Catherine Oxenberg (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as

Amanda Carrington Amanda Carrington is a fictional character from the ABC prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. She was portrayed by Catherine Oxenberg for two seasons from 1984 to 1986, and then by Karen Cellini for 13 episode ...

on the 1980s prime-time

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

''. Oxenberg is the daughter of

Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia ( sr-Latn-Cyrl, Jelisaveta Karađorđević, Јелисавета Карађорђевић; born 7 April 1936) is a member of the royal House of Karađorđević, a human rights activist and a former presidential ...

and her first husband, Howard Oxenberg (1919–2010). She twice played

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

on screen, in ''

The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana ''The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana'' is a 1982 American made-for-television biographical drama film that depicts the events leading to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The film was directed by Peter Levin and starred Ca ...

'' (1982) and '' Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After'' (1992), and has appeared in many other films.

Early life

Oxenberg was born in New York City, and grew up in London. She is the eldest daughter of

(born 1936), a member of the

House of Karađorđević The House of Karađorđević or Karađorđević dynasty ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Династија Карађорђевић, Dinastija Karađorđević, ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Карађорђевићи, Karađorđevići, label=none) was the former ruling Kin ...

, and her first husband Howard Oxenberg (1919–2010), a Jewish dress manufacturer and close friend of the

Kennedy family The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...

. Her sister is

Christina Oxenberg Christina Oxenberg (born December 27, 1962) is an American writer, humorist, and fashion designer. She has written seven books, and her writing has been featured in magazines and publications like '' Allure'', ''The Sunday Times'', ''Huffington ...

. Princess Elizabeth is the only daughter of

Prince Paul of Yugoslavia Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, also known as Paul Karađorđević (, English transliteration: ''Paul Karageorgevich''; 27 April 1893 – 14 September 1976), was prince regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the minority of King Peter II. Paul w ...

(who served as regent for his cousin's eldest son King

Peter II of Yugoslavia Peter II Karađorđević (; 6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970) was the last King of Yugoslavia, reigning from October 1934 until he was deposed in November 1945. He was the last reigning member of the Karađorđević dynasty. The eldest ...

) and

Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (; 11 June 1903 – 16 October 1997) was a Greek princess who married Prince Paul, Regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After her marriage, she was known as Princess Paul of Yugoslavia. Princess Olga was a d ...

. Through her maternal grandmother, Catherine is a first cousin once removed of:

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he is a grandson of George ...

Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family and the only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and ...

and

Prince Michael of Kent Prince Michael of Kent (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family who is 53rd in line to the British throne as of 2025. The younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Gr ...

. Oxenberg is a second cousin once removed of

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía (Sophia Margaret Victoria Frederica; Μαργαρίτα Βικτώρια Φρειδερίκη, romanized: ''Sofía Margaríta Bictória Freideríki''; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was Queen of Spai ...

and

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

of the United Kingdom, making Catherine a third cousin of

Felipe VI of Spain Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...

and

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his pat ...

. She is also a third cousin once removed of

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until Abdication of Margrethe II, her abdication on 14 January 2024. Ha ...

and

Harald V of Norway Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991. A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the Succession to t ...

; and a fourth cousin to Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and

King Philippe of Belgium Philippe (born 15 April 1960) is King of the Belgians. He is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He succeeded his father upon the former's abdication for health reasons on 21 July 2013. He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in 19 ...

. Oxenberg was educated at the

Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle The Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, usually referred to as the Lycée or the French Lycée, is a French co-educational primary and secondary independent day school, situated in South Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and ...

Kensington, London Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensing ...

, St. Paul's School, and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, though she did not finish college. She had initially enrolled at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

as a member of the Class of 1985.

Film and television

Oxenberg made her acting debut in the 1982 made-for-television film ''

'', in which she played

. In 1984, Oxenberg joined the hit

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

prime time soap opera ''Dynasty''—then at its height of popularity—in the role of

. Oxenberg left ''Dynasty'' in 1986, following a salary dispute after the end of her second season, and the role was recast with

Karen Cellini Karen Cellini (born May 13, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is an American multidisciplinary live performance artist, producer, writer, and activist. As an actress, she is known for portraying Amanda Carrington in season seven of the 1980s ...

