Charlene Tilton is a popular American singer and actress. In the 80s, she was considered one of the sex symbols of television. Fame brought her participation in the series "Dallas". But other projects have not been so successful. In the 90s, she increasingly came to the pages of glossy magazines due to problems with alcohol and overweight.
Early career
Charlene Tilton was born in the state of California in the city of San Diego. She was born in 1958. She began her film career with a small role in the comedy sitcom Happy Days, which appeared on American television in 1976.
Then she made her debut on the big screen in Gary Nelson's family comedy "Freaky Friday." On one set, Charlene Tilton appeared with Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster.
Actress in TV shows
Producers and directors began to pay attention to her. In the next two years, she took part in about ten television and film projects, but mainly in secondary roles.
So, she played in John Milius’s drama "Big Wednesday" about the story of the growing up of friends who are interested in surfing, which lasted more than ten years.
But most of her work was related to series. This is the soap opera by David Jacobs "Quiet Pier" about the relationship between four couples, the comedy sitcom Laverna and Shirley about the employees of the brewery, the multi-part fantasy drama "Fantasy Island" about the mysterious island on which all the wishes of the guests come true, the drama series "Hotel" , sitcom "Boat of Love" about the passengers of a wealthy cruise ship, the cult detective series "She wrote the murder."
In most of these projects, Charlene Tilton appeared in one, rarely in several episodes.
The success of the series "Dallas"
Significant in the biography of Charlene Tilton was 1978, when the creators began filming the series "Dallas".
In it, the heroine received the role of Lucy Ewing. The series talked about the life of a wealthy family in Texas. Lucy had an evil and cunning character, constantly distinguished by scandalous antics. For example, being a minor, seduced an adult worker from a ranch or skipped school, had an affair with a peer of non-traditional sexual orientation.
Much attention in the development of this character, played by actress Charlene Tilton, was paid to her long separation from her parents, who were expelled from the city.
The series reached the peak of its popularity in 1981. It was then that in the story, Lucy married medical student Mitch Cooper. The episode dedicated to their wedding was watched by about 65 million viewers in the United States alone. He became one of the most popular stories in the history of American television. The image of Lucy penetrated the culture, and later repeatedly parodied in various shows.
The lion's share of fame went to Charlene Tilton, whose photo is in this article. In 1980, she received the prize for Best Actress in Television in the nomination "Young Actor".
Over time, Tilton tried to part with the series, even left it in 1985, but returned to the show three years later. When the series ended in 1990, her career began to decline. During this time, viewers were shown 14 seasons that fit 357 episodes.
Downhill
Failures haunted Tilton not only in creativity. She was left almost without money, since everything that she earned on the series was invested in projects that were burned out. In addition, her accountant also stole most of the savings, leaving the actress practically without a livelihood.
In the 1990s, she began acting in commercials, participated in various popular shows, but again in secondary roles. For example, starred in the series "Married ... with children."
Tilton can be seen in the then-popular comedy parodies of superhero action movies - Ezio Greggio's comedy Silence of the Ham, and Craig Mazin's superhero movie.
Her career was clearly declining. She starred in low-budget films or films made for television. Participated in a reality show, but could not regain its former popularity. The actress was often accused of gaining excess weight. On the project "Dancing on Ice" Charlene significantly lost weight during the filming. But to return the audience love did not work then.
In 2012, she returned to the role of Lucy Ewing in the sequel to the Dallas series, which was released the same year. In an updated project, it occasionally appears on the screen (in only six episodes in three seasons). Her character is considered only as humorous.