Mary Cathleen Collins known in the industry as Bo Dereck was born an American model, television and film actress and film producer. Born on November 20, 1956, she is known for her role in the film 10 in 1979. She became very popular with the role, and her performance earned her Golden Globe Award for Best New Star nomination. A poster of her in a swimsuit launched with the film also became a bestseller. Her next film Tarzan, the Ape Man, 1981 won her a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in 1982.
Other films like Bolero, 1984 and Ghost Can’t Do It, 1989, also received bad reviews and earned her Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in Ghosts Can't Do It. In 2000, Derek received a nomination for Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress of the Century for films like Tarzan, the Ape Man, Bolero, and GhostsCan't Do It. Throughout the 1980s, she became a known sex symbol in the industry.
Early Life
Bo Derek (was born on November 20, 1956, in Long Beach, California to Paul Collins and Norma. His father was a Hobie Cat executive and his mother a make-up artist and hairdresser. After the divorce of her parents, her mother married Bobby Bass, an American stunt performer. He received education at Narbonne High School and later at Georges S. Patton Continuation School in Harbor City, California. She dropped out of high school.
In an interview on Late Night with David Letterman in 1985, she said, "I was 16 when I quit high school. I didn't really mean to quit. I spent about a month going to the beach surfing and sunbathing while I was supposed to be in school: when I got caught, my mom was furious. I started to go back to school, and I was really enjoying it, and then I went to go do this film with John in Greece..."
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Acting Career
After dropping out of school, Bo Dereck moved with her lover John Derek to Germany. That was where she started her acting career by starring in the low budget film Fantasies, produced by John Derek in 1973. The film was released in 1981 and received negative reviews. After they married in 1976, Derek helped Collins change her physical appearance to give her a Hollywood appeal. Bo Dereck bleached her hair blonde adopted the new name, Bo Derek.
In 1977, she played a minor role in the horror film Orca-The Killer Whale. Two years later, he gained a breakthrough role in the romantic comedy film 10 in 1979 starring Dudley Moore. The film became commercially successful and threw Derek into the limelight.
Her role and a swimsuit outfit she wore in the film will launch her into the status of a sex symbol in the industry. After 10, she starred in the dramatic-comedy film “A Change of Seasons,” 1980. She played the role of a student dating her professor who was married and much older. Derek’s performance received negative reviews and the film had moderate success.
Her first major role in mainstream Hollywood was playing Jane Parker in “Tarzan, the Ape Man” in 1981. The film focused much on Derek’s physical qualities and beauty, mostly appearing in revealing clothes and full of nude scenes. The film was a boxing office success grossing over $35 million in ticket sales. It, however, received negative reviews from critics. Bo Dereck received Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her role.
She continued with a role in Bolero, 1984, which also received negative reviews and became X-rated due to its sexual nature. She ones again received Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for the role. The film itself, the film received Worst Picture, Worst Director (John Derek), Worst Screenplay (John Derek), Worst New Star, and Worst Musical Score. Her husband John Derek directed all the three mentioned films.
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