Victoria Tennant

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Victoria Tennant
Victoria Tennant 2010.jpg
Tennant in 2010
Born (1950-09-30) 30 September 1950 (age 75)
London, England
Education Elmhurst Ballet School
Alma mater Central School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActress
Years active1972–present
Spouses
  • Peppo Vanini
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1969;div. 1976)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1986;div. 1994)​
  • Kirk Stambler
    ​
    (m. 1996)​
Children2
Mother Irina Baronova

Victoria Tennant (born 30 September 1950) [1] [2] is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the TV miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance , in which she appeared as actor Robert Mitchum's on-screen love interest, Pamela Tudsbury, as well as her supporting roles in All of Me (1984), The Holcroft Covenant (1985), Flowers in the Attic (1987), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), and L.A. Story (1991).

Contents

Early life

Tennant was born on 30 September 1950 in London, England, to Irina ( née Baronova; 1919–2008) and Cecil Gordon Tennant (1910–1967). [3] Her father, from a junior branch of a family of minor Yorkshire gentry resident at Kilnsey, [4] was a producer and talent agent for MCA; [1] her mother was a Russian prima ballerina from Saint Petersburg who appeared with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Tennant's maternal grandfather, Mikhail Baronov, was a senior officer in the Imperial Russian Navy; his wife, the former Lydia Vishniakova, was a general's daughter. Tennant has a sister, Irina, and a brother, Robert, both of whom were seriously injured in a car crash in 1967 that killed their father. Tennant's godfather was the actor Laurence Olivier. [1]

Like her mother, Tennant trained in ballet, first at the Elmhurst Ballet School and then (for two years) at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

After a number of roles in British and other European films, including The Ragman's Daughter (1972) and Inseminoid (1981), Tennant emigrated to the United States. She went to appear in films Strangers Kiss (1983), All of Me (1984) with Steve Martin, her future husband, [5] and The Holcroft Covenant (1985). She starred as Pamela Tudsbury in the ABC miniseries The Winds of War in 1983, receiving Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. [6] She reprised her role in the sequel miniseries War and Remembrance (1988).

In 1987, Tennant starred in the neo-noir crime thriller Best Seller and the psychological drama film Flowers in the Attic playing the leading role. In 1990 she appeared in the dystopian drama film The Handmaid's Tale and was lead actress in the horror film Whispers . In 1991, Tennant starred alongside Steve Martin in the romantic comedy film, L.A. Story . [7] She wrote the script for the 1996 romantic comedy film, Edie & Pen . [8] The following years, Tennant appeared mostly in the smaller-scale films and guest-starred in television series including Diagnosis: Murder , JAG , Scrubs and Monk .

In 2014, Tennant published a memoir about her mother titled Irina Baronova and The Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, published by the University of Chicago Press. [9] [10] The book was presented at the Bel Air Country Club in Bel Air, Los Angeles. [11]

Personal life

Tennant's first marriage was to Peppo Vanini, a nightclub owner who owned the Xenon nightclub. They married in 1969 and divorced in 1976. [12]

She dated Matthew Chapman from 1978 until 1982, but ended their relationship upon meeting Steve Martin. [12] She married Martin in 1986, but they divorced in 1994.

Since 1996, Tennant has been married to Kirk Justin Stambler.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1972 The Ragman's Daughter Doris Randall [13]
1980 The Dogs of War Dinner Party Guest
1981 Inseminoid Barbra
1981 Sphinx Lady Carnarvon
1982Ich bin dein KillerAnnette Dorberg [14]
1983 Strangers Kiss [15] Carol Redding / Betty
1984 All of Me Terry Hoskins [16]
1985 The Holcroft Covenant Helden von Tiebolt / Helden Tennyson [17]
1987 Best Seller Roberta Gillian
1987 Flowers in the Attic Corinne Dollanganger [18]
1989 Fool's Mate Alice Gordon
1990 The Handmaid's Tale Aunt Lydia [19]
1990 Whispers Hilary
1991 L.A. Story Sarah McDowell [20]
1992 The Plague Alicia Rieux [21]
1996 Edie & Pen Blonde with DogWriter and producer
1998 Bram Stoker's Legend of the Mummy Mary
2008The Awakening of SpringMrs. Woodman
2009 Irene in Time Eleanor Jensen [22]
2010 Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic Beatrice (voice)Video
2013 Cold Turkey Elizabeth Utley [23]
2013 Louder Than Words Lydia Thorsby
2018 Alex & the List BarbaraFilmed in 2013

