Kim Basinger was one of the most seductive Hollywood actresses of the 80s. She was dubbed "the new Marilyn Monroe" after her roles in the movies "Nine ½ Weeks" (Elizabeth McGraw), "Blind Date" (Nadia Gates), and "The Marrying Man" (Vicki Anderson). She is an Oscar and Golden Globe winner for her role as Lynn Bracken in "L.A. Confidential".
Kim Basinger
In one of her interviews, Kim herself admitted that she prefers acting in comedy films. As an example, the actress mentioned the sports comedy "Grudge Match", where she worked with Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone.
Childhood and Youth
Kimila Ann Basinger (the actress's full name) was born in the winter of 1953 to parents Donald Wade Basinger and Ann Lee Cordell in Athens, Georgia. Her father was a jazz musician who later became a financial consultant.
Kim Basinger in childhood
Her mother was a water ballet dancer and model, but once they had five children, she quit her job. Kim grew up with her two older brothers, Mick and Skip, and later her sisters Ashley and Barbara were born.
Despite a rather strict upbringing, she considers her childhood to be happy. She enjoyed helping her mother cook - peas, green turnip, pumpkin pie. But what the girl loved most were German chocolate cakes, which she ate with pleasure, despite having to watch her figure since she was three because she was doing ballet.
Kim Basinger (center) in the cheerleading squad
Dreamy, quiet, and somewhat introverted, Kim worried her parents. They suspected that their daughter had autism. A psychiatrist dispelled their fears but recommended finding a hobby for the girl that would help her open up. Meanwhile, Kim was planning to become a writer or a singer and was still shy around others. Much later, Basinger admits:
“I don't like being the center of attention. I remember when I was little, my mom would give me a birthday present, and I'd run off to my room to open it. And not much has changed with age. Friends occasionally throw parties for me for various reasons, I'll hang out for a bit, and then I run off to the neighbors' house. That's how quiet I am!”
Kim had no school friends, classmates didn't really want to socialize with the girl who was always daydreaming. Everything changed in high school when Basinger joined the cheerleading squad and started dancing. By the age of 16, Kim had transformed from a gawky teenager into a beautiful girl, started making her first steps in the modeling business, and in 1971 she won the Junior Miss Georgia pageant. After this, Kim went to New York, where she represented her state in the America's Junior Miss Scholarship pageant.
Young Kim Basinger at the Miss Georgia pageant
She began receiving offers for photo shoots for popular publications, Basinger appeared in advertising videos and became the face of the Breck Shampoo brand. At the same time, she studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse acting school.
Advertising with Kim Basinger. Early 70s
In 1976, Kim ended her modeling career and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. She made her first steps in this field on television shows, and her acting debut was a tiny role in the TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man".
Kim Basinger's first movie role
Film Career
Initially, Basinger was regarded as just another beauty, and her roles reflected this. She appeared as Jodie Lee Palmer ("Hard Country"), and Louise Carr ("The Man Who Loved Women").
On the set of 'Hard Country'
Desperate to land a substantial and interesting role, Kim posed for a revealing photoshoot for Playboy. Only after this did directors seem to see her anew. She was invited to play Domino Petachi, James Bond's girl in the action film "Never Say Never Again". Kim was delighted to work with her co-star Sean Connery. The film was successful in both America and Europe.
Kim Basinger and Sean Connery
Basinger then played Memo Paris in the sports drama "The Natural", alongside Robert Redford as the lead character, Roy Hobbs. For her role in this film, the actress was nominated for a Golden Globe for the first time.
Kim Basinger in 'The Natural'
However, her most famous role during this period was that of Elizabeth McGraw in the erotic melodrama "9½ Weeks". Basinger did not get along with her co-star, Mickey Rourke, who she described as a "walking ashtray". But on screen, they managed to create vivid images of people in love, who eventually become overwhelmed with physical intimacy and emotionally burnout.
Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke
Despite this, after the film's release, Kim felt frustrated:
I think that both me and my character were misunderstood. It's a very contradictory film. We made a truly wonderful movie, but in the end, what appeared on the screen was a version in the style of MTV. Women still approach me on the street and ask, 'That scene from '9½ Weeks' – could you teach me how?'.
In the very explicit scenes, Kim was substituted by a body double. But the shooting was far from easy. The film's director, Adrian Lyne, subjected Basinger (and Rourke) to psychological terror. They were forbidden to communicate after work, Lyne fed the actress unpleasant gossip about Mickey, and passed on valuable advice to Rourke in notes, but he did nothing similar for Kim. All of this fueled the actress's irritation and directed her performance in the way Lyne wanted.
