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Diane Lane Diane is the epitomy of a true actress and she is an honorable, down-to-earth and y star, with decades of experience in acting. Diane Lane was born in New York City on January 22, 1965, to acting coach father Burt Lane and nightclub singer/centerfold Colleen Farrington. With those two for parents, it was almost genetically inevitable that Diane would possess a mix of acting ability, stunning good looks, and smoldering uality. Of course, she would have to grow into those last two attributes. The acting ability came almost as soon as she was born, and by age six Diane had made her stage debut in acclaimed theater director Andrei Serbian's Medea. Her performance so captivated Serbian that he continued to cast her in his productions for the next five years. By 1976 her reputation as a talented and capable child star landed her in Joseph Papp's productions of The Cherry Orchard and Agamemnon at the Lincoln Center in New York. Performing at such a distinguished venue meant that her reviews would be read throughout the United States, most notably in Hollywood. Film director George Roy Hill cast young Diane to star opposite Sir Lawrence Olivier in his 1978 feature film A Little Romance. Despite the film's critical praise, its box office success was mediocre at best. But Olivier was very vocal in press interviews about how wonderful an actress his young co-star was. He even went so far as to call her the new Grace Kelly. Eventually, all of this media hype placed Diane on the cover of Time in August of 1979 at the age of fourteen. Expectations were running high for Diane's follow-up projects and none of them lived up to their promise. Touched by Love (1980), Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981), National Lampoon Goes to the Movies (1981), Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981), and Six Pack (1982) were all box-office duds. With the shine of her star fading, Diane began to take on roles with smaller paychecks and bigger opportunities to grow as an actor. Roles in two Francis Ford Coppola movies, Rumble Fish (1983) and The Outsiders (1983), proved that Diane was more than capable of taking on adult roles, and once again she was extremely hot property. Coppola even admitted to always having had a crush on her, even when she was a young actress. With studio executives falling over themselves to offer her a multiple-picture deal, she was offered the lead role in three big budget Hollywood epics. Perhaps trying to exercise some of the judgment she lacked as a child actor, she ped on the first picture. On paper, the movie seemed destined for failure: "a mermaid out of water story" starring an unknown TV actor. Sadly for Diane, the movie was the blockbuster success Splash and the actor she ped on was Tom Hanks. The movies she did accept were Streets of Fire (1984) and The Cotton Club (1984), both high-budget, high-profile failures. Diane spent the next three years in a self-imposed exile from acting, making her return in the little-known picture, The Big Town (1987). The film served as the formal beginning of her comeback, but it wasn't until 1989's Lonesome Dove that America welcomed her back as a star. Her role as Lorena Wood, the whore with a heart of gold, in that epic mini-series garnered her an Emmy nomination, and yet another stint as a hot commodity among film producers, although this time she was wanted as a supporting actress rather than a leading lady. Desperate to avoid falling from grace again, Diane carefully selected smaller roles in "safe" films like 1992's Chaplin and 1993's Indian Summer. Since 1995, Diane began working in a series of big budget, high-profile films, such as Judge Dredd (1995), the Robin Williams vehicle Jack (in 1996, and incidentally directed by Francis Ford Coppola), and Murder at 1600 (1997). Though the films were all reasonably successful, none of them turned Diane into a household name. The string of films that has helped turn Diane into a major star began with her Spirit Award winning performance of a frustrated and adulterous 1960s housewife in A Walk on the Moon (1999). That role may have won her the industry acclaim, but it was her role in the $600 million plus grossing blockbuster A Perfect Storm, which brought her back to the public eye. Since the runaway success of that film, Diane has put forth starring efforts in The Gl House (2001) and the box-office hit Hardball, which both opened on the same day, in 2001. Despite the success of those two films, it has been her role in the y thriller Unfaithful (2002) that looks to be the defining moment of her career. The film was tops at the box office and there are rumblings about a possible Oscar nomination for Lane's turn as Richard Gere's cheating wife. It seems that after twenty years of stop-and-go success, Diane Lane is finally fulfilling the starry prophecy that Time laid out for her back in August of 1979. As for her personal life, she has a daughter, Eleanor, with her ex-husband, actor Christopher Lambert. More fun stuff about Diane Lane Daughter of acting coach Burt Lane and centerfold Colleen Farrington (Miss October 1957). Admitted in Esquire Magazine in February 2000 that she had an affair with both Timothy Hutton and Christopher Atkins. Dated rocker/actor Jon Bon Jovi in the mid-80s. Was a multi-millionaire by the time she was 18 years old. One of Francis Ford Coppola's favourite actresses - she has starred in no less than four of his films. She enjoys music and movies and has a large home-theater in her home. Collects antique furniture and has a strange fetish - she admitted in (1995) that she has "a thing for really high thigh-boots. I have a cool collection! I love high heels." In her off time, she likes to travel, ride her horses and go walking. She also enjoys