Jacqueline Bisset

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Jacqueline Bisset
Bisset in September 2007
Born	Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset 13 September 1944 (age 70) Weybridge, Surrey, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1965–present
Partner(s)	Michael Sarrazin Alexander Godunov Victor Drai^[1] Emin Boztepe

Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset (born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. In 2010, she received one of France's highest honours, the Légion d'honneur.
Bisset began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968, starring opposite Frank Sinatra in The Detective and Steve McQueen in Bullitt, and received a most promising newcomer Golden Globe nomination for The Sweet Ride. In the 1970s, she appeared in François Truffaut's Day for Night (1973) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Murder on the Orient Express (1974), opposite Nick Nolte in The Deep (1977) and received a Golden Globe nomination for Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978).
Other film and TV credits include Rich and Famous (1981), Class (1983), her Golden Globe nominated role in Under the Volcano (1984), her Cesar nominated role in La Cérémonie (1995), her Emmy nominated role in the miniseries Joan of Arc (1999) and the BBC miniseries Dancing on the Edge (2013), for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress (television).

Early life

Bisset was born Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset^[2] in Weybridge, Surrey, England, the daughter of Arlette Alexander, a lawyer turned housewife, and Max Fraser Bisset, a general practitioner.^[3] She was brought up in Tilehurst. Her father was Scottish and her mother was of French and English descent;^[4]^[5] Bisset's mother cycled from Paris and boarded a British troop transport to escape the Germans during World War II.^[6] Bisset has a brother, Max. Her mother taught her to speak French fluently, and she was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in London. She had taken ballet lessons as a child and began taking acting lessons and fashion modelling to pay for them. When Bisset was a teenager, her mother was diagnosed with disseminating sclerosis.^[7]
Bisset's parents divorced in 1968, after 28 years of marriage.^[6] Her father died aged 71 of a brain tumour in 1982. Her mother died in 1999.^[8]

Career

First appearing as an extra in 1965's The Knack ...and How to Get It, Bisset made her official film debut the following year in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac (1966). In 1967, she appeared in the movie Two for the Road. Next, she participated in the James Bond satire, Casino Royale, as Miss Goodthighs. That same year, she played her first lead role in The Cape Town Affair, opposite James Brolin.

Bisset in 1969

In 1968, Bisset gained mainstream recognition when she replaced Mia Farrow for the role of Norma MacIver in The Detective, opposite Frank Sinatra. In the same year, she co-starred with Michael Sarrazin in The Sweet Ride, which brought her a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer, and played Steve McQueen's girlfriend in the police drama Bullitt, which was among the top five highest-grossing films of the year.
In 1969, she played her first "older woman" (at 25) in the sex comedy The First Time (1969 film). She was one of the many stars in the 1970 disaster film Airport, as a pregnant stewardess carrying Dean Martin's love child. Following films included The Mephisto Waltz (1971) with Alan Alda, The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) with Ryan O'Neal, The Spiral Staircase (1975) with Christopher Plummer, End of the Game (1975) with Jon Voight and St. Ives (1976) with Charles Bronson.
Several of Bisset's movies are also French or Italian productions. In 1973, she appeared in François Truffaut's Day for Night, where she earned the respect of European critics and moviegoers as a serious actress. She co-starred with Marcello Mastroianni in Luigi Comencini's La donna della domenica in 1975.
In 1977, Bisset made strides towards becoming a better-known entertainer in America with her movie The Deep, where swimming underwater wearing only a T-shirt for a top, helped make the film a box office success, leading the producer Peter Guber to say, "That T-shirt made me a rich man,"^[9] and led many to credit her with popularising the wet T-shirt contest. At the time, Newsweek declared her "the most beautiful film actress of all time." About that time, a small Dutch-produced film Bisset had made some years earlier was re-released in the United States under the title Secrets. That movie featured the only extensive nude scenes of Bisset's career and the producers cashed in on her fame.
By 1978, she was a household name. In that year she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (Comedy) for her performance in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, and starred opposite Anthony Quinn in The Greek Tycoon. Soon thereafter, she played in the movies When Time Ran Out (1980) with Paul Newman, and George Cukor's Rich and Famous (1981) with Candice Bergen, where she also served as co-producer. In 1983, she starred in Class (1983), as Rob Lowe's attractive mother who seduces her son's best friend (Andrew McCarthy). She earned another Golden Globe nomination for her role in John Huston's Under the Volcano (1984) opposite Albert Finney.

Bisset at the 1989 Academy Awards

Bisset has appeared in many made-for-TV movies since the mid-1980s. One of her later TV movies, in 2003, was America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, in which she portrayed Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Bisset's other television work includes the Biblical epics Jesus (1999) and In the Beginning (2000), and the miniseries Joan of Arc, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1996, Bisset was nominated for a César Award for her role in the French film La Cérémonie. She appeared in Dangerous Beauty (1998) with Catherine McCormack, and in the Domino Harvey biographical film Domino (2005) with Keira Knightley.
In 2006, Bisset had a recurring role on the TV series Nip/Tuck as the ruthless extortionist James. She starred in the lead role of Boaz Yakin's Death in Love which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Later in 2008, she starred in the Hallmark television film An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. She recently^[when?] finished filming The Last Film Festival, which was the final screen appearance of Dennis Hopper.
In 2010, Bisset was awarded the Légion d'honneur insignia, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy calling her "a movie icon."^[10]
She returned to the UK to film Stephen Poliakoff's 1930s jazz drama series, Dancing on the Edge, which started on BBC2 in 2013.^[11] For her work, she won the Golden Globe for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Personal life

