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Jessica Lange -

Jessica Phyllis Lange was born in Cloquet, Minnesota, on April 20, 1949.

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Early career -

In the late 1960s, Lange studied art and photography at the University of Minnesota, where she met Spanish photographer Paco Grande. The pair married in 1970 and soon afterwards relocated to Paris, France. While there she studied mime, and later became a model. In 1973, after her marriage began to fail, Lange returned to New York.

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'King Kong' (1976) -

While modeling, Lange caught the eye of Hollywood producer Dino De Laurentiis, who subsequently cast her alongside Jeff Bridges in 'King Kong,' her movie debut. 'King Kong' received mix reviews, but was a box-office success. Despite Lange's performance generally being ridiculed, she won the 1976 Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.

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First Golden Globe win -

Jessica Lange backstage at the 34th Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles with the first of five Golden Globes she's won to date.

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Mikhail Baryshnikov -

Although they separated in 1970, Lange and Paco Grande only finalized their divorce in the early 1980s, by which time the actress was already in a six-year relationship with renowned Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, with whom she had her first child, Aleksandra.

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Sam Shepard -

In 1982, Lange and Baryshnikov parted company. That same year the actress embarked on a relationship with actor Sam Shepard. The couple had two children: Hannah and Samuel. The pair separated in 2009 (Shepard died in 2017), with Lange since choosing to remain single.

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'All That Jazz' (1979) -

In 1979, Jessica Lange appeared as "Angelique," the angel of death, in Bob Fosse's 'All That Jazz.' The part had been been written for her by Fosse, with whom she had carried on a romantic affair. The film, starring Roy Scheider, received numerous accolades, including the Palm d'Or at Cannes, and four Academy Awards.

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'The Postman Always Rings Twice' (1981) -

The actress won more attention as the adulterous wife who plots to kill her husband in the sexually charged 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' opposite Jack Nicholson. Directed by Bob Rafelson, it was a remake of the classic 1946 film noir of the same name.

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'Frances' (1982) -

Lange's starring role in the biographical drama 'Frances,' in which she plays troubled Hollywood actress Frances Farmer, garnered the actress an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. It was a triumphant moment for Lange, but the experience left her emotionally drained.

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'Tootsie' (1982) -

The same year, 1982, she appeared in Sydney Pollack's hit romantic comedy 'Tootsie' alongside Dustin Hoffman. She earned another Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, and this time won! She also took home her first Golden Globe in the same category, and scooped numerous other accolades.

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First Oscar win -

A beaming Jessica Lange poses for photographs clutching her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 'Tootsie.'

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'Country' (1984) -

During their relationship, Lange and Sam Shepard appeared in two films together, including 1982's 'Country' as a rural farming couple struggling to make ends meet as their finances dwindle. The actress, who also co-produced the film, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her effort.

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'Sweet Dreams' (1985) -

Shunning mainstream movie offers and conventional roles for more complex, character-led projects, Jessica Lange received further Oscar nominations for two other '80s movies: 'Sweet Dreams,' a biopic about country music singer Patsy Cline, and the crime drama 'Music Box' (1989). Lange is pictured with co-star Ed Harris in a scene from 'Sweet Dreams.'

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'Cape Fear' (1991) -

Martin Scorsese's remake of the 1962 film of the same name was well received by critics and was a commercial success. Lange played a supporting role in this gritty psychological thriller, which saw Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis nominated for Academy and Golden Globe awards.

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'Blue Sky' (1994) -

For her performance in 'Blue Sky' portraying a bipolar housewife who becomes part of a cover-up involving nuclear bomb tests, Lange won her second Academy Award, this time for Best Actress. She also claimed a Golden Globe and a raft of other honors. She's pictured in a scene with co-star Tommy Lee Jones.

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Second Oscar win -

Jessica Lange with her Academy Award for Best Actress, presented in recognition of her work in 'Blue Sky' (1994).

