Bo Derek

Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a child model before deciding to pursue acting on the advice of a talent agent she met through actress Ann-Margret, who was acquainted with her parents. In 1972, she was cast in the romantic drama film ''Once Upon a Love'' (1973), which was directed by her first husband John Derek and eventually released as '' Fantasies'' in 1981. Her breakthrough performance came in the romantic comedy film '' 10'' (1979), which cemented her status as a sex icon and mainstream celebrity. The role earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for New Star of the Year – Actress.

Derek went on to star in three more films directed by John Derek: '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1981), ''Bolero'' (1984), and '' Ghosts Can't Do It'' (1989), all of which were critically panned. Her other credits include the dramatic-comedy film '' A Change of Seasons'' (1980), the American buddy comedy film '' Tommy Boy'' (1995), and the American telenovela series '' Fashion House'' (2006).

Derek has been involved in a number of philanthropic endeavors. For several years, she served as Honorary Chairperson for Veterans Affairs' National Rehabilitation Special Events, which helps disabled veterans overcome their limitations through sports and competition. In 2002, she was appointed to the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees by former President George W. Bush. A longtime WildAid ambassador, Derek was named Special Envoy of the Secretary of State for Wildlife Tracking Issues by former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick in 2006. In 2008, she was appointed a commissioner of the California Horse Racing Board by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in honor of her many contributions to the betterment of horses, including her position as a spokesperson for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which she had held since 2003. She was reappointed to the California Horse Racing Board in 2010 and 2014.

Widowed in 1998, Derek began a relationship with actor John Corbett in 2002. They married in December 2020.

Early life

Derek was born Mary Cathleen Collins in Long Beach, California. Her father, Paul Collins, was a Hobie Cat executive, and her mother Norma (née White) was a make-up artist and hairdresser to Ann-Margret. Collins' parents divorced, and her mother married stunt performer Bobby Bass. She grew up with two sisters and a brother.

Collins attended Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California. She remarked in a 1985 interview on ''Late Night with David Letterman'':

Career

Acting

While attending Narbonne High School at age 16 in 1972, Collins auditioned for the female lead in John Derek's ''Once Upon a Love'', a low-budget romantic drama film set in Greece. Although Derek had been considering Collins for the part, he felt that her naturally blonde hair was ill-suited to the character, whom he perceived as a brunette. He nevertheless offered Collins the role
on condition that she dye her hair darker, which Collins accepted. During post-production in Munich, the film ran out of funding and was seized by a German film lab. It remained in a vault for several years until being sold to producer Kevin Casselman. Casselman's attempts to distribute the film globally prompted Derek and Collins to seek a restraining order against its release. They eventually dropped any legal action, deciding it was not worth their time and effort. The film was finally released in 1981 under the new title '' Fantasies'', at which point it received negative reviews.

During the course of these events, Collins became sexually involved with John Derek, who was 30 years her senior and still married to actress Linda Evans. Upon his divorce from Evans, Derek moved to Germany with Collins, where he would not face prosecution under California's statutory rape laws because Collins was under the age of consent.

In 1976, at age 19, Collins married John Derek. From then on, she was known professionally as Bo Derek: an amalgam of her former stage name Bo Shane and married name Derek.

In 1977, director Michael Anderson cast Derek in a small role in his horror film '' Orca: The Killer Whale'', in which Derek's character has her leg bitten off by the title character.

In 1979, Derek was selected over Melanie Griffith, Heather Thomas, Tanya Roberts, and several others for the role of Jenny Hanley in the romantic comedy film '' 10''. Directed by Blake Edwards, the film starred Dudley Moore as a middle-aged man who finds Derek's character to be the ideal woman, i.e., a perfect 10. Derek's appearance in a dream sequence, running towards Moore in a tight-fitting, nude-colored one-piece swimsuit, launched her status as a mainstream sex symbol. Distinguished by Derek's cornrow hairstyle, the sequence has often been parodied. ''10'' was a critical and financial success. For her performance in the film, Derek received a Golden Globe Award nomination for New Star of the Year – Actress but ended up losing to Bette Midler for her performance in '' The Rose''.

