Jessica Lange, 76, was a Hollywood siren who starred in King Kong and Tootsie… see her now

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Jessica Lange is known for starring in some of the most iconic films of the 1970s and 1980s.

She starred in several popular movies, including “King Kong” alongside Jeff Bridges, “The Postman Always Rings Twice” with Jack Nicholson, and “Tootsie” featuring Dustin Hoffman.

She also appeared in stage productions, including performances of Tennessee Williams’ plays like A Streetcar Named Desire alongside Alec Baldwin, and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof with Tommy Lee Jones.

Recently, the actress impressed audiences with her performance as Joan Crawford in the series Feud: Bette and Joan, which depicted Crawford’s famous rivalry with Bette Davis, played by Susan Sarandon.

The legendary 76-year-old was spotted in New York City on Wednesday after a months-long absence. She was dressed in all black with a tan crossbody bag and was seen grabbing a green smoothie.

See what the Oscar-winning actress looks like now…

Lange was born in Minnesota before moving to Paris, where she studied theater and dance.

Fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez discovered her, and she went on to model for the Wilhelmina agency.

Let me tell you, one of the biggest turning points in her life happened back in 1973. She’d moved to New York City, and that’s where fate stepped in! The legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis was on the hunt for a fresh, new face – an ‘ingenue,’ as they say in the business – for his big remake of King Kong. He spotted her, and well, the rest is history!

Lange made her film debut in the 1976 King Kong.

She described her rise to fame as incredibly quick, saying it felt like it happened overnight. She received a call one evening asking her to fly to Los Angeles for a screen test the next morning, and she agreed, seeing it as a chance to visit a new city. She wasn’t thinking about the future at all, just focused on the screen test itself. She got the part, and within a week, she was filming—a process that lasted eleven months, followed by another two or three months of promotional work.

After that, she appeared in the 1980 film How to Beat the High Cost of Living alongside Jane Curtin. The following year, she collaborated with Jack Nicholson on a new version of the film noir classic, The Postman Always Rings Twice.

In 1982, Lange tackled the demanding role of troubled actress Frances Farmer. While filming, she began a relationship with her co-star, Sam Shepard. The intensity of the project left her emotionally exhausted, so she followed it up with a more lighthearted part as a bubbly soap opera actress in the comedy Tootsie, where she was the love interest of Dustin Hoffman’s character.

In 1984, Lange both produced and acted in the film Country, again alongside Shepard. The movie addressed the issues faced by farming families during the agricultural crisis of that time.

The following year, she played the iconic country singer Patsy Cline in the film Sweet Dreams, alongside Ed Harris and John Goodman.

Lange appeared in several films including ‘Crimes of the Heart’ (1986), ‘Far North’ (1988), and ‘Everybody’s All-American’ (1989).

She then worked with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in a remake of Cape Fear (1991).

Jessica Lange delivered compelling performances in the mid-1990s, including her role as an army wife struggling with manic depression in the 1960s film Blue Sky (1994). She followed this with starring roles in Losing Isaiah (1995), alongside Halle Berry, and A Thousand Acres with Michelle Pfeiffer.

Lange appeared alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in the film Hush, and later starred in Julie Taymor’s 1999 movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, called Titus. She then went on to roles in Prozac Nation, Normal, Tim Burton’s Big Fish, Broken Flowers, and Don’t Come Knocking.

In 2009, Lange co-starred as Big Edie, opposite Drew Barrymore, in HBO’s Grey Gardens.

Oh my gosh, Jessica Lange is just incredible! I was SO thrilled when she joined American Horror Story back in 2011, and she’s been amazing in so many seasons since then. But honestly, her performance as Crawford in Feud: Bette and Joan in 2017? Absolutely stunning. Everyone agreed – she was phenomenal!

She appeared in the 2024 FX on Hulu miniseries Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, playing the role of Truman Capote’s mother, Lillie Mae Faulk, who had already passed away.

Rumors are circulating that Jessica Lange might play Marlene Dietrich in a new Netflix film produced by Ryan Murphy. The movie would focus on Dietrich’s life and career during her time performing in Las Vegas.

Lange was married to photographer Francisco ‘Paco’ Grande from 1970 to 1982.

Between 1976 and 1982, she danced with the famous Russian ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov, and together they had a daughter, Aleksandra Lange Baryshnikov (born in 1981), who is also known as Shura.

She also dated choreographer, dancer, actor, filmmaker and stage director Bob Fosse.

In 1982, she began a relationship with playwright Sam Shepard, and together they had two children. Their daughter, Hannah Jane Shepard, was born in 1986, followed by their son, Samuel Walker Shepard, in 1987.

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2025-11-22 18:53