When she was younger, Hollywood sang her praises. With her wavy blond hair and blue eyes, the actress was considered one of the most beautiful faces in the movie industry.
Kathleen Turner, renowned for her strength and beauty, rose to fame in the 1980s. Her resilience helped her navigate many challenges in her career and personal life.
Turner’s childhood was tough, marked by frequent relocations and her father’s sudden death. She pursued acting in New York, achieving fame with 1981’s “Body Heat” and later starred in “Romancing the Stone” with Michael Douglas. “We were in the process of falling in love – fervent, longing looks and heavy flirtation,” she said.
In 1984, Turner married Jay Weiss, and they had a daughter, Rachel, in 1987. Their marriage faced challenges due to Turner’s demanding career. “I’d make the movie companies give me long weekends or provide extra tickets so my daughter and husband could come to me,” she explained. They divorced amicably in 2005 during her Broadway run in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
In the 90s, Turner was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, severely limiting her mobility. “I thought, ‘If I can’t move, I can’t act,’” she recalled. She turned to yoga and Pilates to manage her pain after initially using alcohol and pills.
Turner focused on theater, finding better roles as she aged. She also became active in causes like Amnesty International and Planned Parenthood, supporting women’s empowerment. “Women are going back to work. They’re reinventing themselves,” she said.