Kim Basinger meets Mickey Rourke - Nine and a Half Weeks
In America, the film was criticized, and Kim was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry for the worst female role, but audiences were much more favorably disposed to the melodrama than the critics and named the actress the Golden Lady of Eroticism.
Young Kim Basinger
After these shoots, Basinger only played leading roles. She appeared in Robert Altman's drama "Fool for Love" (May), Richard Pearce's thriller "No Mercy" (Michele), and Robert Benton's comedy "Nadine" (Nadine Hightower). In the last film, her co-star was the distinctive Jeff Bridges, who played the husband of the main character.
With Bruce Willis, the actress brought a love story to life in the melodramatic comedy "Blind Date". In the sci-fi film "My Stepmother Is an Alien" with Dan Aykroyd in the lead role, Kim managed to create the unforgettable character of Celeste Martin, an alien creature who arrived on Earth with a combat mission but never completed it.
A scene from 'Blind Date'
Basinger's role as journalist Vicki Vale in Tim Burton's "Batman" with Michael Keaton as the superhero and Jack Nicholson as the Joker was successful. The late eighties marked her role as another Vicki, this time Anderson, in the comedic drama "The Marrying Man".
Kim Basinger in 'Batman'
Basinger was named MTV's Most Desirable Female after her appearance in the thriller "Final Analysis", where her co-stars were Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, and Eric Roberts.
From 'Final Analysis'
In the role of desperate robber Karen, the actress appeared before the audience in the action film "The Real McCoy", and in the comedy "Prêt-à-Porter" (aka "Ready to Wear") she played two-faced television reporter Kitty Potter. The film was teeming with celebrities, as it was directed by the legendary Robert Altman, who, according to rumors, many are ready to work for free.
Kim Basinger's song from The Marrying Man
The nineties ended with an Oscar win for Basinger: in 1997, the thriller "L.A. Confidential" was released, in which she played the role of call girl Lynn Bracken. She embodied the character so accurately that she received two awards – an Oscar and a Golden Globe (both for Best Supporting Actress).
Kim Basinger winning Best Supporting Actress
Kim recalled:
The role in 'L.A. Confidential' was a real gift for me. I enjoyed filming so much! For the first time in a long time, I really enjoyed acting - everything that happened between the commands 'action!' and 'cut!'.
The new millennium began for the actress with the horror film "Bless the Child", where she played nurse Maggie O'Connor. Her character raises her younger sister's daughter. When her sister returns home with her new husband – the leader of a religious sect, Maggie learns a horrifying truth about her niece. To help the baby, she turns to an FBI occult specialist.
A scene from 'Bless the Child'
Next, Basinger appeared in the drama "I Dreamed of Africa" alongside Vincent Perez and Daniel Craig, then in the film based on his biography "8 Mile" with rapper Eminem (she played the mother of the main character, a white rapper-loser), and with Al Pacino she starred in the crime drama "People I Know". The actress appeared as the kidnapped Jessica Martin in the thriller "Cellular" and as the First Lady of the United States in the action film "The Sentinel".
Kim Basinger and Eminem
Kim skillfully and professionally played the character of Jessie Sullivan in the melodrama "The Mermaid Chair". Her partner's character, novice monk Thomas, falls in love with Jessie, despite the fact she is married. Their forbidden relationship unfolds in Sullivan's childhood town, where a male monastery is located. Its main shrine is the mermaid chair, which fulfills wishes.
A scene from 'The Mermaid Chair'
Soon after, Basinger appeared in the leading role of Della in the thriller "While She Was Out", then embodied the image of a mother of many children in the drama "The Burning Plain". Alongside her in the film were Charlize Theron, Joaquim de Almeida, and Jennifer Lawrence.
Kim Basinger Interviewed on David Letterman Show (2000)
In 2013, Basinger had a role in the sports comedy "Grudge Match". Her character in her youth was played by her daughter Ireland Baldwin, for whom this role was a film debut. Kim said that her daughter was very nervous before going on set, but in the end, she did well.
At the premiere of 'Grudge Match'
In recent years, Basinger has been filming less. She could be seen in the sports drama "4 Minute Mile" (Claire Jacobs), the comedic thriller "The Nice Guys" (Judith Kuttner), and the melodrama "Fifty Shades Darker" (Elena Lincoln).
Kim Basinger in 'Fifty Shades Darker'
The latest film again sparked a wave of controversial discussions, as it was the sequel to the much-discussed movie "Fifty Shades of Grey". In 2018, the sequel "Fifty Shades Freed" was released. Kim was cast as the former lover and business partner of the main character – the same fatal lady who introduced Grey to BDSM.
Personal Life of Kim Basinger
Before marrying, Kim had a series of short-term affairs. Among her boyfriends were cinematographer Dale Robinette, actor Jan-Michael Vincent, and Tom Sonders and Richard Deros.
