This Day in Indie History: Jessica Lange

by MovieMaker Staff | Published April 19, 2007

The ever-elegant Jessica Lange was born in Minnesota on this day in 1949. Before her screen debut in 1976’s King Kong, Lange had studied art at the University of Minnesota, mime work in Paris and acting in New York. So by the time her screen career took off, Lange became the easily adaptable, graceful addition to any film set, including Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear, Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie, Julie Taymor’s Titus and Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers. Most notable about Lange’s career is the ratio of movies to nominations she has received: In her long and respected career the actress has been honored with five Academy Award nominations and two statues. In 1983 she became the first actress to receive two nominations in one year (Best Actress for Frances and Best Supporting Actress for Tootsie).

Quotable: “I suppose we all have to grow old someday. I just don’t think you got to look bad in the process.” -Jessica Lange, as Carly Marshall in her Oscar-winning performance in Blue Sky, must be following her own advice.