Jane Seymour is an actress that the audience members will most closely associate with her titular role on the 1990s television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. However, decades before taking on that iconic role, Jane appeared as a Bond girl alongside Roger Moore’s James Bond in 1973’s Live and Let Die. Though those who know Jane best as Dr. Quinn will likely think of her as a modest and motherly figure, Jane knew how to turn the heat up during her days as a Bond girl. Join Facts Verse as we explore pictures of young Jane Seymour that are almost too spicy for TV.
Jane Seymour’s Early Life
Jane Seymour was born in England on February 15, 1951. Both of her parents were in the medical profession, with the future star’s mother being a nurse and her father being a gynecologist. During many of Jane’s formative years, her family lived in a Dutch town by the name of Vught. This is also where Jane’s grandmother lived. Jane lived in the town of Vught for around a decade starting in 1955. During her time living in the small Dutch town, the future star learned to speak fluent Dutch. Upon returning to England in the mid-1960s, Jane had aspirations of becoming a star.
Jane had her meager beginnings on British television, where she spent a few years before breaking out into greater prominence in the 1970s. After toiling for several years in the world of television, Jane caught the eye of the producers of the James Bond franchise. At this point, the franchise was nearing a decade in age and the producers knew they were going to need to find increasingly beautiful women to keep the audience interested. They had already lost out on original James Bond star Sean Connery, who had grown disenchanted with playing the superspy. By the time Jane was given her chance to shine as a Bond girl, Roger Moore had been hired to replace Sean in the role of James Bond.
The producers of the James Bond franchise knew as soon as they saw Jane Seymour’s face on television that she would make a perfect Bond girl. She ended up being cast in the role of a Bond girl by the name of Solitaire in 1973’s Live and Let Die. Live and Let Die was the very first film to feature Roger Moore taking over the role of James Bond from Sean Connery, so Jane knew that she was going to have her work cut out for her when it came to making her male costar look good on the screen. Besides the introduction of Roger himself, as well as it’s Paul McCartney theme song, Jane ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the film.
Jane Was Eager to Play Bond Girl Solitaire
Like any actress would’ve if granted the opportunity, Jane Seymour considered the chance to play Solitaire in Live and Let Die to be her big break. However, the actress hadn’t yet been made aware of the alleged “Bond girl curse”. Diehard James Bond fans will likely need no education when it comes to the matter of the Bond girl curse, but cursory fans are a different story. The theory of the Bond girl curse dictates that any actress who receives her big break in the form of a Bond-girl role subsequently gets pigeonholed in similar roles and fails to find sustainable success.
There have been many exceptions to the theory of the Bond girl curse over the years, with some of the most notable being Die Another Day’s Halle Berry, as well as Jane Seymour herself. Jane managed to escape being pigeonholed in the role of the Bond girl, and she credits the advice of her agent with helping her to do this. According to Jane, her agent told her after she was done filming Live and Let Die that she needed to travel to America and start working on losing her English accent right away. Jane Seymour did this, and she went on to find a good deal of success on American television as a result.
Two decades after playing the character of Solitaire in Live and Let Die, Jane Seymour would be given the chance to play an even more iconic character thanks to the hit 1990s television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Those that have come to know Jane best thanks to her titular performance on the series may not have even known that she was a Bond girl many years previously. Those who looked at Jane as a motherly figure up until now are likely having their world rocked by these pictures! Stay tuned for more interesting facts about Jane Seymour, as well as more pictures that are too spicy for TV. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Jane Seymour Broke the Bond Girl Curse
Following Jane Seymour’s breakout appearance as a Bond girl in 1973’s Live and Let Die, the actress hasn’t had much of a film career. However, she has found much more sustainable success on television! Besides Live and Let Die, the only other big film that Jane has appeared in over the course of her career is 1980’s Somewhere in Time. The cult-classic romance showed Jane sharing the screen with Christopher Reeve shortly after the latter’s star-making turn in Superman: The Movie. Besides Somewhere in Time and the cult legacy that the film maintains, the majority of Jane’s success since 1973’s Live and Let Die has been in the realm of television. In addition to the success of Jane’s titular role on the hit 1990s series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, there are also some less talked about television successes that the actress has under her belt. These include her Golden Globe-winning turn in the 1981 miniseries East of Eden.
While Jane Seymour’s work in the entertainment industry has been varied and the 71-year-old actress still continues to make new and notable appearances in the media to this day, it’s undeniable that she continues to be known best as Dr. Quinn. When Jane Seymour received her titular role on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, it proved a momentous occasion for the hard-working actress. Though Jane had continued to find steady employment in the field of entertainment since her days as a Bond girl, starring roles had mostly eluded her. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman gave Jane the chance to shine in a big way. Not only did it give the actress the chance to play a lead character, but it also gave her the chance to play a character that wasn’t defined by her sex appeal.
Many of Jane Seymour’s roles before Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman had taken advantage of the actress’s looks, just as the role of Solitaire in Live and Let Die had. However, by 1993, Jane was ready to enter into the role of a much wiser and more matronly character than she had previously. Jane fit into the role perfectly, and she ended up making the character of Dr. Quinn her own! Upon it’s 1993 premiere, few could’ve predicted what a major hit Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was going to become. The series lasted for five seasons, and has continued airing in syndication since coming to an end. The role turned Jane into an icon.
Lucky in Hollywood, Unlucky in Love
Though Jane Seymour was lucky enough to escape the Bond girl curse, she hasn’t always been lucky in love. The actress has been married a total of four times over the course of her life, and each of those marriages has ended in divorce. Jane’s first husband was an English theatre director by the name of Michael Attenborough. Jane was married to this man from 1971 to 1973, and she didn’t wait many years after her first divorce before deciding to marry a second time.
For her second marriage, Jane Seymour decided to pick a spouse outside of her professional sphere. However, this didn’t result in a marriage that was any more successful. In fact, Jane’s second marriage ended up being even shorter than her first. Jane’s second husband was a children’s book illustrator by the name of Geoffrey Planer. After marrying in 1977, Jane and Geoffrey divorced in 1978. After these two short-lived marriages, Jane took things a little bit more seriously with her third. Jane’s third husband was a businessman by the name of David Flynn, and they were married for just over a decade. They tied the knot in 1981, and remained married until 1992. Over the course of their marriage, Jane and David had two children together.
Jane Seymour married fourth and hitherto final husband James Keach the same year that she received the role of Dr. Quinn. For her fourth marriage, Jane decided to dip back into her professional sphere for the first time since her first. While Jane’s first husband was a theatre director, her fourth husband was fellow thespian James Keach. James Keach is perhaps best known for being the brother of Stacy Keach, whom he appeared alongside in Walter Hill’s The Long Riders. Despite being a reliable character actor over the years, James has never achieved the popularity of Stacy.
Jane’s marriage to James lasted until 2015, making it the most successful of the four marriages that she’s had. Jane and James had two kids, meaning that Jane has had four kids when all is said and done. Today, Jane is a grandmother! Jane and James’ two kids are twins, and they were put to work as Gerber babies while growing up.
Jane Seymour Is Still Hot at 71!
Currently, Jane Seymour is nearly just as attractive as ever despite being in her 70s. In 2018, Jane became the oldest woman ever to pose for Playboy magazine. The actress likes to spend her quiet time painting, and has even found some modest success with her watercolors. In 1999, she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Though Jane Seymour is still nearly attractive as ever at the age of 71, nothing beats looking at spicy pictures of the Dr. Quinn star during her Bond girl days. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Jane Seymour was a sexy Bond girl long before taking on the role of Dr. Quinn, and that she’s also the oldest woman to have ever posed for Playboy? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!