. Though Oxenberg's publicist insisted that the actress left ''Dynasty'' voluntarily, several media outlets reported that she was fired. Oxenberg was the guest host on the May 10, 1986, episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', making her the only descendant of a royal family to host the show. Oxenberg starred as Princess Elysa in the 1987 television film ''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...

''. She also appeared in ''

The Lair of the White Worm ''The Lair of the White Worm'' is a horror novel by the Irish writer Bram Stoker. It was first published by Rider and Son of London in 1911 – the year before Stoker's death – with colour illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. The story is bas ...

'' in 1988, and reprised the role of Diana, Princess of Wales in the TV film ''Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After'' in 1992. From 1993 to 1994, she starred in the short-lived series ''

Acapulco H.E.A.T. ''Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' is a 1993 syndicated television series. It follows the adventures of the "Hemisphere Emergency Action Team" (H.E.A.T.), a group of top-secret agents based in Acapulco, Mexico, recruited by "C-5", a secret, inter-governmental ...

'' Oxenberg was portrayed by

Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian television series ''headLand'' (2005–2006) as Sasha Forbes. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films in ...

in the 2005 telemovie '' Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure'', a fictionalized retelling of the behind-the-scenes goings-on during the production of ''Dynasty''. In 2006, Oxenberg appeared in the TV special, ''Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar'', in which she was reunited with her former ''Dynasty'' castmates to reminisce about the series. In 2019, Catherine Oxenberg produced and narrated '' Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight to Save Her Daughter'' in which

Andrea Roth Andrea Roth (born September 30, 1967) is a Canadian actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Janet Gavin, the wife of main character Tommy Gavin, on the FX television series '' Rescue Me'' (2004–2011), as Victoria Chase in ''The Co ...

portrayed her.

NXIVM

Oxenberg acknowledged in November 2017 that she had had interactions with

Keith Raniere Keith Allen Raniere ( ; born August 26, 1960) is an American cult leader who was convicted of a pattern of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, racketeering activity, including human trafficking, Sex offender, sex offenses and fr ...

and his

NXIVM NXIVM ( ) was a cult led by Keith Raniere, who is now a convicted Racketeering, racketeer and sex offender. NXIVM is also the name of the defunct company that Raniere founded in 1998, which provided seminars ostensibly about human potential an ...

organization, bringing her daughter India into NXIVM in 2011 for what she thought would be "a self-help, business-oriented program." Oxenberg confirmed that her daughter became heavily involved in the cult and that she had initiated what proved to be a failed intervention for India. In August 2018, Oxenberg revealed that India had left NXIVM in June, after the arrest of Raniere, and they were working on their relationship. In August 2018, Oxenberg's book ''Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult'' co-written by former ''People'' magazine writer Natasha Stoynoff was published. In 2020, Oxenberg was featured in '' The Vow'', a documentary series for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

, directed by Jehane Noujaim and

Karim Amer Karim Amer (born November 10, 1983) is an Egyptian-American film producer and director. He worked on '' The Square'' (2013) and '' The Great Hack'' (2019); the former was the first Egyptian film to earn an Academy Award nomination and went on to ...

, which follows Oxenberg's attempts to rescue her daughter India. Oxenberg also appears in '' Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult'' a documentary series for

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

, directed by

Cecilia Peck Cecilia Peck (born May 1, 1958) is an American film producer, director and actress. She is the younger of two children of actor Gregory Peck and his second wife Veronique Passani. Career As an actress, Peck was nominated for the Golden Globe Aw ...

and Inbal B. Lessner, which features India speaking out about her experiences for the first time.

Personal life

In June 1991, Oxenberg had a daughter, India Riven Oxenberg, whose father was later revealed to be the convicted drug smuggler William Weitz Shaffer. In December 1992, Oxenberg was living with her daughter in

Coldwater Canyon Coldwater Canyon () is a canyon running perpendicular to and over the central Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A section of the canyon south of Mulholland Drive is also a neighborhood in the Beverly C ...

