Jessica Lange went from a small-town Minnesota girl to a Hollywood icon. She even battled depression but found solace in her children. As she approaches retirement, the actress has received mixed comments about her looks, but that hasn’t affected her career.
Born in 1949 in Cloquet, Minnesota, Jessica Lange’s life was conventional until she got the lead in “King Kong.” Now in her 70s, the actress has dealt with mental health struggles and strange comments from online users about Botox. But that hasn’t stopped her from going forward and living as she wants. Let’s discover more!
Lange’s Rise to Stardom
It’s rare for a new actress to make a splash in the industry so early, but Lange was so good in her first role that she was likened to several Hollywood icons, from Margaux Hemingway to Carole Lombard.
However, the actress was uncomfortable with some of these comparisons, particularly the one to Marilyn Monroe.
She stated, “Dino said I’m going to be the next Marilyn Monroe, and that really upsets me. She was a tragic figure who led a tragic life and who wasn’t taken as the serious artist she was. I don’t want to compete with her memory or with anyone.”
However, this opened many doors in the industry. The actress’s ascent to Hollywood stardom was as dramatic as the characters she would later interpret.
Lange’s early life was characterized by frequent moves due to her father’s work as a traveling salesman. This unsettled childhood perhaps contributed to her later restlessness and desire for adventure.
After studying art briefly at the University of Minnesota, Lange took a bold step by moving to Paris to study drama. Upon returning to the United States, she settled in New York, working as a model to make ends meet.
It was during this time that fate intervened in the form of producer Dino De Laurentiis. He cast her as the female lead in the 1976 remake of “King Kong.”
The producer desperately needed to find a fresh face for the lead role and called modeling agencies. At the time, Lange was sent to the audition on short notice. She showed up with braces and pale cheeks but impressed everyone in the room.
The film came with mixed reviews but catapulted Lange into the spotlight. However, the sudden fame came as a shock. As Lange recalled, “I’d always been poor,” until De Laurentiis offered her a six-figure deal that also tied her to a seven-year contract.
This sudden shift from struggling model to movie star was a lot to process for the young actress. But her talent couldn’t be denied.
The Danger and Injury from ‘King Kong’
Jessica Lange’s breakout role was almost meant to be. However, she quickly learned the downside of being in a movie. She spent eight months working 12-hour days, often acting against thin air where the giant ape would later be added.
As she recalled, “I had to play to the ceiling or to the wall or to the floor.” She also discovered the physical dangers of filmmaking. The production, which featured a 40-foot hydraulic monster operated by 20 technicians, posed real risks to the young actress.
One particular incident occurred when one of Kong’s massive 1,650-pound arms nearly broke Lange’s neck. This close call left her with a painfully pinched nerve that persisted long after the shoot wrapped.
In 1977, Lange told People that what she’d been through that year was “quite extraordinary,” but it hadn’t yet “sunk in.”
The physical toll of the shoot, combined with the emotional strain of instant fame, left Lange needing time to decompress and process her whirlwind entry into Hollywood.
Therefore, after the film’s release, she retreated to a modest three-bedroom cottage near the Pacific, surrounded by houseplants and her pet Scottish Terrier, Jake.
This period of recovery and reflection was crucial for the young actress as she navigated the aftermath of her breakout role and contemplated her future in the industry.
Moving on from ‘King Kong’
After taking a brief hiatus, she returned to the screen with a small but impactful role in Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz” (1979). This was followed by a string of critically acclaimed performances that firmly established her as a serious actress.
She delivered a powerful portrayal of Frances Farmer in “Frances.” Later, she won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in “Tootsie,” which also starred Dustin Hoffman.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Lange continued to play challenging and diverse characters. She portrayed country singer Patsy Cline in “Sweet Dreams” (1985) and she was a lawyer uncovering her father’s past in “Music Box” (1989).
Her role as the mentally unbalanced wife of a military officer in “Blue Sky” (1994) earned her another Academy Award. But Lange’s talent wasn’t confined to the silver screen.
In 1992, she made her Broadway debut as Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Her career continuously flourished in the 2000s and 2010s, with “American Horror Story” and “Feud: Bette and Joan.”
What made this possible was Lange’s smart decision to avoid repetitive characters. She didn’t want to be typecast, which was the total opposite of what many actors in her generation did.
When talks of a “King Kong” sequel arose years ago, Lange was adamant about not participating. “Artistically,” she declared, “it would be redundant.” This decision clearly paid off.
Becoming a Photographer
The Oscar winner’s artistic talents extend beyond the silver screen. In 2008, she unveiled a new facet of her creativity with the publication of her first collection of black-and-white shots, “50 Photographs.”
This book marked Lange’s official debut as a photographer, and her work quickly gained recognition.
In 2009, the George Eastman House, the oldest international museum of photography and film, presented an exhibition of her work alongside a series of her films.
This prestigious institution honored Lange with the first George Eastman Honors Award, acknowledging her contribution to film and photography.
Her passion for this craft continued to grow, leading to the publication of her second collection, “In Mexico,” in 2010. Lange’s lens beautifully captured the essence of the Latin American country.
In 2013, she combined her love for photography with her experience as a grandmother to release a children’s book of images titled “It’s About a Little Bird.”
Her fourth book, “Highway 61,” was published in 2019, featuring pictures taken along U.S. Route 61. This is a road with deep personal significance for the Minnesota-born actress.
Most recently, Lange published her fifth book of photography, “Dérive,” in October 2022. This collection showcased images taken during her walks through New York City during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Lange embraced the concept of dérive, or drift, allowing herself to be drawn by the attractions of the terrain without a predetermined destination.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the Oscar winner described how photography provided solace during the challenging lockdown period.
