Angie Dickinson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Angie Dickinson
Dickinson in 1982
Born	Angeline Brown (1931-09-30) September 30, 1931 (age 93) Kulm, North Dakota, U.S.
Alma mater	Immaculate Heart College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1954–2009
Spouse(s)	Gene Dickinson ​ ​ (m. 1952; div. 1960)​ Burt Bacharach ​ ​ (m. 1965; div. 1981)​
Children	1

Angie Dickinson (born Angeline Brown on September 30, 1931) is a retired American actress. She started her acting career in television. She appeared in many anthology shows, which were popular series that told a different story in each episode.

Her big break came with the Western movie Rio Bravo (1959). She starred alongside famous actors John Wayne and Dean Martin. For this role, she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.

Dickinson acted in more than 50 movies. Some of her well-known films include Ocean's 11 (1960), Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), The Chase (1966), and Dressed to Kill (1980).

From 1974 to 1978, she starred as Sergeant "Pepper" Anderson in the NBC crime show Police Woman. This role made her very famous. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and was nominated for three Emmy Awards.

Later in her career, Dickinson appeared in TV movies and miniseries like Hollywood Wives (1985). She also had roles in films such as Sabrina (1995) and Pay It Forward (2000). Her last role was in the 2009 movie Mending Fences.

Early Life

Angeline Brown, known as "Angie," was born on September 30, 1931, in Kulm, North Dakota. She was the middle of three daughters. Her parents were Fredericka and Leo Henry Brown. Her father was the publisher and editor for local newspapers. He also worked as the projectionist at the town's movie theater, which sparked Angie's love for movies.

In 1942, her family moved to Burbank, California. She went to Bellarmine-Jefferson High School and graduated in 1947 at age 15. She later studied at Immaculate Heart College and Glendale Community College. She graduated with a business degree in 1954 and originally planned to be a writer.

In 1952, she married a football player named Gene Dickinson and took his last name.

Career

Starting in Television

Dickinson's television career began after she entered a beauty contest. A casting agent noticed her and got her a small part on The Jimmy Durante Show. This led to more opportunities in acting. She was asked to guest-star on several TV shows, which means she appeared in one or two episodes of a series.

With Clint Walker in Cheyenne, around 1957

On New Year's Eve in 1954, she made her acting debut in an episode of Death Valley Days. After that, she appeared in many shows, including Gunsmoke, The Virginian, and Cheyenne. In 1958, she played a defendant in an episode of the popular legal drama Perry Mason.

Becoming a Movie Star

Dickinson with John Wayne in Rio Bravo

Dickinson's first big movie role was in Gun the Man Down (1956) with James Arness. Her career took off with the Howard Hawks Western movie Rio Bravo (1959). She played a character named "Feathers" opposite her childhood hero, John Wayne. The movie also starred Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.

After Rio Bravo, Dickinson became a major leading lady in Hollywood. She starred with her friends Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the famous heist movie Ocean's 11 (1960).

She continued to star in many films throughout the 1960s. She played a nurse in the comedy Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) with Gregory Peck. She also appeared in The Chase (1966) with other big stars like Marlon Brando and Robert Redford. One of her most praised films from this time was Point Blank (1967), a crime movie co-starring Lee Marvin.

Police Woman

Dickinson in Police Woman, 1976

In 1974, Dickinson returned to television. She guest-starred in an episode of the series Police Story. Her performance was so popular that NBC gave her her own show, Police Woman.

In the series, she played Sergeant "Pepper" Anderson, an undercover officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. The show was a huge success and became the number one series in many countries. It ran for four seasons. For her role, Dickinson won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for three Emmy Awards.

The show was groundbreaking because it was one of the first successful American TV dramas to star a woman. Dickinson said that Police Woman inspired many women across the United States to apply to become police officers. In 1987, the Los Angeles Police Department gave her an honorary doctorate. She joked, "Now you can call me Doctor Pepper."

Career in the 1980s and Beyond

In 1980, Dickinson starred in the mystery film Dressed to Kill, directed by Brian De Palma. Her performance as a woman named Kate Miller earned her a Saturn Award for Best Actress.

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in several TV movies and had a key role in the miniseries Hollywood Wives (1985). In 1989, she received a Golden Boot Award for her work in Western films.

In the 1990s, she appeared in the miniseries Wild Palms (1993) and the movie Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993). In 1995, she played a role in the romantic comedy Sabrina starring Harrison Ford.

In 2001, she made a brief appearance in the remake of Ocean's Eleven, which starred George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Her last acting role was in the 2009 Hallmark Channel movie Mending Fences.

Personal Life

With husband, the composer Burt Bacharach and new-born Nikki, 1966

Dickinson was married to Gene Dickinson, a college football player, from 1952 to 1960. She kept his last name professionally even after they divorced.

In 1965, she married the famous composer and songwriter Burt Bacharach. They were married for 16 years and had one daughter together, named Nikki.

Dickinson was a longtime friend of the singer Frank Sinatra. In an interview, she said he was one of the most charming people she had ever met.

She has been involved in politics and supported the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Images for kids

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  Angie Dickinson in the movie China Gate (1957).

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  Angie Dickinson at the 61st Academy Awards in 1989.

Awards and Nominations

Other Honors

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Angie Dickinson para niños