Acclaimed actress Linda Evans chatted about her illustrious career in the film and TV industry, as well as her book “Recipes for Life.”
American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Linda Evans is a woman and performer that epitomizes this thought-provoking quotation by Emerson.
Evans is the epitome of grace, style, beauty, and class. She has been entertaining television audiences all over the globe for well over five decades thanks to her iconic roles as Audra Barkley in The Big Valley on ABC, and the lavish Krystle Carrington in the primetime drama Dynasty on ABC, among many other roles.
‘Hell’s Kitchen’
Her competitive spirit was displayed in Hell’s Kitchen, the British reality cooking show where she was crowned the winner in 2009. “That was absolutely spectacular because I have a passion for cooking,” she said.
“I didn’t know what a reality show was because I don’t watch much television, but I decided to do it. I was thrilled to meet chef Marco Pierre White and to be a part of that experience. Winning was an absolute shock. Marco is an amazing human being, and we had the best time,” she elaborated.
‘The Big Valley’
On being a part of “The Big Valley, she said, “It was an absolute dream for a young girl, who would be working with Barbara Stanwyck so young. It was such an incredible project. It was so amazing to me that I was so fortunate to get that part.”
Portraying Krystle Carrington in ‘Dynasty’
Evans went on to become one of the most celebrated female television stars of the ’80s. She gained worldwide acclaimed for her portrayal of Krystle Carrington in Dynasty. “That role was an answer to a prayer. I had just divorced my second husband and was wondering what my life was going to be about because I never wanted to be an actress.
“I always wanted to be a wife and a mother, and at that point in my life, I thought this mother/wife thing wasn’t going to work out, so I decided to get a career. I called up my agent and I told him that I finally wanted a career, and I was 39 at that time… and then, ‘My God, there came Dynasty‘,” she said.
Krystle was the wife of Blake Carrington, an oil multimillionaire portrayed by the late John Forsythe, and Evans played the “good girl” counterpart to Joan Collins’ nefarious character Alexis. “I liked Krystle because her dream was similar to mine… she wanted a husband and a child, and she wasn’t frankly interested in the Carrington money, her dream was love. Certainly, Blake and Krystle personified that,” she said.
Evans is showered with awards and recognition
For her enthralling acting work as Krystle, Evans was nominated five consecutive times for the coveted Golden Globe Award for “Best Actress in a TV Drama series.” Evans won the Golden Globe back in 1982, where she tied with actress Barbara Bel Geddes, who played Miss Ellie Ewing in the rival CBS primetime television drama Dallas. “Those nominations and awards were shocking because that was never a goal of mine, so they came as an incredible surprise,” she said.
Evans won five “People’s Choice Awards” for “Favorite Actress in a Drama Series” from 1982 to 1986. In 1983, she was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.” “I was just flattered that somebody thought that I was doing a good job with it,” she said.
For her services and contributions to the television industry, Evans was honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987. “The irony of that star was when I was young (age 16), I was a cashier at the Paramount Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, and they gave me the star right next to where I worked,” she said.
“That was the year when I was discovered, and my career began after I did a commercial. This was a career that I never intended to have,” she added.
Linda Evans’ beginnings
She was born in Hartford, Connecticut, to parents who were professional dancers, and she was the second of three daughters. When she was six months old, her family moved to Hollywood.
At the age of 14, she was encouraged to take drama classes to overcome her shyness. One year later, she joined a friend who was auditioning for a television commercial, and Linda got the part.
Shortly thereafter, Evans earned her first guest-starring role on a major television series, Bachelor Father, starring John Forsythe, whose career would become eternally tied to Evans when they portrayed the powerful Carrington couple in Dynasty.
She went on to guest-star on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Wagon Train, My Favorite Martian, and other staples of the 1960s before landing the role of Audra, the daughter of Big Valley matriarch Victoria Barkley, played by the legendary Barbara Stanwyck.
After her tenure on Dynasty, Evans decided there was something more to life than Hollywood, so she moved to the Pacific Northwest, where her extraordinary journey of self-discovery began.
Evans returned to performing frequently, starring in the stage production of “Legends,” and she won the Hell’s Kitchen competition while working under Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White.
Her glamorous life has rivaled her Dynasty character’s life. Evans has dined with queens, royalty, and presidents, she was romanced by the rich and famous, and today, what she treasures the most is the wisdom she has gained along the way throughout her life’s profound journey.
Linda Evans: The ‘Recipes for Life’ book author
In her book Recipes for Life, Evans opens up her heart, as well as her past (which includes her triumphant struggles), and her kitchen. She shares a wide spectrum of anecdotes, photos, her high-profile romances, and recipes that are enjoyed by her and her loved ones.
“A few years ago, I wrote a book about my life with a lot of recipes, and cooking has been a passion of mine for years. That book exists because of my love for cooking. It got me out of my depression, and that was beautiful,” she said.
Her book Recipes for Life is available on Amazon.
When asked about the key to longevity in the entertainment business, Evans responded, “I don’t know because that was never my goal, and after Dynasty, I sort of retired again. Somehow I am very blessed when I want to work, or when something interests me, things come to me.”
Advice for hopefuls in entertainment
For young and aspiring actors, Evans said, “Certainly don’t let anybody interfere with your dreams. If you want to be an actor, don’t pay attention to what people say about it. I never cared if I didn’t get a part, I always knew that it wasn’t for me and it was for something else. I didn’t get involved in the drama of it. I just knew that if I needed to work or if I needed money, it would come, and it came.”
“Don’t let people talk you out of your dreams,” she underscored. “Hold your dream, and know you’ve got it.”
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, Evans said, “You can’t stop progress. It is what it is. I am very grateful that I lived in a time where I was under contract with MGM Studios and they had a backlot that had all these amazing houses and things from the greatest movies of all time, and I could go wandering off down memory lane in my lunch hour and just see the magic of the old Hollywood and be a part of that system.”
“It was an ‘old world time’ that I thought was quite beautiful and I was thrilled to be a part of it. I don’t know if I would want to start in this world right now, especially the way it is set up,” she added.
‘Dynasty’ virtual reunion
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Evans was a part of the star-studded “Dynasty” virtual reunion, which was organized by British actress and former co-star Emma Samms, MBE. That Zoom fan event coincided with the 40th anniversary of the ’80s primetime soap opera Dynasty, and it raised funds for long-haul COVID research. “Emma is a beautiful woman, it was lovely to work with her, she is adorable. It was very poignant to see everybody again,” she said. “I live in Washington State, so I don’t run into people like I used to.”
“Years after Dynasty was over, I would make trips to LA and I would bump into Heather Locklear at Saks Fifth Avenue,” she said. “Up here you don’t run into people so to see them all in that reunion was very poignant.”
“We were very fortunate with Dynasty, we had an exceptionally good cast, and everybody got along despite the Enquirer saying that there were fights on the show. We never had any of that,” she said.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Evans said, “Alone and Never Happier.” “For a woman who only wanted to get married and have children, it is pretty spectacular where I got because I am so completely happy on my own,” she said.
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Evans said, “Success means that you are doing what you love, and you get to do it and be paid for it.”
For her fans, she said, “I find the fans to just be extraordinary. They’ve stuck around all of these years, and they just touch my heart. Some of my fans are right up there around my age. The fans have all hung in there with me, and I have never been more touched.”
To learn more about world-class actress Linda Evans, check out her official website, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
