Jacqueline Bisset is an actress that has been around the Hollywood block more than a
few times. Back during the height of her fame, the star was considered to be one of the most
beautiful in all of Hollywood. Jacqueline’s immense beauty has seen her romantically
pursued by stars such as Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brandon, but her picky romantic tastes proved
impenetrable for the two icons. Jacqueline is also the godmother of Angelina Jolie,
and she’s still working incredibly hard in the entertainment industry today with recent
roles in films such as Birds of Paradise. Though Jacqueline is still active, she’s best remembered
for her roles in films such as Bullitt and The Deep during her early career. Join Facts
Verse as we explore how young Jacqueline Bisset was the most irresistible woman in Hollywood.
Jacqueline Bisset Was a 1970s Sex Symbol Jacqueline Bisset had been working in
Hollywood for a while before she secured her iconic sex-symbol role in the 1977 film The
Deep. However, it was her role in that 1977 film that helped solidify the actress’s status as
one of the hottest stars in Hollywood at the time. Prior to her performance in The Deep,
Jacqueline had made a name for herself with roles in features such as Casino Royale and Bullitt.
It’s 1968’s Bullitt that arguably stands as the most critically acclaimed and culturally
significant film that the actress has ever been involved in. However,
it was her turn in The Deep a decade later that left a bigger impression on audiences at the time.
Following Jacqueline attaining her official status as a sex symbol with her role in The Deep,
the actress has continued working and is still acting in the entertainment
industry today. It’s been a long and fruitful journey for Jacqueline,
and her Hollywood career has also spawned some interesting trivia. The actress has
brushed shoulders with numerous Hollywood luminaries over the course of her career,
and she’s still alive to tell about it! Jacqueline has many interesting stories
about her Hollywood past, including the fact that Frank Sinatra romantically pursued her.
Jacqueline’s Early Life Jacqueline Bisset was born on September 13,
1944, in England. As a child, she began modeling with the dream of saving up money to pay for
acting lessons. She also took dancing lessons, and she had hopes that she’d be able to make it in
the entertainment industry soon enough. The young girl’s dreams ended up paying off eventually,
and she was soon on her way to Hollywood. Jacqueline’s first big role came via the James
Bond parody Casino Royale, which was released in 1967. Jacqueline’s role in the film saw her
play an attractive Bond girl, though she’s not often credited with being a former Bond girl
due to the fact that the parody film isn’t part of the official James Bond film franchise.
Even though 1967’s Casino Royale was just a parody film, it ended up bringing Jacqueline to
the public eye, and she has yet to return from it! Following Jacqueline’s role in the film, she would
go on to receive bigger and bigger roles over the course of the next several years, leading up to
her iconic sexy-symbol appearance in 1977’s The Deep.
While Casino Royale was the film that gave Jacqueline Bisset her first notable role,
it wasn’t the very first film that she had ever appeared in. The very first film that
Jacqueline ever appeared in was Roman Polanski’s Cul-de-sac, which was released a year prior, in
1966. This was before Roman Polanksi would get into trouble with the law and be forced to flee
the United States to France, and also before the Manson Family murdered his wife and unborn child.
Jacqueline Makes a Name for Herself in Hollywood In the days in which Jacqueline appeared in Roman
Polanski’s Cul-de-sac, the director wasn’t yet a controversial figure and the actress
claims that she got quite a bit out of seeing the way the auteur filmmaker worked. Jacqueline
claims that she still wasn’t entirely sure if being in the entertainment industry was
right for her during the time that she appeared as an extra in the film,
but watching Roman work showed her that there was more to Hollywood than she realized.
Jacqueline seems to have made the right choice, as her Hollywood career is still going strong today!
Following Jacqueline’s 1967 appearance in the James Bond parody Casino Royale, she could be
seen acting alongside two notable male stars over the course of 1968. Those two stars were
Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen, the former of whom she appeared alongside in The Detective
and the latter of whom she appeared alongside in the aforementioned classic action film Bullitt.
While working with Frank Sinatra, Jacqueline apparently made quite an impression.
It seems that Frank did everything that he could to get his hands on the burgeoning star,
though she wasn’t won over by the legendary crooner’s advances.
The same year that Jacqueline appeared alongside Frank Sinatra and Steve McQueen
in The Detective and Bullitt, she also appeared in a popular film by the name of The Sweet Ride.
