UK actress born 1944 .

Date of Birth

13 September 1944, Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK

Birth Name

Winnifred Jacqueline Fraser-Bisset

Jacqueline Bisset has been a renowned international film star since the late 1960s. She was first noted as a stunning on-screen beauty, but over time has become known as a fine actress respected by fans and critics alike.

Her somewhat French-sounding name has led many to assume that she is from France, but she was brought up in England and had to study to learn French. Her mother was French and was an attorney before being married; her father was a doctor. As a child Jacqueline studied ballet. During her teenage years her father left the family when her mother was diagnosed with disseminating sclerosis; Jacqueline worked as a model to support her ailing mother and eventually her parents divorced, an experience she has said she considered character-strengthening. She took an early interest in film, and her modeling career helped pay for acting lessons.

Jacqueline was first seen as an extra in The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965), and made her "official" cinema debut in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac (1966). In 1967, after appearing in Stanley Donen's Two for the Road (1967) and playing Miss Goodthighs in the popular James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967), she had her first leading role in the otherwise unmemorable The Cape Town Affair (1967). Her career got a boost in 1968 when Mia Farrow unexpectedly dropped out of the shooting of The Detective (1968); Farrow's marriage to co-star Frank Sinatra was on the rocks, and the role was given to Bisset. That same year, she received a Golden Globe nomination for the counterculture drama The Sweet Ride (1968), and played Steve McQueen's girlfriend in the action classic Bullitt (1968), which was a box office smash and gave her tremendous exposure. Following a critically acclaimed turn in the little-seen drama The Grasshopper (1969), Jacqueline was featured in the ensemble cast of the trend-setting disaster film Airport (1970), where she played a pregnant stewardess carrying Dean Martin's love child. Frustrated with being cast in such "window dressing" parts, Jacqueline often returned to Europe for more compelling projects. As was the case in 1973, when, by self-declaration, she had her most fulfilling role in François Truffaut's arthouse masterpiece Day for Night (1973). Back in the United States, Jacqueline's stunning looks and figure made quite a splash in The Deep (1977), with her underwater swimming scenes inspiring the wet T-shirt craze. She got a second Golden Globe nomination for the comedy Too Many Chefs (1978), and acted with Anthony Quinn in The Greek Tycoon (1978). In 1981 she co-produced and starred in George Cukor's last film, Rich and Famous (1981), which was a flop. On the other hand, she scored a minor hit with the comedy Class (1983), playing Rob Lowe's sexy mother who seduces her son's best friend. Although Jacqueline received a third Golden Globe nomination as Albert Finney's wife in John Huston's Under the Volcano (1984), her Hollywood career started to fade shortly thereafter. Making the transition from leading lady to character actress, she took roles in a number of made-for-TV and independent films during the 1990s and 2000s. She was nominated for a César award, the French equivalent of the Oscar, as best supporting actress for La Cérémonie (1995), and received an Emmy nomination for her role in the miniseries Joan of Arc (1999) (TV). She was also very good in the Biblical epics Jesus (1999) (TV) and In the Beginning (2000) (TV), playing Mary of Nazareth and Sarah, wife of Abraham, respectively. On the big screen, she played Keira Knightley's mother in Tony Scott's action film Domino (2005). In 2006 Jacqueline had a juicy recurring role as a ruthless extortionist on "Nip/Tuck" (2003) during its fourth season. More recently, she gave a delightful performance in the uplifting TV movie An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving (2008) (TV).

Jacqueline has never married, but has been involved in several long-term romantic relationships. She continues to make numerous films, and frequently participates in film festivals and award ceremonies around the world

Her first job was a waitress in a Chinese restaurant.

Favorite films: Brief Encounter (1945), Splendour in the Grass (1961).

Favorite actresses: Jeanne Moreau, Jessica Lange

Favorite actors: Marlon Brando, Anthony Hopkins, Montgomery Clift

Considers her most fulfilling role to be "Julie" in François Truffaut's French film "Day for Night" (Day for Night (1973).

Her favorite scene: fighting with Anthony Quinn in The Greek Tycoon (1978).

Godmother of actress Angelina Jolie.

Measurements: 36C-24-36 1/2 (as starlet 1973), 37C-25-36 (filming The Deep (1977) (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2001

No relation to Josie Bissett.

She said her last name is pronounced "Bissit" and rhymes with "Kiss it".

Had relationships with Michael Sarrazin, Victor Drai, Alexander Godunov, Vincent Perez and Emin Boztepe.

Reignited her romance with Emin Boztepe two years after they broke up in 2005. The split for good in 2008, but on friendly terms.

Said she politely turned down advances from her "Detective" costar Frank Sinatra (because of his "hot reputation") and a dance with Marlon Brando (because she was there with another man).

Narrated a documentary, "An American Rebel," about her friend and Bullitt (1968) costar Steve McQueen.

Drives a vintage Cadillac El Dorado convertible, which she bought used in 1976.

Her father, Max Sr., was a doctor who died of a brain tumor in 1982. Her mother, Arlette, died in 1999.

Her parents divorced in 1968 after 28 years of marriage.

Has one brother, Max, who is a retired car dealer.

Her primary residence is in Benedict Canyon.

Was a close friend of Sharon Tate and her widower, Roman Polanski.

Early in her career, near the end of the studio system, she turned down a three-year contract with 20th Century Fox, because she didn't like the idea of being "owned" by a corporation.

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