Actress - From Bond girl to Oscar winner: Kim Basinger turns 70
Kim Basinger has not been seen in front of the camera for several years. The actress, who turns 70 on Friday (December 8), also largely avoids appearances on the red carpet or interviews.
This is partly due to an anxiety disorder that she has not yet fully overcome, Basinger said recently, when she made an exception for actress Jada Pinkett Smith and her "Red Table Talk". "I didn't leave the house. I didn't go out to eat anymore. I had to learn how to drive again. Everything made me nervous, everything became a big thing that I had to figure out how to do."
Yet Basinger was in the spotlight for decades. She made it from Bond girl to Oscar winner, something no one had managed before her. In 1983, she turned the heads of millions of viewers worldwide as James Bond, mostly half-naked, in "Never Say Never" alongside Sean Connery. 14 years later, she was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the sophisticated gangster film "L.A. Confidential".
Successful as a model
Basinger was born in the US state of Georgia in 1953, the daughter of a musician and an actress. Her mother sent her to ballet at the age of three and later supported the 16-year-old's first steps as a model. Basinger won several beauty contests, eventually dropped out of university and became a professional and well-paid model. She went to New York, took acting lessons and got her first roles, including in the series "Three Angels for Charlie".
Her role as a Bond girl in 1983 was her breakthrough, and a few years later the erotic film "9 1/2 Weeks" made her a global star for good. However, she turned down the leading role in "Basic Instinct", which then made Sharon Stone world-famous. In the 2000s and 2010s, her roles became smaller, and most recently she received lousy reviews for appearances in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series. But she loves the work despite everything, Basinger said at the time. "I feel very lucky to have been in the film business for so long and to still be in it."
Complicated family circumstances
In 1993, after a first failed marriage to make-up artist Ron Snyder, Basinger married her acting colleague Alec Baldwin, who was one of Hollywood's most sought-after dream couples at the time. Their daughter Ireland was born in 1995. But in 2002, the marriage dramatically broke down and a legal battle over Ireland's custody that made headlines for years began.
In the meantime, however, the three of them are getting along again, even if it is not always easy, said Basinger and her daughter Ireland, who now works successfully as a model, in "Red Table Talk". The main roles for Basinger are now played by her private life, including boyfriend Mitch Stone, and her commitment to animal welfare. She lives in southern California near Ireland, where they spend a lot of time by the sea and with their many pets, with music and books. Basinger also writes books herself, especially children's books.
She has made peace with her life and her career, says Basinger. "We all have our challenges, our ups and downs, our successes and failures, but it's all a process, and over time I've learned to like my journey in life and be grateful for everything. I have learned a lot and will continue to learn until I leave this planet. I have no regrets."
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Source: www.stern.de