keeping fit and does Yoga. She especially loves to spend as much time as possible with her daughter, Eleanor, whom she had with ex-husband and fellow actor, Christopher Lambert of Highlander fame. Was on the cover of Time Magazine (August 1979) at the age of 14. Attended the 2003 Oscars with Josh Brolin. Her father ped away shortly before Unfaithful (2002), in which Diane Lane gave an Academy Award nominated performance, was released. He did see a rough cut of the film the day before his death. Voted one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful People in the World" (2003). July 2003: Engaged to actor Josh Brolin. Measurements: 35C-25-34 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Once pursued professional modeling as a teen but was told by Eileen Ford (of the Ford Modeling Agency) that her neck was "too short" to be a model. Dated Jon Bon Jovi in the mid '80s. Two of her movies - Hard Ball (2001) and The Gl House (2001/I) - opened in theaters in the US on the same day. [14 September 2001] Voted one of the "World's Most Desirable Women" (2004) Has said that some of her biggest acting influences have been Jane Fonda, Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange, and Susan Sarandon. When she was 13, George Roy Hill wanted her to star opposite Laurence Olivier in his 1979 film, A Little Romance (1979). At the time, she was working on Broadway for Joseph Papp at the Public Theatre in the original production of The Runaways. Both George Roy Hill and Joseph Papp wanted her, and a series of telegrams between Papp, Hill, Laurence Olivier, and Diane's father transpired, with Hill, Olivier, and Diane's father wanting her in the film, and Papp wanting to keep her in the play. She ended up doing the film. Daughter Eleonora Lambert (b. 1993) with ex-husband Christopher Lambert Her mother, Colleen Farrington, was the October 1957 Playmate of the Month. Diane Lane weds Actress Diane Lane, best known for her Oscar-nominated role as a cheating wife in the 2002 film Unfaithful, has married her real-life leading man, actor Josh Brolin, their publicist said today. The 39-year-old actress tied the knot with Brolin, 36, at an undisclosed location on the West Coast over the weekend, publicist Kelly Bush said. No other details were revealed. The marriage marked the second trip to the altar for both performers, who live in Los Angeles. Lane has a daughter by her first spouse, actor Christopher Lambert, while Brolin has a son and daughter by his previous marriage to Alice Adair. The couple began dating after they met at a premiere for the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind. Lane, last seen in the romantic feature film Under the Tuscan Sun, will star next in the upcoming drama Fierce People. Brolin, stepson to singer Barbra Streisand by way of her marriage to his father, actor James Brolin, starred in the short-lived TV series Mister Sterling and is featured in the upcoming big-screen scuba diving adventure Into the Blue. Diane Lane Talks About "Under the Tuscan Sun" stars as Frances Mayes, a writer who suddenly finds herself divorced and feeling lost. When her best friend (played by Sandra Oh) suggests she take a vacation to Italy, reluctantly Frances heads off on a life-changing adventure. Impulsively purchasing a villa in Tuscany, Frances builds a new life and finds hope where she least expected. INTERVIEW WITH DIANE LANE: How would you describe the different men in this movie? What are your opinions of these men? How does your character relate to these men? How do you prepare for vulnerable scenes? Your character has a few encounters with nature in this movie. Do you have any real life bug stories? How are Italian film crews different? [Audrey] didn't want me to read the book because there was really no information there that was going to be helpful in playing the character. She had to create a plot, a character arc, conflict, everything. There was none of that in the book. It's very pleasant. I cheated completely, disobeyed, and read the book. I think I read half of it, honestly. I didn't read the whole thing because I was looking as the actress, and there was nothing really for me to mine out because the frame of reference is so different. How tough is it to be away from home? How is it different working with a female director? Fierce People seduces Lane for Lions Gate Griffin Dunne ("Practical Magic," "Addicted to Love") will helm from a script by Dirk Wittenborn, which follows Liz, a bohemian beauty who lives a carefree life as a mage therapist in Manhattan, Lions Gate said Thursday. When Liz's son has a close brush with the law, the woman realizes it's time to make a life-altering change, and she pulls some strings to enter them into a fantastical world of wealth and privilege. But when Liz is attacked, their new and perfect world is shattered. "People" is set to begin shooting this month. Lions Gate will distribute the film domestically, and Lions Gate International said at the American Film Market that it will handle foreign sales. Nick Wechsler ("Requiem for a Dream") is producing "Fierce." " 'Fierce People' is the type of powerful, high-caliber film that plays very well internationally," Lions Gate International co-president Nick Meyer said. "We're very excited that the film is rapidly moving toward production -- and to have Diane Lane on board. Diane is an extremely talented actress who possesses the pion and intensity needed to play this lead role." Lane, coming off positive reviews and a best actress Golden Globe nomination for "Under the Tuscan Sun," is repped by Endeavor, manager Joan Hyler and attorney Stan Coleman. Her other recent credits include "Unfaithful," the Adrian Lyne/Fox 2000 drama that landed her a best actress Oscar nomination. Diane Lane: "Unfaithful" Diane Lane was cast in the role of Connie