, Los Angeles, California. Oxenberg's first marriage was to the producer

Robert Evans Robert Evans (born Robert J. Shapera; June 29, 1930 – October 26, 2019) was an American film producer who worked on ''Rosemary's Baby (film), Rosemary's Baby'' (1968), ''Love Story (1970 film), Love Story'' (1970), ''The Godfather'' (1972), ...

, in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, on July 12, 1998, but the marriage was annulled nine days later. Oxenberg met the actor

Casper Van Dien Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers'' (1997). Other credits include '' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999), '' Sanctimony ...

during the filming of the 1999 TV movie ''The Collectors'', and they worked together again the same year in the

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

thriller ''

The Omega Code ''The Omega Code'' is a 1999 apocalyptic thriller film directed by Rob Marcarelli, written by Stephen Blinn and Hollis Barton, and starring Casper Van Dien, Michael York, Catherine Oxenberg and Michael Ironside. The premillennialist plot revolves ...

''. On May 8, 1999, they were married at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, Nevada. Van Dien had a son and a daughter from a previous marriage. Van Dien and Oxenberg have two daughters. In 2005, the couple appeared in their own

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

, ''

I Married a Princess ''I Married a Princess'' is a reality show starring Catherine Oxenberg and her husband Casper Van Dien that aired on Lifetime from 18 April to 2 May 2005. Participating personalities * Catherine Oxenberg * Casper Van Dien * India Oxenberg I ...

'', which aired on the

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

channel in the United States and on

LIVINGtv Sky Witness is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts procedural dramas from the United States aimed at the 18–45 age demographic. Sky Italia broadcasts an Italia ...

in the United Kingdom. Van Dien filed for divorce from Oxenberg in 2015. While Oxenberg and Van Dien were married, and before India joined

, Oxenberg and Van Dien were celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization

Childhelp Childhelp is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Founded in 1959 as International Orphans, Inc. by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp is one of the largest non-profit child abuse preven ...

. In June 2023, Oxenberg revealed her engagement to businessman Ellis Jones. They began dating shortly after Jones offered Oxenberg a place to stay following her losing her home in the

2018 California wildfires The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in List of California wildfires, California history. It was also the largest on record at the time, now third after the 2020 California wildfires, 2020 and 2021 Ca ...

. The couple married on October 21, 2023.

Filmography

For playing

, Oxenberg won two ''Soap Opera Digest'' Awards in 1985, for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Female Newcomer.

Ancestry

Through her maternal grandfather,

of the

, Catherine Oxenberg is a great-great-great-granddaughter of

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović (; ; – ), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe (; ), was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 ...

, who started the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising (; sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; ) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac (Aranđelovac), Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1804. Her maternal grandmother, Princess Olga, was the daughter of

Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (29 January 1882 – 13 March 1957), was the only daughter and youngest child of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her husband was Prince Nicholas ...

and

Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (, romanized: ''Nikólaos''; 22 January 1872 – 8 February 1938), of the Glücksburg branch of the House of Oldenburg, was the fourth child and third son of King George I of Greece, and of Queen Olga. H ...

, himself the son of another Romanov grand duchess, Queen Olga Konstantinovna of the Hellenes and her Danish-born husband King George of Greece, brother of

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

of the United Kingdom and the

Empress Maria Fyodorovna Maria Feodorovna (; 26 November 1847 – 13 October 1928), known before her marriage as Princess Dagmar of Denmark, was Empress of Russia from 1881 to 1894 as the wife of Emperor Alexander III. She was the fourth child and second daughter of Ch ...

.David Lewis,

William Addams Reitwiesner William Addams Reitwiesner (March 8, 1954 – November 12, 2010) was an American genealogist who traced the ancestry of United States political figures, European royalty and celebrities. Biography Reitwiesner was born on March 8, 1954, in Havr ...

Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2011
at wargs.com, accessed January 17, 2019

References

External links

* *

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxenberg, Catherine 1961 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from London Actresses from New York City American emigrants to England American film actresses American people of Danish descent American people of Finnish descent American people of German-Russian descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American people of Serbian descent American people of Swedish descent American soap opera actresses American socialites American television actresses American Ashkenazi Jews Columbia University alumni Harvard University alumni Jewish American actresses Karađorđević dynasty

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

People educated at Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni Evans family (show business) Royalty and nobility actors