After ''10,'' Derek was cast in Richard Lang's '' A Change of Seasons'' (1980), a dramatic-comedy film that also featured Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins. Derek played a college student who has an affair with her older, married professor. ''A Change of Seasons'' was only a moderate box-office success, with critics reviewing it and Derek's performance unfavorably ("The only appealing performance is Miss MacLaine's").

In 1981, Derek starred in MGM's R-rated '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'', her first leading role in a mainstream Hollywood film. Directed by John Derek, the film dealt little with Tarzan and instead focused on Derek's character, Jane Parker, and specifically on Derek's physical attributes. Derek appears nude in two scenes, one of which involved her being bathed and body-painted. Ahead of ''Tarzan, the Ape Mans release, MGM and the film's distributor, United Artists, were sued for an injunction by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate, which alleged that the film exceeded the scope of a 1931 license agreement ("1931 Agreement") that permitted MGM to use Tarzan and other Burroughs characters in the 1932 film '' Tarzan the Ape Man''. The agreement stipulated that MGM could only produce remakes if the story of the 1932 film was maintained. Additionally, the Burroughs estate contended that MGM's character license under the deal was terminated in 1977, thereby constituting a violation of their copyright. Upon reviewing the evidence, the Federal District Court in New York determined that ''Tarzan, the Ape Man'' and its 1932 predecessor are "based on substantially the same story" when reduced to their major incidents, provided that modifications were made to tone down Derek's nude scenes. It was further concluded that MGM's character license had not been revoked due to the non-fulfillment of the legal prerequisites required for contract termination. Accordingly, the court ruled against the Burroughs estate and dismissed their injunction request. Although ''Tarzan, the Ape Man'' received negative reviews, the film became a box-office success, making over $35 million in ticket sales and becoming the 15th highest-grossing film of 1981. For her performance as Jane Parker, Derek shared the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress with Faye Dunaway, the latter for her starring role as Joan Crawford in '' Mommie Dearest''.

Derek next appeared in the erotic comedy-drama film ''Bolero'' (1984). Directed again by John Derek, ''Bolero'' explores the female protagonist's sexual awakening and her journey around the world to find an ideal first lover to take her virginity. Its sexual nature and substantial use of nudity earned the film an X rating, which is traditionally reserved for pornographic or extremely violent horror films. Critical reviews for ''Bolero'', including Derek's performance, were negative (" o Derekwould be a lot more appealing if she tried less assiduously to please"). For her performance in the film, Derek won her second Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. The film also won five additional Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Director (John Derek), Worst Screenplay (John Derek), Worst New Star ( Olivia d'Abo), and Worst Musical Score ( Peter Bernstein and Elmer Bernstein).

In 1987, Derek teamed up with Steven Paul of the firm sales agency Paul Entertainment to sell the unreleased feature film ''A Knight of Love'', in which she was set to star, but the project never materialized.

After a five-year hiatus, Derek returned to feature films with the fantasy comedy-drama '' Ghosts Can't Do It'' (1989). The final collaboration of Derek with her husband as director, ''Ghosts Can't Do It'' was a failure both critically and financially. Earning Derek her third Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress, the film also won three additional Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director (John Derek), and Worst Supporting Actor (Donald Trump).

Following ''Ghosts Can't Do It'', Derek appeared in the television films ''Hot Chocolate'' (1992) and ''Shattered Image'' (1994) and the straight-to-video film '' Woman of Desire'' (1994). For her performance in the 1995 buddy comedy film '' Tommy Boy'', Derek was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress but ultimately lost to Madonna for her performance in '' Four Rooms''.

In 1998, Derek guest-starred on four episodes of the television series ''Wind on Water''. In 1999, she appeared on ''The Drew Carey Show''.

