Alex Carson
Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful models and actresses of the 1950s and 1960s was Jackie Lane. Jackie Lane was well-known in both the United States and throughout Europe as a model and actress and rapidly rose to fame.
But, Jackie Lane, despite her incredible success put a halt to her career and we haven’t heard much from her for decades. Her last credits were in the 1970s and it seems that she’s left the entertainment industry behind for good.
So, what happened? Why did she decide to no longer pursue her entertainment career?
Join FactsVerse to learn about Jackie Lane’s life and career and how she stepped out of the limelight while she was at the height of her career…
JACKIE LANE’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Jocelyn Olga Bolton was born on the 16th of May, 1937, in Vienna, Austria. Her father, Briton John Bolton worked for an oil company and her mother, Olga was a noted Russian pianist. She has one older sister, Mara, who also became a model and actress.
When she was still in her teens, Jocelyn’s father sadly passed away from a car accident while in the United States. The Bolton daughters were then raised by their mother in the United States. Jocelyn traveled to the UK in her early teens to receive dance lessons – and eventually settled in the country at age 18 to pursue a modeling career, following in her sister’s footsteps.
At the age of 18, Jocelyn chose the pseudonym Jackie Lane and soon became one of the most well-known models in the UK.
As her profile grew, the next step was to move into acting. Her film career began in the 1950s and it wasn’t long until she became a huge star.
Before we tell you more about Jackie Lane’s life and career and show you some rare photos of hers, please like this video and subscribe to FactsVerse for more interesting stories about pop culture and your favorite celebrities and more fascinating biopics! Now, let’s get back to the video…
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JACKIE LANE’S FILM AND TELEVISION CAREER
Jackie Lane had her first two credits in 1954, in a film called The Men of Sherwood Forest and another called Cocktails in the Kitchen. Both these were small roles and were uncredited. She still had to find a way to become a bigger star and find more meaningful roles.
Her first ‘lead’ role was actually in a short documentary travel film called April in Portugal. In this documentary, Jackie Lane, travels around Portugal with the bandleader George Melachrino. This became a popular travel film and brought Jackie to further stardom. While this was a documentary, it introduced her to film producers and directors who were interested in working with her.
The following year, in 1956, she won her first major role in a film. The film was called The Gamma People and she had a small supporting role as ‘Anna.’ While not the lead role, it was enough to gain attention from more movie industry players as well as the audience. Audiences were charmed by this Russian-British beauty and wanted to see more of her.
In her next film, she had a larger role. She had a major role in the film These Dangerous Years. In this film, she appeared with big name actors such as George Baker, Frankie Vaughan, and Carole Lesley – and managed to hold her own amongst them. This got her further attention from producers and the offers for films kept coming in.
After These Dangerous Years, she appeared in a British film and she would soon be known as an actress who was equally comfortable performing for American audiences and European audiences. The film was The Truth About Women and it was a British comedy film about the troubles that men faced when trying to woo women.
This was followed up with a popular British comedy film called Wonderful Things! This film followed 2 brothers trying to fight over a woman. And, yup, you guessed it – the beautiful woman they fought against was Jackie Lane.
In 1959, she had a supporting role in the film The Angry Hills. This was an American-British war and Jackie Lane had a supporting role in it. With this film, she showed her skills in a dramatic role and more and more, she was getting more attention from filmmakers and producers alike.
By the time the 1960s rolled around, Jackie Lane was one of the biggest stars of her generation. While her legacy has largely been ignored by many film historians, one can look back and see that she won film offers left and right and she was just as in-demand as other starlets such as Marilyn Monroe.
One of her most popular roles in the 1960s was the 1965 film Tickle Me in which she co-starred with Elvis Presley. This film catapulted her stardom even more – as it was expected that any actress who would co-star with The King would, of course, gain the world’s attention.
This film followed Elvis playing a rodeo rider who stumbles across an all-female dude ranch. As one could expect, Jackie Lane starred alongside many beautiful women. Yet, she still managed to stand out from the other cast members and this film is one of the best-known films she’s appeared in.
She appeared in many other European films such as Robin Hood and the Pirates, Goodbye Again, Two and Two Make Six, Operation Snatch, Venus Against the Son of Hercules, and War Gods of Babylon.
She also had a short-lived television career as well. In 1955, she appeared in an episode of the series Sailor of Fortune. In 1962, she appeared in one episode of The Cheaters and one episode of Armchair Theater.
Her other notable TV appearances were in shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man from UNCLE, The Smothers Brothers Show, and The Queen and I. In 1971, she appeared as herself in a show called VIP-Schaukel and this was her final on-screen appearance.
Her film career was short-lived as was her television career. But looking back, one can see that Jackie Lane had a rather diversified career. In many of her roles, she played a character who could exude a range of emotions. She appeared in British comedies, American romances, Italian dramas, and a few war films as well.
On TV, she appeared in sitcoms, drama shows, and mystery series. Had she not taken early retirement from acting – one could expect that she’d go down as being one of the greatest actresses of her generation.
So, what is it that caused her to take early retirement? As was common in those days, she stepped away from her career when she met the man of her dreams.
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JACKIE LANE FALLS IN LOVE
Being one of the most beautiful women who had graced the cinema screen, it was natural that Jackie Lane won a lot of attention from potential suitors. She had the beauty of a princess and it’s no surprise that when she did get married, she married a prince.
She married Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Prince Alfonso was a Spanish aristocrat who was the descendant of rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. He was a prominent businessman, and he could only marry a beautiful woman.
He founded the Marbella Club Hotel and naturally came in touch with many celebrities. He also had highly publicized affairs with Ava Gardner and Kim Novak. He eventually fell in love with Jackie Lane and married her in 1973. Together, they had one daughter – Princess Arriana Theresa Maria of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
This was the only relationship that we know about Jackie Lane’s personal life. While she was a popular model and actress, she somehow managed to keep her relationships quiet from the public. In fact, much of her personal life was hidden from the public and she managed to keep her private life a secret – even to this day!
JACKIE LANE’S LATER LIFE
Jackie Lane celebrated her 85th birthday in 2022. While forgotten by much of the film industry, she’s still living a great life.
She divorced Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and won a small settlement from him. Well, the settlement was $1 million but according to her, this wasn’t a settlement that was fitting for a princess!
She spent much of her later career working on her jewelry business – where she designed feather necklaces and sold them in California and London. Her brand is called The Princess J Feather Collection.
So, now let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Jackie Lane? Did you know about her marriage and her life since she stepped out of the limelight?
In fact, here’s what we want to know from you:
Do you think that we’ll see more celebrities step out of the limelight to focus on other aspects of their life?
Or will entertainers prefer to remain relevant in the industry until their retirement?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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