Linda Evans’ story is that of an actress that began her career in 1960 and retired before the end of the last century. More than twenty years after hanging her acting gloves, thousands including a lot of people who didn’t live when she was making waves in Hollywood are still in awe of the life she lived and the career she has had. The story of Linda Evans.
Here are all the facts you just have to know about the Golden Globe Award Winner.
Linda Evans is a Connecticut-born
Linda was born Linda Evenstad in Hartford, Connecticut in the heat of the Second World War in November 1942. Just months old, her parents who were professional dancers moved to Hollywood where Linda grew up, developed a love for acting, attended High School, overcame her shyness, and began her acting pursuits.
Evans has strong Norwegian roots. In fact, her surname Evenstad is a name of her ancestral land in Norway. As of late 2019, Ms. Evans is 77 years old.
Linda Evans’ marriage to John Derek was an epic story
Linda Evans met Hollywood lover boy John Derek in 1965 on the set of one “The Big Valley” which was her major act of the decade. He was a fine actor who hated acting and who was now working to be a director and a photographer. Derek has been married before and was now divorced because his last wife ran away with a dazzling French actor.
When Linda met Evans, he was broke and emotionally weak. She requested to play a lesser role on “The Big Valley” in other to spend more time with her man. She even went on to pay his alimony and child support. The love was real and many began to whisper that this was the love affair of the decade and to suggest that Derek has finally found his soulmate. The two tied the knot in 1968 in Mexico.
In 1973, Derek, Linda, and a sixteen-year-old school drop out traveled to an Island in Greece to shoot a film. Derek began to have an affair with the underage girl on the Island. On Christmas day, he broke the news of his infidelity to his wife and broke her heart. Devastated, she returned home to file for divorce. Derek didn’t come back immediately as he would have been charged with statutory rape since the girl was less than the age of consent. The girl’s name was Collins and she later made international fame for her acting as Bo Derek.
It took Linda Evans years to come to terms with the loss of her husband and to stop mourning. At a point, she prayed for a giant rock to fall on the earth and put an end to the world and her misery.
Linda Evans endured a series of heartbreaks
After Ms. Evans somewhat came to terms with the fact that her husband has fallen for another woman and made her his fourth wife, she remarried. This time she didn’t go for a film person, she married a property executive called Stan Herman. The two got married in 1975. He wasn’t John, he wasn’t her life soulmate. The two divorced in 1979 and went their separate ways.
Ms. Evans didn’t marry again but she had a series of romantic relationships. In the year after her divorce, she began an affair with a non-film person and restaurant executive called Santo Pietro. The two began to live together. Perhaps, they saw no sense in formally tying the knot only to later endure the presence and counsel of divorce lawyers. As they might have expected, they broke up in 1984 after about four years of living as a couple.
Linda went on to have other romantic partners some of whom she lived with as man and wife but not as man and wife including Yanni, the Greek music composer, producer, pianist, and keyboardist. It was in Greece that she was heartbroken and it might be from Greece that her healing would come. Yanni didn’t look it, he is twelve years younger than his lover and Linda was approaching menopause when they met; but this was the type of healing the gods would send, unlikely but perfect.
Yanni ended up becoming Linda’s longest relationship. The two began dating in 1989 and only broke up in 1998, enjoying what should be a happy affair for nine years.
Linda Evans career is a dynasty
Linda Evans began her career in 1960 in an episode of “Bachelor Father” the sitcom on NBC. In all, Evans was part of single-digit films. Her glory came on TV. In 1965 up to ’69, she was a major part of “The Big Valley” the western drama series set in early nineteenth-century California. She played her part in 112 episodes. There were dozens of other TV series.
Then in 1981, her dynasty began. The “Dynasty” is one of the most loved series of the late quarter of the 20th century. It aired on ABC prime time for nine seasons which translated to nine years on the set. Linda played the role of Krystie Carrington, the secretary now Wife of an oil magnate played by the actor John Forsythe whom Linda would later admit to having a huge crush on.
For her role, Evans won Golden Globe Award for Best Actress –in a Television Series Drama in 1982 and two People’s Choice Awards. She got a handful of nominations including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Linda Evans has the idiopathic edema disease
Linda Evans was diagnosed with Idiopathic edema, a disease that causes extreme back pains. To get a cure for this disease, Linda Evans dabbled on alternative healing, Eastern philosophy, and naturopathy. She claims that to be healthy, she needs her body, mind, soul, and spirit in alignment. The controversial and spiritual healer T.Z Knight is her healer and she resides in Washington to be near his school of healing.
Living near her is her ex-stepdaughter and John Derek’s estrangled daughter and TV writer Sean Catherine Derek.
Big Brother UK lusted after her
In 2014, Big Brother UK fighting to remain relevant and to win the viewership of the older folks, decided to bring in some endearing old folks. Endearing, so they settled for the name of Linda Evans who was then 71 years old. They were willing to pay half a million dollars to make this happen. Ms. Evans didn’t enter the show and no one made public what went wrong. Perhaps she said no or she said hell no, or she said fuck off.
We can never know which.
She earned a loot
She learned a lot from her times as a movie star. She earned a lot. This we typed above but it came out as a loot and we just let it be for indeed it was a loot. She made so much for a career that didn’t enter the 21st century, for a career that had only two or three major characterizations, for a career that didn’t see the obscene amount the likes of Amazon are ready to pay actors to make movies.
Linda Evans is worth 30 whopping million dollars.
Image source: M. Predators
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