Angie Dickinson was one of the most celebrated actresses of her generation. She won awards for her amazing roles and would be praised for her skills as a performer.
But years on, at 92 years old, it seems the glamor of the actress’ heyday has long faded. To find out what her life looks like now, keep reading…
Apart from television, she also did a lot of work in films. She had roles in movies like “Jessica,” “The Chase,” “The Outside Man,” “The Art of Love,” “The Killers,” “Ocean’s 11 (1964),” “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” and many more. She was a highly booked actress throughout the ’60s and ’70s
But perhaps her most impactful role was as Seargent Pepper Anderson in “Police Woman.” This was the first time an actress was the lead in a television show and she was a smash hit. Her role also inspired several young girls to join the police force.
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The actress herself acknowledged how “unique” it was to see a woman in uniform on television. While it is common to see women as cops on television today in shows such as CSI or Law and Order, at the time it was a unique experience.
In a PBS series titled “Pioneers of Television,” the actress discussed her involvement with the role and how positively audiences responded to crime shows even at the time.
But the actress never considered herself a “feminist.” She believed she had to compete with men. While she was not a feminist herself, her role did empower a lot of women to make certain decisions.
As for herself, the actress said, “when I was up for a role, I didn’t compete with men; it was a role for a woman.”
And when she was asked about the pay gap which actresses still struggle with, she revealed that it did not bother her. The actress said she was “content” with the salary she had been offered at the time.
She also lamented at the missed opportunity she had with “Police Woman.” She said that the show did not show more. She said she felt the show was “too clean.” She did not appreciate how each episode ended perfectly and how little violence there was in them.
The actress said she wished her show had depicted worse consequences for bad guys. She appreciated current shows like “Southland” and “Detroit 1-8-7,” which do better with depicting such circumstances than her show did.
When the show was at its most popular, the actress revealed she would often get letters from fans who told her how she had inspired them to become join the police force.
The actress was in her 40s when “Police Woman” and she worked incredibly hard to deliver a stellar performance. She worked twice as hard as actresses younger than her and even with age, her beauty seemed to get even more enhanced rather than just fade.
She was captivating for a lot of people. Which is why it is rumored she was incredibly close to the Rat Pack. It was famously rumored that the actress had a 10 year long affair with Frank Sinatra after the two of them starred in the original Ocean’s 11 together. There were also rumors that Angie was involved with Dean Martin and former president John F. Kennedy as well.
The actress also made her famous cameo in 2001’s “Ocean’s 11” with George Clooney. She is still regarded as a Hollywood legend who is praised by the entire industry even today.
In 2020, the actress made a startling revelation in an interview. She appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning Show” where she was asked about her time on “Police Woman.” She revealed that when she was first offered the role, she had wanted “to throw up.”
Angie later said of her daughter, “She was very smart and funny and wonderful. Yeah, so all my memories of her are my best memories.”
When Angie got together with Bacharach, he was still unknown in the industry while she was a major name. But soon Bacharach wrote songs for Dionne Warwick and Butch Cassidy which helped him gain a lot of popularity.
While he got busier, Angie was more than happy to take a backseat so she could be a better mother and wife. She even rejected projects to make sure she was close to home at all times. She did not step out in the industry for a while till “Police Woman” came out.
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