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Kathleen Turner

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In the 80s, a young and seductive actress shone fiery in Hollywood in genres as diverse as film noir, comedy and drama. But after reaching the top, and without a specific reason, her career declined until she ended up being a secondary actress in film and television.

Kathleen Turner had a singular childhood. Her father was a diplomat and this forced her to travel all over the world. Without a fixed home, the young woman discovered the theater at the age of 14 in London, where she began to take classes. Four years after her, her father died of a heart attack and she, Kathleen, ended her itinerant life. She moved to Baltimore, graduated with a BFA and, with her degree under her arm, she went to New York to become an actress.

There she spent time working as a waitress and trying her luck in television and theater. The opportunity to debut on the big screen came in 1981 with the film Fuego en el cuerpo , directed by Lawrence Kasdan , well-known screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back . Kathleen played a tempting and sensual woman, a classic film noir character. Her interpretation was very successful and for it she was nominated for a Golden Globe for best new star.

After her promising debut, she received many job offers, but she rejected the vast majority so as not to be pigeonholed in the role of a sexy woman in film noir. She wanted to try more genres. Thus, in 1983 she starred with Steve Martin in the comedy A Genius with Two Brains . She then tried drama with The Passion of China Blue , adventure cinema with Robert Zemeckis ‘s After the Green Heart and its sequel, and black comedy with John Huston ‘s Prizzi ‘s Honor .

The young actress was rising rapidly, with films by great directors and sharing the bill with stars such as Jack Nicholson or Michael Douglas . She reached her pinnacle with Francis Ford Coppola ‘s romantic comedy Peggy Sue Married , for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. At that time, Kathleen was seen not only as one of the sex symbols of the moment, but as a versatile actress, capable of shining in any genre.

His success was stretched with The Accidental Tourist and The War of the Roses but it did not last any longer. The 90s were for Kathleen the era of physical and professional decline. Little by little she was pigeonholed in comedy and at the same time her roles were losing importance. Detective with Silk Stockings , Sally’s Secret and The Mommy Murders were her last, and failed, her tail as the protagonist of her. After that, nothing was left of that actress who surprised Hollywood in the 80s.

In recent years he has survived in the industry with supporting roles in film ( A couple of three ) and television ( Californication ). It seems that Kathleen’s success is gone, never to return.

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