Kim's first husband was makeup artist Ron Snyder, who took the surname Britton. He was the son of Marilyn Monroe's personal makeup artist, and he met Kim on the set of "Hard Country". Initially, Ron attracted Kim's attention with his modesty and care, qualities that were lacking in her previous suitors. Even though he was 15 years older than the actress, Kim married Britton in 1980.
Kim Basinger with her first husband
Seven years of married life brought only disappointment to the Hollywood beauty. If Ron was loving and tender in the first years, then later, as Kim's career began to take off, she discovered how jealous and suspicious her husband could be.
In 1987, they separated, and Kim started dating producer Jon Peters. In 1989, Basinger officially divorced, and Britton won a monthly alimony of eight thousand dollars and complete mortgage payment from his ex-wife. In his memoir, Ron accused his former wife of infidelity, attributing her an affair with Richard Gere during their life together.
The actress was credited with an affair with Richard Gere
Immediately after the divorce, the actress started an affair with singer Prince, then was in a relationship with Phil Walsh and Alexio Gandara. She didn't want to get married again, as the divorce from her first husband was too hard. But while filming "My Stepmother Is an Alien", actor Alec Baldwin came with his girlfriend to meet Kim, who had made an impression on him in one of her previous films.
Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin
Basinger was not in the mood, after the meeting, the actor called her ill-mannered and rude. He didn't know that it's better not to disturb Basinger before lunch, as if she doesn't have breakfast, she is in a bad mood. Nevertheless, when Alec found out that Kim had been approved for the main female role in "The Marrying Man", he did everything to play the part of Charley Pearl.
A shot from the movie 'The Marrying Man
Their romance developed rapidly, right on the set. He courted his beloved long and beautifully. Knowing that the actress has a soft spot for animals, he gifted her a baby elephant. And when Kim went on a shoot, he flew there on a private plane with a love message on a banner.
Kim Basinger Jokes Her Marriage to Ex Alec Baldwin Was Like Sleeping With The Enemy
In 1992, Basinger faced financial difficulties due to her refusal to act in the film "Boxing Helena". She had to pay a large sum of damages, she was threatened with real time, and there was no money. More than three million dollars in fines were paid by Baldwin. In 1993, Kim and Alec got married on a tropical island.
Kim Basinger's daughter
Two years later, their daughter Ireland Eliesse was born. The couple's fiery arguments were common even before their marriage, but with the birth of the child, they only intensified. When it came to physical abuse, Basinger and Baldwin broke up. In 2002 they officially divorced, but for a long time afterwards, they remained the "heroes" of the tabloids, fighting legal battles over custody of Ireland. The daughter eventually stayed with her mother, and Hollywood's most beautiful and scandalous couple broke up forever.
In 2015, there were rumors that Kim secretly married her hairdresser, Mitch Stone. Paparazzi managed to take several pictures where they both wore identical gold rings on their ring fingers.
Kim Basinger and Mitch Stone
Kim Basinger Now
Basinger hasn't had any film roles since 2018, but in 2021, she joined Chloe Sevigny, Du Juan, Jourdan Dunn and other actresses in the Miu Miu Icons advertising campaign, a subsidiary brand of Prada Miu Miu. The concept by photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott involves uniting women based on their individuality and their differences from each other.
Kim Basinger's photo shoot for Miu Miu
In addition, Basinger confessed that the lockdown time due to the coronavirus pandemic provided her with the opportunity to return to her childhood dream - she is trying her hand as a writer.
Interesting Facts
At school, Kim Basinger was teased as a "dummy" and "fish mouth", which often led her into awkward situations and made her feel very lonely.
Kim received her first million-dollar fee for the role of Nadia Gates in the movie "Blind Date".
In 1989, the actress spent 20 million dollars on realizing her next dream: turning the small town of Braselton in her home state of Georgia into a tourist center. The investment turned out to be unprofitable, and after trading, Basinger was only able to recover 1 million dollars from the original investment.
In the scene of the movie "9 ½ Weeks" where John feeds Elizabeth food from the refrigerator, a "movie mistake" was made because Basinger refused to eat chili pepper. The scriptwriter insisted that the vegetable had to be long. The director persuaded Kim to eat a small pepper so that the reaction to the chili would be natural. As a result, Rourke pulls out a long pepper from the refrigerator, and a second later, the actress is chewing a small pepper.
Divorce from Alec Baldwin and other life problems led Basinger to panic attacks, she suffered from agoraphobia and was afraid of everything in life. The actress managed to cope with the ailment and, according to her, she let go of all her pain.
Kim Basinger has her own star, number 7021, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