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Broadway debut -

In 1992, Jessica Lange made her Broadway debut in a production of Tennessee Williams' 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' She made her London stage debut in 1996 in the same play in the same role, that of Blanche DuBois. She's pictured with John Goodman, who portrays Mitch Mitchell, in the 1995 CBS television version of the play, which garnered Lange her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie.

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'Rob Roy' (1995) -

Besides her 1995 small screen appearance, Lange also won rave reviews that year for her role in 'Losing Isaiah' opposite Halle Berry, and as Mary MacGregor in the historical biographical drama 'Rob Roy,' with Liam Neeson in the title role.

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'Long Day's Journey into Night' (2000) -

After ending the 1990s on a critical high with 'Cousin Bette' (1998) and 'Titus' (1999), Lange welcomed the new decade with her role as Mary Cavan Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's 'Long Day's Journey into Night' at the Lyric Theatre in London, for which she became the first American actress to receive an Olivier Award nomination. She's pictured on stage with Paul Nicholls and Paul Rudd.

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'Normal' (2003) -

In 2003, Lange, who by now had opted to appear mostly in supporting roles, starred alongside Tom Wilkinson in HBO's 'Normal' as the wife of a man who decides to have a gender-reassignment operation. She received nominations for Emmy and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.

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'Big Fish' (2003) -

Tim Burton's 2003 fantasy comedy provided Lange with a supporting role alongside the late Albert Finney (pictured), in which she plays Sandra Bloom to Finney's Edward Bloom.

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'Grey Gardens' (2009) -

After appearing in a string of movies in again mostly supporting roles, Lange won her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for HBO's 'Grey Gardens,' in which she costarred alongside Drew Barrymore. She also received her 11th Golden Globe Award nomination and second Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance, losing both awards to Barrymore.

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'American Horror Story' (2011–2015) -

In 2011, Jessica Lange revisited the small screen by joining the cast of FX's horror anthology series 'American Horror Story.' For her work on the series, the actress was honored with two additional Emmy Awards, her 14th Golden Globe nomination, and her fifth Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, among other accolades. She left the series after completing the fourth season (although she reprised her role in episodes 6 and 10 of the eighth season).

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'In Secret' (2013) -

Keeping busy between her television appearances, the actress received rave reviews for her role as Madame Raquin in the 2013 erotic thriller 'In Secret,' alongside Tom Felton (pictured), Elisabeth Olsen, and Oscar Isaac.

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'The Gambler' (2014) -

'The Gambler' cast Lange in the role of the contemptuous, but ultimately sympathetic, mother of an English professor with a gambling problem (Mark Wahlberg). The movie, itself based on the 1976 film of the same name starring James Caan, was well received, with Lange's performance singled out for critical acclaim.

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Tony Award and the Triple Crown of Acting -

In 2016, Jessica Lange won her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for the revival of 'Long Day's Journey into Night,' staged on Broadway. The accolade bestowed upon Lange the Triple Crown of Acting used to describe actors who have won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award in the acting categories.

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'Feud' (2017) -

In the first season of 'Feud,' Jessica Lange portrayed Joan Crawford opposite Susan Sarandon's Bette Davis, the two Hollywood legends who famously clashed during and after the production of their psychological horror thriller film 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' (1962). The series was critically acclaimed, with numerous nominations heaped upon Lange and her co-star.

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Jessica Lange: photographer -

Throughout her career as an actress, Lange has never given up on her love of photography. She's staged several exhibitions, and in 2019 published her fourth book of photography, 'Highway 61,' composed of photographs of US Route 61.

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UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador -

Lange's humanitarian work extends to her role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a responsibility that has taken the actress around the world to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS is some of the poorest developing nations on the planet.

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'The Politician' (2019) -

In 2019, Lange joined the main cast in the first season of the Netflix series 'The Politician' as a manipulative grandmother, starring alongside Ben Platt, Zoey Deutch, and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others. Her next appearance on the big screen is in the upcoming crime drama 'Marlowe' alongside Liam Neeson. The film is due for release in 2023. 

Sources: (Britannica) (Harper's Bazaar)

See also: Gorgeous actresses over 70

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