At the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards in 2000, Derek was nominated for Worst Actress of the Century, sharing the nomination with Madonna (the eventual winner), Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Berkley, and Pia Zadora.

Derek appeared in several more feature films during the early 2000s, including '' Frozen with Fear'' (2000), '' The Master of Disguise'' (2002), for which she received her second Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress, and '' Malibu's Most Wanted'' (2003). She also had guest roles on the television shows ''Family Law'', '' Queen of Swords'', ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place'', '' Lucky'', '' Still Standing'', and '' 7th Heaven''.

In 2006, Derek starred in 40 episodes of the 65-episode telenovela series '' Fashion House''. In 2012, she appeared on '' CSI: Miami''.

Derek had a featured role in the 2015 made-for-TV campy horror film '' Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!''

Politics

Derek, who describes herself as an independent, supported the presidential campaigns of Bob Dole, George H. W. Bush, and his son, George W. Bush. She attended the Republican National Convention in 2000 and 2004. Derek has also appeared at public events with former Republican Congressman David Dreier, whom she briefly dated following the death of her first husband.

In 2002, Derek was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on the Operations Committee, by former President George W. Bush. When White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten was asked about his relationship with Derek on the April 30, 2006 edition of ''Fox News Sunday'' with Chris Wallace, Bolten said she was a friend and a "good supporter of the president."

Derek voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

In 2012, Derek endorsed Mitt Romney for president.

In a 2020 interview with '' Variety'', when asked who she was supporting in the then-upcoming presidential election, Derek explained, "I don't talk about who I vote for anymore. I supported Bush 43 and I became one of the poster girls for the Republicans. But I'm an independent. I don't want to be pigeonholed and labeled as one thing or another." Responding to a related query about Donald Trump's cameo in the 1989 film '' Ghosts Can't Do It'', Derek said that the part was written specifically for him and that "he was great."

Other work

In 1980, Derek appeared twice in ''Playboy'' magazine; she was featured again in 1981, 1984, and 1994.

Derek was set to participate in the 2016 Comedy Central roast of Rob Lowe, but she was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.

Personal life

Horse owner and activist

Derek, a horse lover and riding enthusiast since childhood, owns Andalusian and Lusitano horses and is a spokesperson for the Animal Welfare Institute's campaign to end horse slaughter through the passage of federal and state legislation. On February 5, 2002, she published her autobiography entitled ''Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses'' (). In 2008, Derek was appointed a commissioner of the California Horse Racing Board by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a position she held until 2015.

Wounded veterans advocate

Derek has served as Honorary Chairperson for Veterans Affairs' National Rehabilitation Special Events since 2000 or 2001. She is an avid supporter of the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, Colorado.

In 2003, Derek received the VA's highest honor from Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi. She regularly appears on United Service Organizations tours, for which the Special Forces Association named her an honorary Green Beret.

Derek's father, Paul Collins, was a radio operator during the Korean War. Her stepfather, Bobby Bass, and her late husband, John Derek, were both US military veterans.

Wildlife preservation

Derek has been active for over 15 years with the environmental agency WildAid, which provides funds to protect sharks and dissuade people from purchasing wildlife products. In 2006, she was designated as the Special Envoy of the Secretary of State for Wildlife Tracking Issues by former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick. On August 13, 2020, she was a guest on the Discovery Channel's Shark Week.

Relationships

After 16-year-old Mary Cathleen Collins began a relationship with John Derek, they moved to Germany, where Derek would not be subject to prosecution under California's statutory rape laws. They returned to the United States soon after Collins' 18th birthday and married in 1976. They remained married until Derek's death from heart failure in 1998.

Following her husband's death, Collins, who was now known as Bo Derek, briefly dated former Republican Congressman David Dreier.

Since 2002, Derek has been in a relationship with actor John Corbett, with whom she lives on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California. They married in December 2020.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Production credits

Film

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Interview with Bo Derek

{{DEFAULTSORT:Derek, Bo
1956 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Long Beach, California
American film actresses
American television actresses
Narbonne High School alumni