Lesley-Anne Down facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lesley-Anne Down
Down in 2008
Born	(1954-03-17) 17 March 1954 (age 71) Wandsworth, London, England
Occupation	Actress singer model
Years active	1968–present
Spouse(s)	Enrique Gabriel ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1981)​ William Friedkin ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1985)​ Don E. FauntLeRoy ​ ​ (m. 1986)​
Partner(s)	Bruce Robinson (1969–1979)
Children	2

Lesley-Anne Down (born 17 March 1954) is a British actress and singer. She started her acting career in 1969. Her first movie was the drama film The Smashing Bird I Used to Know. She also appeared in films like Assault (1971) and Countess Dracula (1971).

Lesley-Anne became well-known for playing Georgina Worsley in the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs (1973–75). She also starred in movies such as The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and The First Great Train Robbery (1978).

On television, she played important roles in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982). She was also Madeline Fabray in the popular miniseries North and South (1985–86). For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1986.

Later, Lesley-Anne Down joined the cast of the TV show Dallas in 1990. From 1997 to 1999, she played Olivia Richards in Sunset Beach. She then played Jackie Marone in The Bold and the Beautiful from 2003 to 2012.

Life and Career Highlights

Early Life and First Roles

Lesley-Anne Down was born on March 17, 1954, in Wandsworth, London, England. She started acting and modeling when she was young. As a teenager, she won several beauty pageants. At 15, she was named Britain's most beautiful teenager.

She left school at 15 and first visited America when she was 17. In 1969, she made her first movie appearance. This was a supporting role in the British drama film The Smashing Bird I Used to Know.

Down in Upstairs, Downstairs

Becoming a Star in the 1970s

In 1971, Lesley-Anne Down appeared in British TV shows like Six Dates with Barker. That same year, she starred in three movies. One was Countess Dracula, a horror film where she played the daughter of Countess Elizabeth Báthory. She also starred in the thriller film Assault.

In 1972, Down appeared in the historical drama Pope Joan. She acted alongside Liv Ullmann and Olivia de Havilland. In 1973, she was in the Western film Scalawag. This movie starred and was directed by Kirk Douglas.

Down with Kirk Douglas and Mark Lester in Scalawag (1973)

In 1973, Down got the role of Georgina Worsley in Upstairs, Downstairs. This British drama series won an Emmy Award. Her first episode was "Goodwill to All Men" in December 1973. In 1974, she was in the horror film From Beyond the Grave. The next year, she had a supporting role in Brannigan.

After Upstairs, Downstairs ended in 1975, she moved to Hollywood. She then focused on her film career. In 1976, Down starred in the comedy The Pink Panther Strikes Again. She acted with Peter Sellers. The movie was very successful, earning $75 million worldwide.

The next year, she was in the musical comedy A Little Night Music. She starred with Elizabeth Taylor. In 1978, Down played the main role in The One and Only Phyllis Dixey. This was a TV drama film about burlesque artist Phyllis Dixey. She also played the female lead with Sean Connery in The First Great Train Robbery. Critics liked her performance in this film. In 1979, Down starred with Harrison Ford in the romantic war drama Hanover Street.

Roles in the 1980s

In 1980, Down starred with Burt Reynolds in the crime comedy Rough Cut. In 1981, she starred in the adventure film Sphinx. She played an Egyptologist researching an ancient pharaoh.

After Sphinx, Down returned to television. She played Unity Mitford in an episode of BBC2 Playhouse. In 1982, she starred in Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy. She also played Esméralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She acted opposite Anthony Hopkins in this film. In 1984, Down worked with Anthony Hopkins again in Arch of Triumph. Later that year, she was in the miniseries The Last Days of Pompeii.

In 1985, Down starred as Madeline Fabray LaMotte in the miniseries North and South. This show was based on novels by John Jakes. The next year, a sequel miniseries was released. The first North and South is one of the highest-rated miniseries in TV history. Down received good reviews for her role. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1986. In 1986, she starred with Pierce Brosnan in the horror film Nomads. In 1988, she was in the TV movie Indiscreet. She also starred in the TV film Ladykillers.

Work in the 1990s

In 1990, Lesley-Anne Down joined the TV show Dallas for a short time. She played Stephanie Rogers. She also guest-starred on The Nanny and Diagnosis: Murder. She appeared in films like Over the Line (1993) and Munchie Strikes Back (1994).

In 1994, she returned as Madeline Fabray LaMotte in Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III. Also in 1994, Down starred with Charles Bronson in Death Wish V: The Face of Death. This was the fifth film in the Death Wish series. In 1996, she was in the TV film Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus.

In 1996, Aaron Spelling cast her as Olivia Richards in his new soap opera, Sunset Beach. Her character was a mix of famous soap opera roles. For her role as Olivia, Down won "Best Actress" at the Soap Opera Update Awards in 1997. The show aired on NBC from 1997 to 1999. During this time, Down also appeared in the comedy film Meet Wally Sparks (1997). She starred in Young Hearts Unlimited (1998), a family comedy directed by her third husband, Don E. FauntLeRoy.

2000s and Beyond

After Sunset Beach ended, Down appeared in films like The King's Guard (2000) and 13th Child (2002). She starred in two Lifetime movies: The Perfect Wife (2001) and You Belong to Me (2002). In 2001, she guest-starred in five episodes of Days of Our Lives. She also had small roles in action films directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy, like Today You Die (2005).

Down wrote the screenplay and starred in the 2006 comedy-drama film Seven Days of Grace. In 2003, Down joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful on CBS. She played Jackie Marone. She left the show in February 2012.

In 2011, Down appeared in the thriller film Rosewood Lane. She later starred in the horror film Dark House (2014). In 2015, she starred in the black-and-white comedy Kill Me, Deadly. She also appeared in another action thriller, Absolution. In 2016, she was in the Lifetime movie I Am Watching You. She also co-starred in the Hallmark Holiday film A Cinderella Christmas. She appeared in the romantic comedy Alex & the List in 2018. In 2019, she was in the horror film Gates of Darkness, which she also helped write.

In 2020, Down moved to Atlanta and announced her retirement from acting. However, she returned to play British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 2024 biographical film Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid.

Personal Life

Lesley-Anne Down and Bruce Robinson (1979)

Lesley-Anne Down had a 10-year relationship with actor-writer Bruce Robinson. She then married Enrique Gabriel in 1980, but they divorced after a year and a half. Her second marriage was to film director William Friedkin from 1982 to 1985. They had one son together.

She met her third husband, cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy, in 1985. This was during the filming of the TV miniseries North and South. Down and Fauntleroy have a son.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lesley-Anne Down para niños