Barbra Paskin's tribute to a truly great star as she reaches 90
Joan Collins at the Theatre Royal when she was 85 (
HOLLYWOOD, California---We have a very special milestone to celebrate this week as the eternally young Dame Joan Collins turned 90 on Tuesday. It’s particularly significant for us to acknowledge here because she has enjoyed an intimate connection with our area since childhood. So let’s toast the remarkable life of an extraordinary woman whose journey has been shaped by treasured memories of frequent visits to Sussex where many of her family lived, mostly in Brighton and Hove. They were times that still hold a unique place in her heart.
When she reflects on the many experiences that have enriched and shaped her life, Joan’s thoughts must inevitably drift back to those younger days that were filled with so much joy and love. She was born in Paddington to a dance teacher mother, Elsa, and a Jewish father, theatrical agent Joe Collins. Joe had been born in South Africa where his father ran a music hall and his mother performed during the Boer War; they relocated to Britain when Joe was a year old. After his father’s early death, his mother Hettie Collins (one of 19 children) moved into the family home in Brighton with grandmother Leah Assenheim (of the lucrative family ice cream empire) in a huge house in Kings Road next to the Grand Hotel (now the site of the Grand’s Empress Suite).
Joan Collins on the beach across the road from her house, with Elsa, her mum and the nanny and grandma
The young Joan spent many happy times in the Kings Road house with her grandmothers. Kings Road was a famous street opened in 1822 by King George IV (who had contributed £200 to the project). It was laid out as a carriage road and promenade to replace a rough track which ran along the cliff top. Joan’s grandmothers weren’t the only relatives there. Also living in Brighton were some of her great-aunts, Hettie’s sisters, who came to be known as ‘The Girls’ even into their 80s and 90s. (They’re all buried in the Meadow View Jewish cemetery in Brighton.)
As a child, Joan looked forward eagerly to the weekends when Sundays would be spent driving down from London with cousins and parents to visit grandmother Hettie, great-grandmother Leah, and great-aunts ‘The Girls’, who lived in Cannon Place. Built around 1813 it had been named from the nearby battery on the sea-front and contained some of the finest examples of Brighton’s famous Regency architecture. It’s where Joan developed her early love for Art Deco, a passion which continues to thrive to this day and is reflected in her homes.
Those early childhood adventures - her first exhilarating “splashing around” in the sea with her mother and nanny in Brighton at the tender age of four, the cherished Sunday family drives down to visit other relatives there, and even being evacuated to the area during the war with her mother and sister Jackie until her father deemed it too dangerous and had them move inland - all these memories left an indelible impression and became a vital part of Joan’s identity.
It was perhaps inevitable that she would land in showbusiness. After all, it ran throughout her family’s genes. Her mother, Elsa, was a dance teacher, her father, Joe Collins, a theatrical agent who partnered with Lord Grade then went it alone and launched the careers of many greats including Peter Sellers, Shirley Bassey and Dame Vera Lynn. Joan’s grandmother, Hettie, a vivacious performer who had danced with two of her sisters for the troops in South Africa during the Boer War, taught her the splits and a variety of other helpful antics. Though it is said her first acting appearance was at age 3 onstage in Brighton, Joan made her official stage debut when she was 9 in the Ibsen classic A Doll’s House. She was smitten with the acting bug and as a teenager used to write to movie stars to ask for their autographs.
Despite her global fame and success, she always maintained strong ties to Sussex which is evident in her enduring relationships with family members who still reside there - cousins scattered along the coast from Worthing to Hove and half-sister Natasha, who graduated from Sandhurst, the royals’ favourite military academy, and became a major in the army. They keep the bond alive and remind her of the profound roots she established there long ago. Her father was very attached to the area and kept a weekend flat in Hove until his death in 1988. While her lavish homes in Beverly Hills, St. Tropez, and London reflect Joan’s jet-setting lifestyle, it is these connections to her family and the reminiscences of her Sussex sojourns that continue to hold a special place in her heart, grounding her amidst the whirlwind of celebrity and evoking some of her greatest joy.
Joan with her Dad
Joan has always been close to younger brother Bill, 77, a property developer, who divides his time between London and the US, and half-sister Natasha,54, from their father’s second marriage after the death of his first wife. But Joan still deeply misses her sister Jackie with whom she was particularly close. (“She was my best friend, a wonderful, brave and beautiful person and I love her."). The romance novelist died in 2015 at 77 from breast cancer but kept her diagnosis secret for more than six years, only revealing it to Joan two weeks before she died. Jackie wrote 32 books, all of them bestsellers, with over 500 million copies sold around the world. Not to be entirely outdone, Joan has authored 16 bestselling novels and memoirs of her own which have sold over 50 million copies worldwide and been translated into 30 languages.
The journey of Joan Collins's life has been one marked by resilience, growth and love. During her years of studying acting at RADA, she was guided by her father who knew all about launching careers. Those formative years were a time of discovery as she honed her craft and built on her passion for acting. It was a period of nurturing and guidance that set the stage for the phenomenal career that was to follow. Barely a year after graduating from RADA, she appeared in her first film and landed a contract with Rank.
