On her 66th birthday, we look at the cinematic style of one of Hollywood's most desirable women
Born in Cloquet, Minnesota, Jessica Phillys Lange was working as a model when she was cast for her first film, 1976's mega hit King Kong (for which she received her first Golden Globe nomination). While she subsequently landed a few acting jobs, it was her 1981 role in the remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, starring alongside Jack Nicholson, that earned her Hollywood's respect. In 1982, she became the first actress in 40 years to receive a double Academy Awards nomination – and that night, she took home the golden statuette for her supporting role as soap opera star Julie Nichols in Tootsie. From a second Oscar win in 1994 for her leading role in Blue Sky to her more recent award-winning performances in the acclaimed television series American Horror Story, Lange has shown no sign of slowing down. Today, on her 66th birthday, we celebrate a lifetime of achievements by bringing you our favourite Jessica Lange style moments on film in a three-step guide to, as Roger Ebert put it, “looking long-legged, sexy and composed”.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
It may have been Lange’s looks that initially earned her the role, but her performance in Bob Rafaelson’s version of the 1940s noir thriller The Postman Always Rings Twice proved to be a momentous one. A reprisal of Lana Turner’s role of Cora Smith, Lange plays the unfaithful, self-destructive wife of a Greek diner proprietor, who she conspires to murder. In the steamy, hyper-realistic kitchen table sex scene between Lange and lover Jack Nicholson, she looks dangerously sensuous in an ironically virginal white halter top and apron, making her perfect incarnation of the femme fatale.
Frances (1982)
Telling the true and tragic story of 1930s Hollywood starlet Frances Farmer, Graeme Glifford’s eponymous biopic sees Lange deliver a moving performance in the title role. Retracing Farmer’s journey from high school belle to her rise to fame – from candid lace dresses to glamorous chiffon gowns and somber tailleurs – Lange’s splendid portrayal of the troubled teenage star is drenched with fearless beauty and raw emotions.
All That Jazz (1979)
In Bob Fosse’s autobiographical film, Lange plays Angelique, the protagonist’s deadly vision. Statuesque and ethereal in her embroidered sheer gown and wide-brimmed white hat, Lange’s mysterious character engages with Fosse’s alter ego Joe Gideon, a drug-using Don Juan, in dreamlike conversations about his life. With her corpse bride skin and cherry lips, there’s a softness and stylishness about her – look no further for Lange at her glowering best.
