chicken pox during her pregnancy. She has about 75% of normal hearing capacity in her left ear. After leaving her girls state school, Queen Elizabeth's School for Girls, Beacham traveled to France and studied mime with Etienne St Creux before attending RADA. Her initial goal was to teach dance movement to deaf children. She began a career in modeling and then was cast for several parts in films.

Career

Despite many appearances in television shows such as "The Saint" and "Jason King", she first came to prominence when she played Georgina Layton in the daytime soap "Marked Personal". Beacham's first starring film role was opposite Marlon Brando in 1972's "The Nightcomers" directed by Michael Winner. The film was made during a lull in Brando's career and was a flop, though Beacham received a great deal of attention for appearing nude in her love scenes with Brando. She was subsequently cast as Jessica Van Helsing in Hammer's "Dracula A.D. 1972" alongside Peter Cushing.

Beacham's next role was as a repertory player with the Nottingham Playhouse, where she played several lead and feature roles, including the role of Nora in the Henrik Ibsen play "A Doll's House". In 1973, Beacham made an Itialian film; "Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff?" The film was released in the US in 1977 as "Mafia Junction" and in the UK as "Blue Movie Blackmail". It was later released on home video, now retitled "Super Bitch" as the producers of the film attempted to capitalise on the success of the Joan Collins film "The Bitch" (based on the novel written by Collins' younger sister Jackie). Other genre movies Beacham made included "And Now the Screaming Starts" (1973), "House of Mortal Sin" (1974), "Schizo" (1976) and "Inseminoid" (1981). A number of roles in theater and episodic television followed during the late 1970s and 1980s. Beacham also featured as a member of the ensemble cast of the BBC series "Tenko" (1981-82), as well as playing the lead in the ITV series "Connie" (1985).

Her success in those shows led her to be cast in one of her most well-remembered roles, as the devious matriarch Sable Colby on the television series "The Colbys". "The Colbys" was a spinoff series of the opulent primetime soap "Dynasty", and Beacham was cast opposite Charlton Heston as the tentpole couple of the show. However, "The Colbys" never experienced the success of its parent show, and was cancelled after only two seasons. In 1988, Beacham was invited to reprise the role of Sable on "Dynasty", but the show was nearing the end of its run and it too was cancelled the following year.

After the series finished, Beacham had the lead role in the children's fantasy film "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase", playing an evil governess. In contrast to this, she was then cast in the series "Sister Kate" in which , in an attempt to shed her 'rich bitch' image, she took the lead role as a nun taking care of children in an orphanage. The series lasted for one season and was cancelled in 1990. She then returned to Britain to play Mrs. Peacock in an ITV game show version of the board game "Cluedo" (1990). Reuniting with "Dynasty" producer Aaron Spelling, she also had a recurring guest role in the popular teen drama "Beverly Hills 90210", playing Iris McKay, the estranged mother of Luke Perry's character. In fact, throughout her career, Beacham has starred or guest-starred in no less than six different television series produced by Aaron Spelling, these being "Dynasty, The Colbys, The Love Boat, Beverly Hills 90210, Burke's Law," and "Charmed".

In 1993, Beacham signed on to play Dr. Kristin Westphalen in the NBC sci-fi series "seaQuest DSV", which was produced by Steven Spielberg. Her character was the chief oceanographer and medical doctor for the seaQuest, a submarine commanded by Capt. Nathan Bridger (played by Roy Scheider) in the year 2018. After a rocky start, the show built an audience throughout its first season. However, by the end of season one, tensions between producers and writers led to a major overhaul of the show's premise. The network decided to move away from its scientific roots in favor of more fantasy-based stories. Several actors were let go, and Beacham declined to sign on for another season. Throughout the 1990s, Beacham continued to make guest appearances on a variety of television shows.

In 2003, Stephanie Beacham returned to England to take a role in the popular prison drama "Bad Girls". She played inmate Phyl Oswyn for four years, partnered with Amanda Barrie as the "Costa Cons", first appearing in series five, until the final series in 2006. She also appeared in the 2006 movie "Love and Other Disasters".

Beacham is currently touring the UK as a lead in the Noel Coward play "Hay Fever" and is about to start shooting on "Little Birds", the debut feature by British film maker Steve Aaron Misiura [ [http://www.littlebirdsmovie.com Little Birds - Home ] ] . She competed in the 2007 series of "Strictly Come Dancing" with professional partner, Vincent Simone, who had been partnered with "Louisa Lytton" in series four. Beacham allegedly injured her back during rehearsal for the competition, but refused to withdraw from the contest (though she was voted off in one of the earlier heats).

Personal life

Beacham was married to fellow actor John McEnery between 1973 and 1978. They had two children together, Phoebe and Chloe. She now has a grandson, Jude, who calls her "Glamma" instead of Granny. Beacham has said her grandson was the reason for her taking part in a pantomime production.

Filmography

*"The Queen's Traitor" (1967)
*"UFO " (1970)
*"Dracula A.D. 1972" (1972)
*"-- And Now the Screaming Starts!" (1973)
*"Schizo" (1976)
*"Inseminoid" (1981)
*"Tenko" (1981 - 1982)
*"Sorrell and Son" (1984)
*"Connie" (1985)
*"Dynasty" (1985, 1988 - 1989)
*"The Colbys" (1985 - 1987)
*"The Wolves Of Willougby Chase" (1989)
*"Sister Kate" (1989 - 1990)
*"Lucky Chances" (1990)
*"Beverly Hills, 90210" (occasional - 1991 - 1998)
*"" (1 episode - 1993)
*"Cluedo" (1990)
*"seaQuest DSV" (1993 - 1994)
*"No Bananas" (1996)
*"Charmed" (1 episode - 2000)
*"Relative Values" (2000)
*"The Witches Hammer" (2006)
*"Love and Other Disasters" (2006)
*"Bad Girls" (2003 - 2006)
*""New Tricks" (TV series)" (1 episode - 2006)
*"Little Birds" (2009)

References

External links

*imdb name|0000883
* [http://www.simplystephaniebeacham.com/ Official web site]