Bisset is godmother to actress Angelina Jolie.^[12]
Bisset has never married, though she has had lengthy romances with actor Michael Sarrazin,^[13] Russian-American dancer and actor Alexander Godunov,^[1] real estate magnate Victor Drai,^[1] actor Vincent Pérez,^[14] and martial arts instructor Emin Boztepe.^[15] "I feel like I was married to them because I was very dedicated to them", she said in a 2008 interview. "But I also used to feel claustrophobic. Like many people who don't easily commit, I think I had a fear of being known; I was not sure there was anybody inside there."^[16]

Selected filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Cul-de-sac	Jacqueline
1966	Drop Dead Darling	Dancer	AKA Arrivederci, Baby!
1967	Casino Royale	Giovanna Goodthighs
1967	Two for the Road	Jackie	All dialogue re-recorded in post-production by an unidentified voice artist.
1967	The Cape Town Affair	Candy
1968	The Sweet Ride	Vickie Cartwright	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female
1968	The Detective	Norma Maclver
1968	Bullitt	Cathy	Laurel Award for Female New Face (2nd place)
1969	The First Time	Anna
1969	Secret World	Wendy Sinclair	Original title: L'échelle blanche
1970	Airport	Gwen Meighen
1970	The Grasshopper	Christine Adams	Nominated—Laurel Award for Best Female Dramatic Performance
1971	The Mephisto Waltz	Paula Clarkson
1971	Secrets	Jenny
1972	Stand Up and Be Counted	Sheila Hammond
1972	The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean	Rose Bean
1973	The Thief Who Came to Dinner	Laura Keaton
1973	Day for Night	Julie Baker	Original title: La nuit américaine
1973	Le Magnifique	Tatiana/Christine	AKA How to Destroy the Reputation of the Greatest Secret Agent...
1974	Murder on the Orient Express	Countess Andreyni
1975	The Spiral Staircase	Helen Mallory
1975	End of the Game	Anna Crawley	Original title: Der Richter und sein Henker
1975	The Sunday Woman	Anna Carlo Dosio	Original title: La donna della domenica
1976	St. Ives	Janet Whistler
1977	The Deep	Gail Berke
1978	The Greek Tycoon	Liz Cassidy
1978	Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?	Natasha O'Brien	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1980	When Time Ran Out	Kay Kirby
1981	Inchon	Barbara Hallsworth
1981	Rich and Famous	Liz Hamilton
1983	Class	Ellen Burroughs
1984	Under the Volcano	Yvonne Firmin	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1984	Forbidden	Nina von Halder	Nominated—CableACE Award for Actress in a Movie or Miniseries
1985	Anna Karenina	Anna Karenina	TV film
1986	Choices	Marisa Granger	TV film
1987	High Season	Katherine Shaw
1987	Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story	Josephine de Beauharnais	TV mini-series
1988	La maison de Jade	Jane Lambert
1989	Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills	Clare Lipkin
1990	Wild Orchid	Claudia Dennis
1991	The Maid	Nicole Chantrelle	TV film, original title: Un amour de banquier
1991	Rossini! Rossini!	Isabella Colbran
1993	Corrupt Justice	Holly McPhee	AKA CrimeBroker
1993	Les marmottes	Frédérique
1995	La Cérémonie	Catherine Lelievre	Nominated—César Award for Best Supporting Actress
1996	September	Pandora	TV film
1996	Once You Meet a Stranger	Sheila Gaines	TV film
1997	End of Summer	Christine Van Buren	TV film
1998	Dangerous Beauty	Paola Franco
1999	Let the Devil Wear Black	Helen Lyne
1999	Witch Hunt	Barbara Thomas	TV film
1999	Joan of Arc	Isabelle d'Arc	TV mini-series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1999	Hey Arnold!	Madame Parvenu	Voice only; Episode: "Grudge Match/Polishing Rhonda"
1999	Jesus	Mary	TV film
2000	Britannic	Lady Lewis	TV film
2000	Les gens qui s'aiment	Angie
2000	Sex & Mrs. X	Madame Simone	TV film
2000	In the Beginning	Sarah	TV film
2001	The Sleepy Time Gal	Frances
2001	New Years Day	Geraldine
2001– 2002	Ally McBeal	Frances Shaw	2 episodes
2002	Dancing at the Harvest Moon	Maggie Webber	TV film
2003	America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story	Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis	TV film
2003	Latter Days	Lila Montagne
2003	Swing	Christine / Mrs. DeLuca
2003	Law & Order: SVU	Juliet Barclay	Episode: "Control"
2004	The Survivors Club	Carol Rosen	TV film
2004	Fascination	Maureen Doherty
2005	The Fine Art of Love: Mine Ha-Ha'	Headmistress
2005	Domino	Sophie Wynn
2005	Summer Solstice	Alexia White	TV film
2006	Save the Last Dance 2	Monique Delacroix
2006	Nip/Tuck	James LeBeau	7 episodes
2007	Carolina Moon	Margaret Lavelle	TV film
2008	Death in Love	Mother	Boston Film Festival Best Actress Ibiza International Film Festival – Best Actress
2008	An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving	Isabella	Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
2009	The Eastmans	Emma Eastman	CBS pilot
2010	The Last Film Festival	Claudia Benvenuti
2010	An Old Fashioned Christmas	Isabella	TV film^[17]
2011	Rizzoli & Isles	Constance Isles	TV series Guest arc^[18]
2012	Two Jacks	Diana – 20 years later
2013	Dancing on the Edge	Lady Lavinia Cremone	BBC mini-series Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2014	Welcome to New York	Simone (representing Anne Sinclair)	Inspired by the Domnique Strauss-Kahn affair.