Jacqueline’s performance in this latter film garnered her a Golden Globe Award
for New Star of the Year. It certainly seemed at the time that the actress had a promising
career in the entertainment industry ahead of her, and she ended up making good on this
promise. Her Hollywood career had just begun! If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure
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Jacqueline Went from Parodying to Being Parodied Following Jacqueline Bisset’s breakout success in
the year of 1968 with her numerous memorable film roles, the actress continued performing
in notable works over the next several years leading up to her iconic sex-symbol performance
in 1977’s The Deep. In 1970, Jacqueline was given a role in the blockbuster disaster film Airport,
which would later go on to be used as the main basis for the parody film Airplane!
Whereas Jacqueline had started out her acting career starring in parody films instead of the
real thing, by 1970, she was a big enough star to be the actress that other films were parodying!
Another notable role for Jacqueline during the early 1970s came via a film by the name of The
Life and Time of Judge Roy Bean. The film was directed by John Huston and written by
John Milius, and it was also notable for starring Paul Newman in the titular role.
1977’s The Deep Made Jacqueline a Sex Symbol Jacqueline Bisset was already a huge and popular
actress by the time she appeared in the film The Deep, which proved a box-office success
thanks in no small part to the actress herself. While all of Jacqueline’s prior roles had taken
advantage of her good looks, The Deep took things a step farther with its titillating footage of the
star wearing a t-shirt that has been soaked through to the point of being see-through.
Audiences understandably flocked to the film for the opportunity to see such a sight,
which was promised to them via the film’s controversial promotional poster.
The promotional poster for The Deep featured Jacqueline in her wet t-shirt,
and it served as a promise to the audience that they’d be able to see even more if they
put down the money for a cinema ticket. Audiences came to see the film in droves,
and Jacqueline’s appearance in it once again solidified her status as one of the preeminent
sex symbols of the time. Sadly, the experience wasn’t entirely a positive one for the actress,
as she wasn’t completely comfortable with how her image was being used to sell the film.
According to Jacqueline, she fought hard to change the way that The Deep was being sold to audiences.
She didn’t want to be known to film audiences as a sex symbol and would’ve instead preferred
for the film to have been advertised based on her acting capabilities. While The Deep
was a major success and made Jacqueline more popular than ever, the success wasn’t
completely welcome in the star’s eyes. Besides Jacqueline, The Deep also starred Nick Nolte.
1983’s Class Made Jacqueline a Slightly Older Sex Symbol
By the 1980s, Jacqueline Bisset was getting slightly on in her years and had to think of
a clever way to still stand out to audiences. A great role for the actress ended up coming
her way via the 1983 film Class, which cast her as a Mrs. Robinson-style seductress.
The film also starred 80s idols Andrew McCarthy and Rob Lowe, though it was Jacqueline who left
the biggest impression on audiences at the time. The film showcased Jacqueline’s hot older woman
character seducing her son’s best friend, who was played by the aforementioned Andrew McCarthy.
Audiences at the time loved Jacqueline in the role of the older seductress,
and couldn’t help but imagine themselves in Andrew’s shoes.
Although Jacqueline was initially hesitant to be a full-blown sex symbol following her
appearance in 1977’s The Deep, she had come around to the idea by the time of
1983’s Class. The latter film certainly showed the actress in a much classier light, and her
semi-nude visage didn’t have to be slapped onto the film’s promotional poster to sell tickets.
Jacqueline Is Still Working, and Still Growing! Jacqueline Bisset has had several long-term
romantic partners over the course of her life, but has never been married or had kids.
Still, the actress has a pretty famous goddaughter in the form of Angelina Jolie!
Jacqueline and Jon Voight have always been good friends, and the latter thought of the
former immediately when trying to decide on a godmother for his newborn daughter Angelina.
Jacqueline is still working today at the age of 77. Her most recent notable
appearance was in the 2021 Amazon Studios film Birds of Paradise.
The actress likes to serve as a mentor for young women today in the wake of the #metoo movement,
and she isn’t afraid to talk about the times during her Hollywood career where she didn’t
feel totally in control as a woman, such as during the filming of The Deep.
Although Jacqueline Bisset isn’t as big of a star today as she was during the height of her career,
she still gets plenty of work, and still commands plenty of respect. Now it’s time
to hear from you: did you know that Jacqueline Bisset was romantically
pursued by Frank Sinatra after starring alongside him in 1968’s The Detective and
that she also turned down the romantic advances of Marlon Brando? As always, like this video
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