Angie Dickinson is a former actress and TV personality. Throughout her six-decade career, she has appeared in more than 50 films. Dickinson is best known for her roles in the films ‘Dressed to Kill’ and ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ as well as the hit television series ‘Police Woman’.
Acting career
A casting agent noticed Dickinson at a local preliminary for the Miss America contest, and she was hired as one of six showgirls on The Jimmy Durante Show. The exposure led to her being noticed by a television industry producer, who encouraged her to consider a career in acting. She made her television acting debut in an episode of ‘Death Valley Days’.
Her breakthrough role came in 1959 when she starred in Howard Hawks’ western drama ‘Rio Bravo’. Despite this success, she was unable to capitalize on it. Warner Brothers purchased her contract from Hawks while she was still under contract. She played the wife of Frank Sinatra’s character in the comedy crime caper ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ in 1960. Dickinson co-starred with Lee Marvin and John Cassavetes in the crime drama ‘The Killers (1964)’ from this era. In 1966, she co-starred in The Chase with Marlon Brando.
‘Police Story’ crime drama
In March 1974, Dickinson returned to the small screen for an episode of the critically acclaimed hit anthology series ‘Police Story’. Dickinson’s guest appearance was so successful that NBC offered her a television show, which became a ground-breaking weekly television series. Dickinson was based on Police Sgt. Leann’ Pepper’ Anderson, a Los Angeles Police Department officer who frequently works undercover. It reached number one in many countries where it was broadcast during its first year. Dickinson won a Golden Globe Award and received Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series for three consecutive years. Dickinson, however, regrets having done the series since the remuneration was inadequate, and it left her little time for other projects.
Returning to the big screen
Dickinson’s career in feature films began to decline in the 1980s, but she made a big-screen comeback with the erotic thriller ‘Dressed to Kill (1980)’, directed by Brian De Palma. She received considerable recognition for her role in that film, particularly for a long, silent scene in a museum before her character meets her fate. Her next movie was ‘Death Hunt (1981)’, in which she reunited with Lee Marvin. She also appeared in Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen
Dickinson made a more fantastic sensation on the small screen with the 1993 miniseries’ Wild Palms,’ after other television movies and guest appearances. In the episode, directed and produced by Oliver Stone, she portrayed a seductive villain. She has only made sporadic appearances in films and on television since then.
Personal life
Angine Dickinson married a former football player Gene Dickinson in 1952, and they divorced in 1960. After her first divorce, she kept her married name. In 1965, she married composer, Burt Bacharach. After 15 years of marriage, they had a period of separation during which they dated other people. They had a daughter, Lea Nikki. After years of dealing with vision problems and Asperger’s, Nikki took her own life in 2007.
Dickinson is rumored to have been involved with a number of well-known figures, including Frank Sinatra and President John F. Kennedy. She also dated actor, Glenn Ford and television interviewer Larry King. Dickinson lives alone now in Beverly Hills.
Below are some gorgeous photos of young Angine Dickinson from early life and career.
