Bo Derek

About Bo Derek

Mary Cathleen Collins, known professionally as Bo Derek, was born on November 20, 1956, in Long Beach, California. She emerged as a prominent film and television actress, film producer, and model throughout her career. Her father Paul Collins worked as an executive at Hobie Cat, while her mother Norma was a makeup artist and stylist who worked with Ann-Margret. Following her parents' divorce, her mother married stunt performer Bobby Bass.

Derek's most iconic role came in the 1979 romantic comedy 10, directed by Blake Edwards, opposite Dudley Moore. The film's famous sequence of her in a flesh-colored swimsuit became instantly legendary and cemented her status as a major sex symbol of the 1980s. A bestselling poster from this scene further elevated her fame and popularity.

Her early education took place at Narbonne High School and George S. Patton Continuation School in Harbor City, California. At age sixteen while still in high school, she began a relationship with director John Derek, who was thirty years her senior and married at the time. John Derek divorced his then-wife, actress Linda Evans, and the couple eventually relocated to Germany before returning to the United States when she turned eighteen. They married on June 10, 1976, after which John Derek orchestrated a complete physical transformation, including bleaching her hair blonde and establishing her professional stage name.

Her subsequent film performances received largely negative critical and commercial reception. Notable projects included A Change of Seasons in 1980 with Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins, Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1981 directed by her husband, and Bolero in 1984, which earned her multiple Golden Raspberry Award nominations and wins. Though initially poorly received, Bolero later gained cult status as her second-most recognizable film after 10.

Derek appeared in television productions including Hot Chocolate and Shattered Image in the 1990s. She also took guest roles on various television series throughout the 2000s and appeared in the telenovela Fashion House in 2006. Her marriage to John Derek lasted until his death from heart failure in 1998. Since 2002, she has maintained a relationship with actor John Corbett and continues residing in California.