Trivia of Joan Collins

 Trivia of Joan Collins (23 May 1933)

*Before deciding to pursue acting, Collins went back and forth between becoming a private detective or a fashion designer. When Collins decided to pursue acting at age 15, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The school has produced acclaimed talent like Alan Rickman, Robert Reed, Roger Moore and Vivien Leigh.

*In 1951, she made her feature film debut as a beauty contest entrant in ‘Lady Godiva Rides Again.’Another of the Beauty Queens in this movie is the voluptuous Simone Silva, who became famous because of her act beside Robert Mitchum at the Cannes Film Festival in April of 1954.

*She claimed her best role of her career was Princess Nelifer in Howard Haks' movie "Land of The Pharaohs (1955)".It’s a surprise that she stood out in this film as in one single scene there were reportedly almost 10,000 extras.But amidst the many faces, Joan's was the one with star power: 20th Century Fox noticed the sultry princess and immediately signed her on.Joan Collins wrote in her autobiography "Past Imperfect" that the film was shot in Italy which caused her to indulge in too much pasta. Director Howard Hawks chastised her for her weight gain "Princess Nellifer should not look like she's four months pregnant," and stormed off. She adds, "He was right. Here I was playing the best role of my career".

*Replaced Marilyn Monroe in The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955) after Marilyn turned down the role of Evelyn Nesbit.

*Collins appeared in Hollywood musical comedy movie The Opposite Sex (1956) along Ann Miller, Ann Sheridan, and June Allyson.It's remake of the non-musical movie The Women (1939) starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell. Crawford actually commented on this remake by saying, "It's ridiculous. Norma and I might not ever have been bosom buddies, but we towered compared to those pygmies in the remake."

*She was one of a number of actresses, including Joanne Woodward, who did a screen test for the title role of Cleopatra (1963). The role went to Dame Elizabeth Taylor.

*Although Collins was in a lot of B-movies for 20th Century Fox, most people before soap opera Dynasty would recognize her for the role of Edith Keeler on Star Trek. Although she only appeared on the episode "The City on the Edge of Forever," she left an alluring impression on the franchise. A doll and an action figure were made in the likeness of her character on Star Trek (1966), Edith Keeler.