A beautiful blonde appeared on the screens in the seventies of the twentieth century. But now her roles are attracting the attention of many fans around the world. It seems that even several decades could not affect her exquisite beauty, and acting talent, if it has changed, is exclusively for the better. How did Jessica Lang succeed and how does she live in her free time? Read about this and much more in the article.
Actress childhood
Jessica Phyllis Lang (that is her full name) was born in a town called Cloquette. Her father was a traveling salesman, so the family constantly moved from place to place. During her childhood, Jessica changed eighteen different cities. But even the constant changes in the school did not prevent her from studying well. In her free time, the girl was engaged in drawing. Her father was very emotional and positive. This significantly affected Jessica’s worldview, she always thought that something incredible could happen to her at any time. Having successfully graduated from school, the girl received a scholarship at the University of Minnesota and went to study drawing. But only a year passed before Jessica Lang quit classes and went with artist Francisco Paco Grande to travel around America. She did not like the life of the hippies with the young Spaniard very long, and soon she decided to radically change everything, having left for Paris. Even before starting her trip to America, Jessica and Francisco were married, and although they broke up quite soon, the divorce only happened in 1981, and the ex-spouse managed to sue the successful actress for monetary compensation.
Years in France
In Paris, Jessica Lang decided to study acting, namely the art of mime. She went to school, where he taught the famous mime Etienne de Croix. A talented girl soon began performing at Opera Comic. Her appearance attracted photographers and fashion designers, so she sometimes moonlighted as a model. But working in the fashion world is not what Jessica Lang dreamed about. She did not have a personal life with the bohemian artist Paco Grande, but this did not stop her from enjoying painting in Paris. She herself again returned to painting, and also took up photography. After a couple of years, upon returning to America, I got a job as a waitress, simultaneously studying at dancing and acting classes. She was invited to the American fashion agency. It was there that Lang saw the producer Dino De Laurentis, who was looking for the main character for the movie adaptation of “King Kong”. The beauty of Jessica immediately charmed him.
First roles
Dino De Laurentis invited Jessica to his film, and she played a frightened beauty, faced with a giant monkey. The reviews of film critics were not very flattering, but Jessica Lang, whose biography had not been full of bright moments before, finally became a real celebrity. She began to appear on the covers of popular magazines, she was named the girl of the month. Jessica decided to pursue a film career and starred in a 1979 film called “All That Jazz.” In 1980, there was the work "How to beat the high cost of life?", Which did not become very successful, but allowed the actress to attract the attention of directors. She was invited to shoot the movie The Postman Always Calls Twice, where Jack Nicholson became her partner on the set. This dramatic role was superbly successful for the actress, and her talent was finally fully appreciated. At thirty-two years old, she became a recognized movie star.
Deserved success
In the eighties, Jessica Lang, whose filmography up to this point did not include so many paintings, became truly in demand. In 1982, two successful films were released at once - Francis and Tootsie. On the set, Jessica noticed that she lacked professional knowledge, so she studied the Stanislavsky system and the techniques of the actors of the thirties. The results were not slow to appear - the actress was twice nominated for an Oscar, this was the first time since 1943. The role in the movie “Tutsi” became the only romantic work of Jessica, after which she mostly had images of tough and stubborn women with a difficult fate. With the advent of popularity, she herself could choose where to act in films, and dictated her conditions to the directors.
Thoughts on a career break
In 1996, Jessica Lang was going to leave the cinema immediately after completing work on the tape "Tram Desire". But then she changed her mind. In 1997, her work in the film "A Thousand Acres" was released, and in 1998 she pleased her fans with three paintings: Heritage, Cousin Betta and The Story of My Childhood. The following year, Jessica took part in the filming of a historical film called "Titus - Ruler of Rome." In the new millennium, the Prozac Nation was released, and it seems that Jessica Lang completely forgot about her plans. The career of the actress continued to develop steadily further.
Work with Tim Burton
In 2003, “The Show of the Century” and “Normal” were released, but the main work of the period was the role in the film “Big Fish”, which was shot by the eccentric director Tim Barton. Despite the fact that the role of Jessica Lang got not very large, it seems that parts of the script were written specifically for this actress. She played a wife who takes care of her husband, a salesman. Maybe the childhood memories of the jerky father helped Jessica to express her emotions especially expressively on the screen. And maybe this is the strength of her acting talent. One way or another, the role came out very memorable.
Last works
Jessica Lang, whose filmography is quite impressive, does not stop appearing on the screens at the present time. In 2004, she worked in the mini-series “Retrosexual: 80s”, in 2005 she played in “Broken Colors” and “Come in without knocking”, as well as in a tape called “Loser”. In 2007, Bonneville and Sibylla appeared on the screens. In 2009, the actress took part in the filming of the television movie "Gray Gardens". Her last notable work was her role in American Horror Story. For appearing in this series in 2012, the actress received an Emmy. In addition, in 2012 she appeared in a cameo role in the romantic film “The Oath”, and in 2013, in the film called “Teresa Raken”.
At the moment, there are shootings of the "Player" with her participation, which is planned to be released in 2015. In addition, the sensational series still continues to be released, which means that the actress is busy working on the new season. Jessica spends most of her time on the stage of the theater, preferring productions rather than films. You can see her acting with your own eyes in New York.
The personal life of the actress
Jessica Lang has three children. The eldest daughter, Alexandra, was born to the actress during a stormy romance with the famous Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. With the playwright Sam Sheppard, she got a more lasting and stable relationship, they have been living together for many years in a row. The children of Jessica Lang and Sam Sheppard are daughter Hannah and son Sam. The whole family they live on the ranch, in her spare time from the filming, the actress is engaged in farming.
Jessica has the same tattoo on her wrist as her daughter Alexandra - the image of the Celtic cross. The actress is actively involved in the fight against AIDS and visits African countries as part of humanitarian missions. She works with UNICEF and is a Goodwill Ambassador.