The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation. She had her first true major critical and financial success, however, with a starring role in 1981’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. Lange was born in Cloquet, Minnesota on April 20, 1949. Supporting herself as a waitress at the Lion’s Head Tavern while sharing an apartment with Jerry Hall and Grace Jones in Manhattan, she was discovered by fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez and was briefly a fashion model for the Wilhelmina Models agency before being discovered by Hollywood producer Dino De Laurentiis. Still, she was determined to pursue her dream of becoming a professional actress, working as a waitress at the Lion’s Head Tavern while attending classes in Greenwich Village. Though Lange lost the role to Mary Steenburgen, Nicholson was impressed and remained extremely interested in working with her, telling the actress that they would soon share the screen together. He was quoted as referring to Lange as “a cross between a delicate fawn and a Buick.” Although the controversial film received mixed reviews, critics took special notice of Lange, who was unanimously praised for her performance, some citing it as her “true film debut”.
