Bo Derek was raised in a middle-class family after being born in Long Beach, California, on November 20, 1956, under the original name Mary Cathleen Collins. Her mother, Norma Bass, was a hairstylist and cosmetics artist, while her father, Paul Collins, was a public relations executive.
Bo’s early professional interests in the entertainment sector were influenced by her parents’ jobs.
When she met John Derek, an actor and director thirty years her senior, in her late teens, her road to stardom officially began. After John divorced actress Linda Evans in 1976, they started dating. Bo’s career was significantly shaped by John.
Bo made her big screen debut in Blake Edwards’ 1979 film “10,” in which she portrayed Jenny Hanley. She became an immediate sex icon and gained international recognition after the iconic video of her sprinting on the beach in a nude one-piece swimsuit went viral.
Career in Acting
Following the popularity of “10,” Bo Derek acted in a number of films directed by her husband, John Derek, in the 1980s, including “Tarzan, the Ape Man” (1981), “Bolero” (1984), and “Ghosts Can’t Do It” (1989). Even if a few of these movies were financially successful, critics frequently gave them negative reviews. Still, Bo remained a symbol of his era’s culture.
Life Apart from Performance
Bo Derek turned her attention to other pursuits after her film career faltered. She joined the California Horse Racing Board and started advocating for animal welfare. She has also actively participated in numerous humanitarian endeavors and supported causes related to veterans.
Bo shared details about her life and profession in her book, “Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses,” which was published in 2002.
John Derek and Bo were wed till his passing in 1998. Their relationship, which was characterized by a large age gap and professional cooperation, was often featured in the media.
Following John’s passing, Bo befriended actor John Corbett, who was well-known for his parts in the television series “Sex and the City” and “Northern Exposure.” The pair has been dating since 2002 and has kept their personal lives mostly to themselves.
Her legacy has been further solidified beyond her acting career by her philanthropic work and advocacy for animal welfare.
She plays dead on the road – when I understand why my heart is filled with warmth
When Amanda heard of Bear, an abandoned, lost dog in the mountains of Evan’s Creek, she decided to act immediately.
Together with her friend Dylan, they set out to try to locate the lonely dog.
For over an hour, Amanda and Dylan tried to coax Bear using food and treats – but their plan failed.
The next day when they returned, they spotted Bear in the same area. They again tried to coax him to get closer so they could help him, but in vain.
That’s when the girls got, to say the least, a very creative idea.
They decided that Amanda would lay down and ‘play dead’, acting as if she were in need of help.
Said and done: The next day, Amanda lay down on the ground in the area they she suspected Bear was.
And what happened two hours later has filled thousands of animals friends’ hearts with warmth.
It all began when a driver spotted a dog at a campsite in Evans Creek, Washington State.
The dog looked both scared and malnourished. The dog got aggressive when the driver tried to approach him.
A few days later, a girl named Amanda got wind of the wild dog, known as Bear.
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