Just a few years later she moved to Hollywood and signed a contract with 20th Century Fox where it’s not widely known that she was the studio’s first choice to play Cleopatra. The role eventually went instead to Elizabeth Taylor but the two actresses formed a lifelong friendship. Joan was soon followed out there by sister Jackie who once told me that on her arrival in Hollywood, Joan jumped into a waiting car, pushed the keys to her flat into Jackie’s hand, told her to be a good girl and was whisked away to fly off to a film location.
Over the years, Joan’s career encountered many highs and lows but it was her role as Alexis in the ‘80s tv series Dynasty that catapulted her to a far greater success than she had previously known. Dynasty became an enormous worldwide phenomenon; by 1985 the programme was the number-one show in the United States. She was nominated for a Golden Globe every year from the show’s inception, winning in 1983 and on acceptance of the award thanked Sophia Loren for having turned down the role of Alexis.
In her personal life, Joan was previously married four times and is the proud mother of two daughters, Katya and Tara, and son Sacha. She’s overcome past marital disappointments and even tragedy when daughter Katya, then 8, had an accident and was in a coma for several weeks during which Joan camped by her side at the hospital. But today she enjoys lasting happiness with fifth husband, producer Percy Gibson, 58, despite his being 32 years younger than her. "I kissed a lot of frogs before I found my prince," she wrote in her 2011 memoir The World According to Joan. Last year’s celebration of their 20th wedding anniversary was a glorious tribute to their enduring love and commitment. It is a landmark that has outrun any of her earlier marriages and emphasises the joy and stability she has found in her life.
On the humanitarian front, Joan has long been devoted to the well-being of women, children and families and regularly lends her support and celebrity to causes that include finding a cure for breast cancer and empowering children. She was one of the co-founders of the National Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Children (NSPCC). And while supporting several other charities, in 1983 she also became a patron for the International Foundation For Children With Learning Disabilities and for 20 years has been vice-president of Shooting Stars Children's Hospices. In 1997 she received an OBE for her service to charity and to the arts and in 2015 was made a Dame Commander for her further services to charity work.
As the years pass, Joan Collins seems to defy the conventional notion of aging. Her radiant beauty and vibrant spirit make her appear half her age, earning her the admiration of fans around the world as she continues to captivate audiences with her talent and grace. One of the world's most glamorous and fascinating personalities, she’s a living legend and a genuine national treasure who always looks stunning. She says she never goes out without makeup but doesn’t think about her public image. (“I just do it. All the women in my life, my mother, grandmother, wore make-up and were very well groomed. I love clothes and looking as good as I can.")
Yet, amidst all the glamour and fame, she remains grounded and committed to her work which she adores. Her enthusiasm has never waned and her dedication to acting, writing and to charity remains unwavering. (“My mantra is ‘don’t waste time’. Life is ever so sweet but it sure is short. You have to enjoy life, and I live totally in the present. I don’t feel any different from when I was 40. You’ve got to keep working and I love my work.”) Retirement is a concept foreign to her and she insists she has no intentions of slowing down. Instead, she eagerly embraces new challenges and endeavours.
Later this year will mark the launch of another exciting chapter in her career—a new one-woman tour of the UK in October to coincide with the publication of her latest (and sixth) memoir, ‘Behind the Shoulder Pads’. The tour will take her to various cities, culminating on 26 October in a highly anticipated one night only performance at Brighton's illustrious Theatre Royal, long one of her favourite venues. It is a testament to her enduring connection to the region, a fitting tribute to the place that has played such a pivotal role in her life and she’s looking forward to it immensely. With husband Percy by her side, audiences will get the rare opportunity to chat with the world-famous megastar. Featuring seldom told tales, endless anecdotes, and fascinating footage from her eight decades in showbusiness, the evening will be full of the usual wit, candour, and of course glamour that we have come to expect from this much-loved British legend.
As she blew out the candles on her 90th birthday cake on Tuesday, Joan must have been filled with pride and gratitude for the amazing life she has led and the experiences and opportunities that have come her way. During her long career, with more than 120 films and television shows to her credit, she has graced the stage and screen, enchanting audiences with her charisma, talent, and undeniable presence. She has become an icon—a symbol of elegance, grace, and timeless beauty. Yet, at her core, she remains the young girl who found delight and inspiration in the vibrant streets and pebbly beaches of Brighton.
Sussex holds the key to some of her fondest memories and for her, Brighton and Hove symbolize more than just a place; they represent a time of innocence, family, and personal growth. An integral part of her persona. It was there, surrounded by the embrace of loved ones and the bewitching salty air of the seaside, that she discovered her passion for performance and embarked on a path that would lead her to international acclaim. Her journey has taken her across continents and brought her in contact with countless admirers, but she remains forever connected to the place where it all began—the place that nurtured her dreams and helped to shape her into the extraordinary woman she is today.
So, as she celebrates this milestone birthday, let us raise a glass to a true legend, a timeless icon who continues to inspire us all. A woman who embodies resilience, talent and an unyielding spirit, whose grace and dedication have propelled her to dizzying heights. Let her light continue to shine brightly and illuminate the hearts of all those who have been touched by her presence. May her 90th birthday be a joyful celebration of a life well-lived and a reminder that age is merely a number in the presence of boundless spirit and enduring love. Happy 90th birthday, Joan Collins!
Till next time, Shavua tov.
NB: Except where stated otherwise, all the photos are from a private family collection