Today marks the 69th birthday of one of my favorite actresses of all time, Kathleen Turner. She blazed onto the silver screen in 1981 with “Body Heat” and became one of the most sought after actresses in Hollywood.
Rather than allow herself to get typecast, she focused on selecting roles that were daring and showcased her acting chops. In “The Man with Two Brains” (1983), she played the money-grubbing Dolores who marries brain surgeon Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin) for two reasons: his money and her love of torturing men. She withholds sex from her husband but gives it up freely for his landscaper, Juan (Russell Orozco).
“Romancing the Stone” followed and catapulted her fame even higher. Her follow-up to that was the wacky “Crimes of Passion” (1984). As a fashion designer by day/hooker by night, this one has to be seen to be believed.
“Prizzi’s Honor” (1985) is a favorite of mine. Turner portrays a hitter who falls for Jack Nicholson, also in the same profession. Like most of her roles, her characters love passionately, but in the end, their need for self-preservation (and often wealth) win out in the end.
“Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986) works in spite of the fact that she was a 32 year old woman portraying a high school senior. As in “Grease,” the surrounding cast were also much older than the characters that they portrayed. Other than that, it is a sweet, charming film for which Turner was deservedly nominated for an Oscar.
“The Accidental Tourist” (1988) is a sad yet hopeful story of what happens when the death of a child tears a marriage apart but allows the couple to live a more authentic life by pursuing what they truly want.
“War of the Roses” (1989) is my very favorite Turner film. She really should have won an Oscar for this one; she and Michael Douglas gave a painfully accurate portrayal of what happens in a disintegrating marriage where one partner feels unheard, ignored, and unappreciated.
“Serial Mom” (1994) runs a close second. “Suzanne Somers, this is my BAD side!” is one of many lines that Turner delivers with relish in this John Waters movie.
I had the honor of meeting Kathleen backstage after she acted in the short-lived Broadway play, “High” back in 2011. She was engaging in conversation and gracious up to a point, and then it was time for us to leave. This was not hard to imagine after having just finished her performance.
I hope we continue to see her continue her craft and creating memorable characters for many years to come!
See more Kathleen Turner photos at my main website.