Sumner for a wide variety of reasons, not the least of which was her performance in Tony Goldwyn's "A Walk on the Moon." Director Adrian Lyne says, "It was a wonderful film and Diane was very sympathetic and vulnerable in it; you really liked her. And I thought that, given that Connie has a child, and she's happily married, it would be easy to see her as unsympathetic when she begins her affair. So we had to make certain that she was likable and nice. There are very few beautiful actors and actresses that don't have an element of toughness about them. It sort of comes with the package - the uality and the toughness. Diane projects both the uality and a niceness, which is rare. There's a sort of knowing quality." DIANE LANE (Connie Sumner) What appealed to you about this character? Can you relate to becoming lax in a relationship? Adrian is really good at telling these cautionary tales of keeping your knickers buttoned up. It seems to me like a theme - maybe it's just me projecting. Ever since I saw "Flashdance," I've wanted to work for him. That was when I was doing "Streets of Fire." It's been a long time waiting, but worth the wait though. We've all gotten better. What was it about "Flashdance" that made you want to work with Adrian Lyne? He's very much of a pollster, I think. He's never convinced, and he's always asking [questions]. Yesterday he was asking me, "What did you think? Do you think we ought to edit some more time out of the thus and such scene?" And I went, "Don't you have to lock the picture in yet? Get out of the editing room, man. We've got to print the reels up and send them out to the theaters!" Why does it seem as though you play so many characters involved in extra marital affairs? There are some great mother/son moments in this film. Can you talk about working with Erik Per Sullivan and that side of the film? Was Erik fun to work with? Did you draw on your own maternalism? When you play a mother, do you often draw on your own experiences? How was it working with Richard Gere after 18 years? How did you get comfortable doing the love scenes and how did you help Olivier get comfortable? Was it embarring? How do you think this film fits in society? Is there any type of character you haven't done yet that you'd like to do? Diane Lane on the Fast Lane Lyne's film, a loose remake of Claude Chabrol's 1969 thriller La Femme Infidele, centres on a couple living in the New York City suburbs whose marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling with a suave and charming young Frenchman. Lane is no stranger to extramarital affairs - on screen at least, having also cheated on her husband in the acclaimed Walk in the Moon. "It's called being cast against type", she responds laughingly. Unfaithful is a searing, chillingly honest look at the psychology of infidelity through the eyes of a seemingly happily married couple. Lane sees the piece as "a case study of the human frailty of human being, in that when you're unguarded in your convictions, you become lax and I think it takes a lot of vigilance to remind yourself of why you made the choices you made and go with them or be true to them," Lane explains. She has difficulty deciding whether or not she can relate to any of that. "it's different when you live day-in and day-out with someone versus my history. I mean, time and preparation can create this relationship that's in your mind and then you show up for it before you're like: Hey, wait a minute, I spent too much time with you in my life. You're a disappointment. You tend to disappoint yourself in a relationship because you had too much time to think about it and not enough time to actually live it, so that's the opposite problem. I don't really know how to relate to a long-term day-in day-out kind of comfortable relationship," she says, having been once married to French actor Christopher Lambert. "Things do tend to get traded; comfort gets traded for pion for instance. Of course it doesn't have to be that way and in this movie, Adrian is really good at telling these cautionary tales of, you know, keeping your knickers buttoned up," she adds laughingly. Lane's other attraction to working on Unfaithful, was the chance to work with the director of Flashdance, she admits. "I really wanted to see it because it was so bloody popular, and I just thought, what is that about somebody who can have the gift of being so timely in what they're telling." In Unfaithful, Lane plays a wife and mother, and of course found it interesting to draw on her own maternalism. "It's instinct. I mean it's all you can do to say: well this is MY version, but everybody's got a version of their mother who they want to see, but I think I did the best I can with that." Throughout the course of her career, the alluring actress has done her share of scenes, and Unfaithful is no exception, but at least in the case of this film, they are relevant, she insists. "I think in this story it's so necessary. There is no way of telling or making a y movie without in it, without it being y or whatever; it's part of the context of what it's about: ual infidelity and its repercussions." Times have changed since the incredibly youthful 37-year old burst onto the screen as a child actress in the sweet romantic charmer A Little Romance. Since then, audiences have watched the star transform herself, first into adolescent, then y young adult and now as a still beautiful on-screen wife and mother, while off-screen, the ex-wife of Christopher Lambert has only introduced her daughter [Eleanor Jasmine Lambert] to A Little Romance. "Despite the fact that my character runs away to kiss a boy in Venice," she laughingly adds. Clearly she won't be in a hurry to screen Unfaithful to her any time soon "or at least till she's forty."
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