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson Helen StonerEpisode: "The Case of the Speckled Band"
1981La Guerre des insectesHelen CurtissTV film
1982 Tales of the Unexpected BerniceEpisode: "Who's Got the Lady?"
1983 The Winds of War Pamela TudsburyTV miniseries
1983 Dempsey Estelle TaylorTV film
1983 Chiefs Trish LeeTV miniseries
1985 George Burns Comedy Week MaggieEpisode: "The Funniest Guy in the World"
1986Under SiegeGloria GarryTV film
1986 The Twilight Zone ValentinaEpisode: "Red Snow"
1986 Alfred Hitchcock Presents BrideEpisode: "Deadly Honeymoon"
1988 Maigret Victoria PortmanTV film
1988–89 War and Remembrance Pamela Tudsbury12 episodes
1989Voice of the HeartFrancesca CunninghamTV film
1989 Act of Will AudraTV series
1994 The Man from Snowy River [24] Anita HargravesRecurring role (5 episodes)
1997 Diagnosis: Murder [25] Victoria LarkinEpisode: "Deadly Games"
1999 Providence Dr. ToyntonEpisode: "Blind Faith"
2001 The Chris Isaak Show IreneEpisode: "Dancin'"
2001 Sister Mary Explains It All [26] Bitter DivorceeTV film, also producer
2004 JAG Marta SperlingEpisode: "The Man on the Bridge"
2007 Scrubs Maggie KentEpisode: "My Scrubs"
2008 Monk Ms. BensonEpisode: "Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece"
2009 The Beast Susan RedmanEpisode: "Infected"
2011 William & Kate CeliaTV film

Music

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Victoria Tennant". Turner Classic Movies.
  2. ↑ "The almanac". United Press International . 30 September 2009. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025.
  3. ↑ Sawer, Patrick; Limbrick, Sarah (23 July 2023). "Hollywood actress in battle with Church of England to 'find peace' and move father's remains". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  4. ↑ A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, thirteenth edition, Sir Bernard Burke, ed. A. Winton Thorpe, The Burke's Publishing Co. Ltd, 1921, p. 1728
  5. ↑ Staskiewicz, Keith (3 April 2013). "All of Me". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Victoria Tennant". Golden Globes.
  7. ↑ Benenson, Laurie Halpern (3 February 1991). "Steve Martin Targets L.A." The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Rooney, David (27 May 1996) "Edie & Pen", Variety, p. 70
  9. ↑ Tennant, Victoria. Irina Baronova and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. University of Chicago Press.
  10. ↑ Victoria Tennant Irina Baronova and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, University of Chicago Press, 15 October 2014 г.
  11. ↑ "Blue Ribbon Book" (21 Nov 2014) The Beverly Hills Courier , Vol. 49, No. 46, p. 8
  12. 1 2 Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television (2008)
  13. ↑ "Review: 'The Ragman's Daughter'". Variety . 31 December 1971.
  14. ↑ "Ich Bin Dein Killer (1979)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Review: 'Stranger's Kiss'". Variety . 31 December 1982.
  16. ↑ "Review: 'All of Me'". Variety . 31 December 1983.
  17. ↑ "Review: 'The Holcroft Covenant'". Variety . 31 December 1984.
  18. ↑ "Review: 'Flowers in the Attic'". Variety . 31 December 1986.
  19. ↑ "Review: 'The Handmaid's Tale'". Variety . 31 December 1989.
  20. ↑ "Martin's 'L.A. Story' revels in its chaotic diversity". Doylestown Intelligencer. 12 February 1991.
  21. ↑ "Review: 'The Plague'". Variety . 1 September 1992.
  22. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (22 September 2009). "A Foray into Female Obsessions". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "Film Review: 'Pasadena'". Variety . 15 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "Review: 'Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga the Race'" (31 Aug 1993) Variety
  25. ↑ "H’w’d talks on tragedy" (3 Sep 1997) Variety
  26. ↑ "Review: 'Sister Mary Explains It All'" (24 May 2001) Variety
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