Biography: Stephanie Beacham

Stephanie Michel Beacham (born 28 February 1947) is a British television, film and theatre actress.

Early life

Beacham, one of four children, was born in Barnet, England,^[1] the daughter of Joan, a housewife, and a father who was an insurance executive and the managing director of the Grosvenor estate.^[2]

Shortly after birth, she was diagnosed as being completely deaf in her right ear, as her mother had contracted chickenpox during her pregnancy. She has about 75% of normal hearing capacity in her left ear. After leaving her girls' (Roman Catholic) church school, St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School, Beacham travelled to Boulogne-Billancourt in Paris, France to study mime with Étienne Decroux, before attending Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Career

Beacham's initial goal was to teach dance movement to deaf children, but she began a career in modelling, and was then cast for several parts in films. During an interview, thinking Barnet sounded uninteresting, she told a reporter from the Darlington Echo she was born in Casablanca, where her favourite Bogart/Bergman film was set.^[1]

After many appearances in television series such as The Saint and Jason King, Beacham's first major film role was opposite Marlon Brando in 1971's The Nightcomers directed by Michael Winner. Beacham appeared nude in one scene, during the filming of which under the bed clothes Brando wore Y-fronts and wellington boots to ensure Winner didn't film anything lower than was necessary.^[3] She was subsequently cast as Jessica Van Helsing in Hammer's Dracula AD 1972 alongside Peter Cushing.

Beacham's next role was as a repertory player with the Nottingham Playhouse, where she played several lead and feature roles, including the role of Nora in the Henrik Ibsen play A Doll's House. In 1973, she played Georgina Layton in Thames Television's first daytime drama Marked Personal. The same year, she made an Itialian film; Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff? The film was released in the US in 1977 as Mafia Junction and in the UK as Blue Movie Blackmail. It was later released on home video, now retitled Super Bitch as the producers of the film attempted to capitalise on the success of the Joan Collins film The Bitch. Other genre movies Beacham made included And Now the Screaming Starts (1973), House of Mortal Sin (1974), Schizo (1976) and Inseminoid (1981) - a film she admits taking for the fee.^[4]

From 1981-82, Beacham featured as a member of the ensemble cast of the BBC series Tenko, a critically acclaimed series about a group of female prisoners of war held captive by the Japanese after their invasion of Singapore in 1942. Following this, Beacham won the lead role in the 13-part ITV drama series Connie (1985). Her roles in Tenko and Connie helped to springboard her into one of her most well-remembered roles, that of the devious matriarch Sable Colby on the television series The Colbys, for which she was paid a basic salary of £25,000 per week.^[5] A spin-off series of the opulent prime-time soap Dynasty which had been the no. 1 programme in the USA that year, Beacham was cast opposite Charlton Heston as the tent-pole couple of the new show. However, The Colbys never experienced the success of its parent show, and was cancelled after only two series. In 1988, Beacham was invited to reprise the role of Sable on Dynasty, now playing opposite Joan Collins in a season-long "battle of the bitches" scenario, but the show was nearing the end of its run and it too was cancelled the following year.

After the series finished, Beacham landed the lead role in the children's fantasy film The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, playing an evil governess. She was then cast in the series Sister Kate, taking the lead role as a nun taking care of children in an orphanage. The series lasted for one season and was cancelled in 1990. She then returned to Britain to play Mrs. Peacock in an ITV game show version of the board game Cluedo (1990). Reuniting with Dynasty producer Aaron Spelling, Beachum also had a recurring guest role in the popular teen drama Beverly Hills 90210, playing Iris McKay, the estranged mother of Luke Perry's character. Beacham eventually appeared in at least six different television series produced by Spelling, including Dynasty, The Colbys, The Love Boat, Beverly Hills 90210, Burke's Law, and Charmed.

In 1993, Beacham signed on to play Dr. Kristin Westphalen in the NBC sci-fi series seaQuest DSV, produced by Steven Spielberg. Her character was the chief oceanographer and medical doctor for the submarine seaQuest, however Beacham left the programme after its first series. Throughout the 1990s, Beacham continued to make guest appearances on television programmes, working in both the UK and the US. In 1996 she starred in the BBC wartime drama No Bananas which was set during the years of World War II.

In 2003, Beacham returned to the UK to take a role in the ITV prison drama Bad Girls. She played inmate Phyl Oswyn for four years, partnered with Amanda Barrie as the "Costa Cons", first appearing in series five, until the final series in 2006. She also appeared in the 2006 movie Love and Other Disasters.

Beacham then returned to stage work and toured the UK as a lead in the Noel Coward play Hay Fever. She competed in the 2007 series of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Vincent Simone; she was the first female celebrity voted out of the competition.

