Derek's next film, directed by her husband, "Tarzan, the Ape Man" (1981) was an extreme disappointment. Sadly, for making such a big splash in a widely loved film, Derek's post-"10" movies were not well-received by either the public or critics. Needless to say, it was a popular selling issue. The 12-page spread and cover featured all nude shots of Derek sailing, swimming and playing with her pet greyhound. Derek changed all that, helping women ring in the eighties with beaded hair braids.Īt her husband's svengali behest, Derek made the first of many appearances in Playboy, beginning with a March, 1980 issue - her husband, of course, serving as photographer for the pictorial. Apart from her likeness adorning many a fraternity wall, women were equally as taken with her beaded and plaited cornrow hairstyle in the film - a style not widely adopted previously by white women. Her appearance in the popular sex farce shot her to instant stardom and pushed her past Suzanne Somers and Farrah Fawcett to hold the crown of sex symbol du jour. Through much public scorn and few cinematic triumphs, the couple defied their critics, remaining happily married until John's death in 1998.Īfter "Orca," Derek and her cornrows co-starred in "10," vying with a foul-mouthed Julie Andrews for Dudley Moore's attention. Even though he was 30 years her senior, John left his then wife, Linda Evans (a virtual twin of his new girlfriend) and married the young beauty.
#TARZAN THE APE MAN 1981 NUDITY MOVIE#
Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how one views the film - Derek turned down the role that made Jessica Lange an overnight star in the 1976 remake of "King Kong." Instead, her first role was in "Orca: The Killer Whale" (1977), and although the movie was less than memorable, she made a deep impression on actor/director John Derek, who noticed her in the film. While she was hobnobbing backstage at one of Ann-Margret's Las Vegas shows, Derek met a theatrical agent who insisted she should be in pictures. She began modeling professionally at 15, before making the natural progression into commercials. Modeling didn't particularly interest Derek at first, until she determined that the money would help her buy a new surfboard. While growing up, people often told Derek she should be a model - being blonde, blue-eyed with an incredible figure, she certainly fit the formula.
Christened Mary Cathleen Collins, she was known as Cathleen or Cathy. 20, 1956, in Long Beach, CA to Paul and Norma Collins, this true "California girl" was the oldest of four children, followed by a brother and two sisters. More a celebrity than a renowned actress, Derek nonetheless captured the imagination of the public - particularly the male set - for years, while at the same time, inspired ridicule for her and her husband, actor-turned-director John Derek's notorious, borderline X-rated feature films throughout the early 1980s.īorn Nov. A breathtaking blonde actress who was once called "the most beautiful woman in the world," Bo Derek was forever immortalized on film by that simple shot heard round the world - running in slow motion on the beach in a flesh-colored swimsuit, cornrows flapping gently behind her in Blake Edwards' comic masterpiece, "10" (1979).