Linda Evans is a gorgeous and talented actress who shined on screen in hit shows such as The Big Valley and Dynasty. Her roles on those two shows made her a household name in both the 1960’s and the 1980’s. But in between the two shows, Linda took a somewhat unexpected turn when she decided to pose nude for Playboy Magazine. Not only that, but she didn’t do it for empowerment or fun. Instead, it was a strictly financial decision, meant to help out her husband at the time. So while you might think it’s something she regretted later in life, that’s not the case. In this video, we’re taking a closer look at that chapter in Linda Evans’ life, as well as highlighting some things about the actress that you might not know! So join Facts Verse, as we present: Linda Evans Says She Has No Regrets About Posing Nude
Some actors and actresses are lucky enough to be a star on a show that runs for several years. It’s often enough to make them a household name, or help sustain their career for decades. But very few stars end up landing major roles on more than one major hit. And even fewer manage to do it in hit shows that are decades apart. And yet, that’s exactly what Linda Evans accomplished. From 1965 to 1969, she starred as Audra Barkley on the hit show, The Big Valley. It was a Western series that allowed audiences to first get a sense of the talent and beauty Linda possessed. That would have been enough to label Evans a success in Hollywood. But she managed to follow that gig up with one many years later, when she starred in the mega-hit soap, Dynasty, as Krystle Carrington. She was on that show from 1981 to 1989, and it made her even more famous than before.
In fact, she quickly became one of the most popular female TV stars of the decade, thanks to her stellar portrayal of Krystle. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes five years in a row, winning once in 1982. She also garnered five People’s Choice Awards, and an Emmy nomination. She was ultimately given a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk Of Fame as well.
Linda posed for Playboy
In 1971, Linda was still about a decade away from landing her role on Dynasty. But, as we already mentioned, she was already a big name actress due to her part on The Big Valley. And she was a gorgeous actress with a great figure. So it wasn’t a huge surprise that she given an offer from Playboy Magazine to pose nude in their publication. One has to assume that Playboy made a habit of offering a spread to most of the big time actresses of the day. But what is perhaps the surprising element is that Evans said yes. At the time, she was married to director John Derek. Derek was also a photographer, who would often take erotic photos of Linda at home. So posing nude was something Linda was familiar with, and seemingly okay with. However, she had never revealed those photos to the general public. And yet, in 1971, John was struggling to find work. And while Linda may have garnered a decent salary on The Big Valley, she wasn’t working at the moment. So, basically, the two were strapped for cash. Not necessarily so much that they couldn’t afford necessities, but to the point where they couldn’t fund projects that could help get their careers back on track. John had one particular film that he was desperately trying to get financed. When the offer from Playboy came, Linda and John thought it through, and decided it was an easy way to make some cash, to potentially get that film project off the ground. They decided that instead of going in and having Playboy take photos of her, they would just send some of the ones they had already taken. Talk about an easy payday.
Linda Has No Regrets About It
Considering Linda’s career ended up coming back in a big way in the 1980’s, you might expect that she regrets her decision in 1971 to release nude photos to Playboy. And yet, that’s not the case. Evans has been asked many times about her decision over the years, and she still feels completely fine about it. She says that not only does she not regret the decision, but she is glad she did it. She says that becoming a Playboy model was vital to her path to becoming a popular actress in the 1980’s. Or, as she put it in an interview, Playboy made her who she is today. So clearly she has nothing but good feelings about the publication and her decision to send photos to it. And it’s a good thing, because Playboy eventually decided to rerelease the photos in 1982, when Evans had become an even bigger star thanks to her role on Dynasty!
Now let’s move on to some facts about Linda Evans that you might not be familiar with…
Linda Loves Numerology
Numerology is the theory that numbers (and letters) have mystical relationships to each other, and that they form patterns that can help guide people to a more profound knowledge of themselves, others, and the world. And Linda Evans counts herself as someone who subscribes to the practice! She has said that she was into numerology as a youngster, starting with always asking people what their birthday was. She would try to figure out things about them by using their name and birthdate, something she says she found fascinating. The passion for numerology came about because she is naturally very curious about people and the human condition. And, to her, numerology was a tool she could use to help get insight about other people, as well as about bigger questions in life.
She loves speed walking
It’s not known whether or not Linda officially competes in speed walking, but it’s certainly a passion of hers. Or rather, she’s just naturally a super fast walker. In an interview, she admitted that whenever she’s walked with friends or boyfriends over the course of her life, she has always been asked to slow down her pace. She admits she just has a naturally fast pace that she can’t really help. It’s not something she’s aware of half the time. But fortunately, she’s also kind enough to recognize when her speed walking is a little too much for the person she’s walking with.
She had a very famous tenant
In the mid 1980’s, Linda was diagnosed with idiopathic edema. To help treat it, she began to look to non-traditional therapies like naturopathy and alternative healing. She worked with a woman named J.Z. Knight, who ran a metaphysical healing center in Rainier, Washington. Evans became so enamored of Knight and her teachings, she decided to move to Washington State, to be closer to the healing center. But she wasn’t ready to give up her home in Los Angeles. So she needed to find a renter. Of course, given that she was a big TV star, it should come as no surprise that her house in LA was pretty nice. It was a Beverly Hills mansion, in fact. So she needed a tenant who would pay a high price to live there, and one who would respect the property. Luckily, she found both qualities in her new tenant… music legend Dolly Parton! It was an unexpected, but great relationship. Dolly ended up staying the house for nine years. In an interview, Evans gave the highest of praise to her famous tenant. She said that Dolly was the ideal person to stay in her home, and that she treated it (and the many antiques and treasures there) with the utmost respect. Evans even pointed out that Dolly left the house in better condition than when she found it!
Her Cat Also Posed for Pictures
Linda had a cat at one point who was perhaps as successful in the modeling world as she was. Or, at least, according to Evans. In an interview, Evans talked about her gorgeous Himalayan cat named “She.” Evans said that the cat was so beautiful, she was featured on cat calendars. So maybe she was mostly famous in the cat calendar world, but that’s still impressive. Evans said that the money from those cat calendars went to programs that helped care for cats, so it was a win-win.
Barbara Stanwyck gave her wardrobe an overhaul
When Linda joined the cast of The Big Valley, she was still a young actress who had never worked with a stylist. She claims that at that point, she was wearing things like animal skins, courtesy of her husband John. This was not something that her new costar, Barbara Stanwyck was okay with. Stanwyck decided to take Evans under her wing, and help her figure out how to dress with more class and glamour – styles befitting a TV star. According to Evans, Barbara would invite her over for dinners. After they ate, they’d drink champagne together, and then Barbara would go through her own closets and pick out armfuls of elegant clothing for Linda. She’d insist that Linda take the clothes home with her, and make them a part of her wardrobe. Evans was eternally grateful for these gestures, even going so far as referring to Barbara as a second mother to her. This made sense in several ways. For starters, Linda was only 23 at the time, while Barbara was already 58. Plus, Linda’s mom sadly passed away while they were shooting The Big Valley. Stanwyck reportedly told Evans at that point that while she would never actually replace her mother, she’d act as a mother=figure from then one. Evans had a nickname for Barbara: Missy. And Barbara took to calling Linda “Audra”, which was her character’s name on The Big Valley.
Now it’s time to hear from you. Did you know that Linda Evans posed for Playboy and had no regrets about it? Let us know in the comments section below!