On 27 November 2008 it was announced that Beacham had joined the cast of ITV's Coronation Street .^[6][7] Her storyline was broadcast in spring 2009, for which she was reportedly paid a six-figure sum.^[5]

Beacham took part in the final series of the UK's Celebrity Big Brother, which began on 3 January 2010. She finished in 5th place. In March 2010, Beacham will make a guest appearance in the long-running BBC1 hospital drama series Casualty.^[8]

Other work

Beacham was involved in launching the Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association Fill in the Gaps campaign^[9] which aims to give the elderly the support they need to maintain a good quality of life. She also attended a parliamentary launch of the campaign in June 2006.

Personal life

Beacham was married to fellow actor John McEnery between 1973 and 1978. They had two children together, Phoebe and Chloe, whom she raised from toddlers on her own.^[1]

Beacham is resident in on Point Dume in Malibu, California,^[10][4] and has homes in London and Morocco.^[1]

In 2008 she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, which was successfully removed.^[11]

Beacham is writing her autobiography, a book delayed by her appearance in Coronation Street.^[5]

Filmography

• The Queen's Traitor (1967)
• The Saint (1967)
• The Jazz Age (1968)
• Armchair Theatre (1969)
• Public Eye (1969)
• Callan (1970)
• The Games (1970)
• Sentimental Education (1970)
• UFO (1970)
• Tam Lin (1970)
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1971)
• The Nightcomers (1971)
• The Aries Computer (1972)
• Jason King (1972)
• Dracula AD 1972 (1972)
• Man at the Top (1972)
• The Adventurer (1973)
• Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff? (1973)
• The Protectors (1973)
• And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)
• Special Branch (1973)
• Jane Eyre (1973)
• Ego Hugo (1973)
• Napoleon and Love (1973)
• Marked Personal (1973 - 1974)
• Prometheus: The Life of Balzac (1975)
• House of Whipcord (1976)
• Hadleigh (1976)
• Schizo (1976)
• Inseminoid (1981)
• Tenko (1981 - 1982)
• Sorrell and Son (1984)
• Connie (1985)
• Dynasty (1985, 1988 - 1989)
• The Colbys (1985 - 1987)
• The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (film) (1989)
• Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
• Sister Kate (1989 - 1990)
• Lucky Chances (1990)
• Beverly Hills, 90210 (occasional - 1991 - 1998)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1 episode - 1993)
• Cluedo (1990)
• Secrets (1992)
• seaQuest DSV (1993 - 1994)
• No Bananas (1996)
• Charmed (1 episode - 2000)
• Relative Values (2000)
• The Witches Hammer (2006)
• Love and Other Disasters (2006)
• Bad Girls (2003 - 2006)
• New Tricks (TV series) (1 episode - 2006)
• Coronation Street (2009)
• Celebrity Big Brother (2010)
• Material Girl (TV series) (2010)
• Casualty (TV series) (2010)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} (2007-01-28)"Moroccan dynasty". The Times. 2007-01-28. http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/overseas/article1272125.ece. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 
2. ^ Stephanie Beacham Biography (1947-)
3. ^ The One Show, BBC One - July 15th, 2009
4. ^ ^{a b} (2003-06-18)"Living in the pink". The Guardian. 2003-06-18. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/jun/18/tvandradio.g2. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} (2008-11-28)"Stephanie Beacham: 'Look out, Ken Barlow - I've given up toyboys!'". Daily Mail. 2008-11-28. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1090119/Stephanie-Beacham-Look-Ken-Barlow--Ive-given-toyboys.html. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 
6. ^ (2009-01-25)"Stephanie Beacham exclusive on her journey from The Colbys to the Coronation Street cobbles". Sunday Mirror. 2009-01-25. http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/01/25/stephanie-beacham-exclusive-on-her-journey-from-the-colbys-to-the-coronation-street-cobbles-115875-21070079/. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 
7. ^ "Stephanie Beacham joins Corrie". digitalspy.co.uk. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a136922/stephanie-beacham-joins-corrie.html. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 
8. ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/02/03/celebrity-big-brother-star-stephanie-beacham-comes-a-cropper-in-her-guest-role-in-casualty-115875-22014100/
9. ^ Fill in the Gaps: supporting older people with hearing and sight loss
10. ^ (2007-10-27)"Dynasty star Beacham blames 'greedy' developers for California fires". Daily Mail. 2007-10-27. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-490164/Dynasty-star-Beacham-blames-greedy-developers-California-fires.html. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 
11. ^ (2009-04-06)"Skinasty ... Why Dynasty star Stephanie Beacham will NEVER go without sunblock again". Mail on Sunday. 2009-04-06. http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/health/article-1167486/Skinasty---Why-Dynasty-star-Stephanie-Beacham-NEVER-sunblock-again.html. Retrieved 2009-07-15. 

External links

• Stephanie Beacham at the Internet Movie Database
• Official web site
• Stephanie Beacham at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

Stephanie Beacham main page.