Jessica Lange is an American actress who has earned worldwide acclaim for her work in theater, cinema, and television. She started her career as a model and was cast in her first film, King Kong (1976), after an extensive talent search led by producer Dino De Laurentiis. Lange made her film debut in King Kong, earning the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. She went on to star in numerous acclaimed films, including Tootsie, Country, Music Box, Sweet Dreams, Frances, and Blue Sky, as well as the HBO television film Grey Gardens. Over her extensive career, she has won numerous prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards. She is one of the few actresses to win an Academy Award for a performance in a comedy film, earning Best Supporting Actress for Tootsie. In addition to acting, Lange is a professional photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries such as the Howard Greenberg Gallery, Butler Institute of American Art, Rosegallery, Polk Museum of Art, Centro Cultural de Cascais, and A Gallery for Fine Photography. She has also served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, focusing on HIV/AIDS awareness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Russia. A lesser-known fact about Lange is that she has occasionally contributed vocals to songs in some of her film and television projects.
Quick Facts
Also Known As: Jessica Phyllis Lange
Age: 76 Years, 76 Year Old Females
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Paco Grande (m. 1971–1981)
father: Albert John Lange
mother: Dorothy Sahlman
children: Hannah Jane Shepard, Samuel Walker Shepard, Shura Baryshnikov
Partner: Mikhail Baryshnikov (1976–1982), Sam Shepard
Born Country: United States
Actresses T V & Movie Producers
Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Females
Ancestry: Finnish American, Dutch American, German American
Notable Alumni: Cloquet High School
U.S. State: Minnesota
More Facts
education: University Of Minnesota, Cloquet High School
Childhood & Early Life
Jessica Phyllis Lange was born on April 20, 1949, in Cloquet, Minnesota. Her mother Dorothy Florence was a housewife while her father Albert John Lange was a traveling salesman and teacher. She has two older sisters named Ann and Jane as well as a younger brother named George.
She attended Cloquet High School and later studied art and photography at the University of Minnesota. She later studied mime theatre and joined the opera company Opéra-Comique as a dancer
Career
Jessica Lange started her career as a model in the Wilhelmina modeling agency. She soon ventured into acting and made her film debut in the 1976 flick ‘King Kong’. After this, she was cast as the Angel of Death in a semiautobiographical movie titled ‘All That Jazz’.
In 1980, she did the flick ‘How to Beat the High Cost of Living’ alongside Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin. A year later, she was offered the lead role in the film ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’.
The actress played the title character of actress Frances Farmer in the biographical movie ‘Frances’ in 1982. She then produced and acted the topical flick, ‘Country’ in 1984. The same year, Lange appeared in the TV film ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’.
After this, she was cast as Patsy Cline in the movie ‘Sweet Dreams’. This was followed by her low profile movies ‘Crimes of the Heart’, ‘Far North’ and ‘Everybody’s All-American’ in the late 1980s.
Between 1990 and 1992, the American beauty appeared in the films ‘Men Don’t Leave’ and ‘Cape Fear’ as well as in the TV movie ‘O Pioneers!’ During this time, she also made her Broadway debut with the role of Blanche DuBois in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.
She played important roles in the films ‘Losing Isaiah’, ‘Rob Roy’ and ‘A Thousand Acres’ in the mid-1990s. She then appeared in the thriller flick ‘Hush’ and in the comedy-drama flick ‘Cousin Bette’ in 1998.
In 1999, Jessica Lange starred in the film adaption of William Shakespeare’s play, ‘Titus Andronicus.’ The movie, titled ‘Titus,’ also featured Alan Cumming and Anthony Hopkins.
She appeared in a London stage production of ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’. Then after appearing in the 2001 film ‘Prozac Nation’, she acted in HBO’s TV movie ‘Normal’ in 2003. That year, the actress also did the films ‘Masked and Anonymous’ and ‘Big Fish’.
During the year 2005, she was featured in the big screen movies ‘Broken Flowers’ and ‘Don’t Come Knocking’ as well as in the play ‘The Glass Menagerie’. In 2009, Lange portrayed the role of Big Edie in the television movie ‘Grey Gardens’.
In 2011, she joined the cast of the horror anthology series titled ‘American Horror Story’ and went on to act in many of its seasons including ‘American Horror Story: Asylum’, ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ and ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’.
In 2013 and 2014, the American beauty did the films ‘In Secret’ and ‘The Gambler’. She then appeared in the movie ‘Wild Oats’ in 2016. That year, she also worked in the web series, ‘Horace and Pete’. Lange next starred in the anthology series titled ‘Feud: Bette and Joan’ and also served as its co-producer.
Major Works
In 1982, Jessica Lange had a supporting role in Sydney Pollack’s flick ‘Tootsie’. In this movie, the actress starred opposite Dustin Hoffman. The film became a major hit and helped to establish her career.
In 1989, she played Ann Talbot in Costa-Gavras’ ‘Music Box’. In this movie, her performance as a Hungarian lawyer earned her an Academy Award nomination as well a Golden Globe nomination for best actress.
She played a manic depressive army wife in Tony Richardson’s final movie ‘Blue Sky’ in 1994. The film received critical praise and won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress for Jessica Lange.
Personal Life & Legacy
Jessica Lange was married to Spanish photographer Paco Grande from 1971 to 1981. From 1976 to 1982, Lange was in a romantic relationship with ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. The couple also had a kid, Aleksandra “Shura” Baryshnikov, before separating.
After this, the actress began a relationship with American playwright Sam Shepard. The couple lived together till 2009, and had two children, Hannah Jane and Samuel Walker. In the early 1990s, the actress fostered a child with disabilities.
Though Lange does not follow any particular religion, she follows certain tenets of Buddhism.
Facts About Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange is an accomplished photographer and has had her work exhibited in galleries.
She is a skilled mime and studied the art form before pursuing acting.
Jessica Lange is an avid gardener and finds great joy in cultivating her own fruits and vegetables.
She is a talented painter and has created many beautiful pieces of art in her spare time.
Jessica Lange is a dedicated environmentalist and actively supports various conservation efforts.
