Beautiful in an Elizabeth Taylor-Jean Simmons way and once more famous for the men she had bedded than anything else, sexy, savory Joan Collins soared to superstardom as the conniving Alexis Carrington on the popular, campy 1980s ABC primetime soap opera “Dynasty”. The daughter of a theatrical booking agent, she studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for 18 months and made her film debut as a beauty pageant contestant in “Lady Godiva Rides Again” (1951). After playing primarily erring juveniles in Britain, Collins ventured to Hollywood and immediately capitalized on her sultry appeal in “The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing” (1955), portraying Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, the femme fatale whose involvement with prominent architect Stanford White brought about his shocking murder in early 20th Century NYC. She acted in many forgettable films throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s but did have the distinction of appearing with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the last of their ‘road’ movies, “The Road to Hong Kong” (1961).
