Fashion plates Elle Macpherson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Veronica Webb are making the big leap to acting. No telling how they'll do, but they might learn from the ups and downs of other models who tried to be more than just a pretty face.
Candice Bergen
High point: After years of playing beautiful but
rarely funny women on film, the former cover girl (on Vogue, Glamour,
and Mademoiselle) gets to be both on TV's Murphy Brown. Low point: Her unconvincing portrayal of a nymphomaniac in 1967's The Day the
Fish Came Out. The last word: Bergen's Emmy-winning career is proof
that there are second acts in show business.
Christie Brinkley
High point: At the height of her Sports
Illustrated swimsuit popularity, Brinkley appeared in National
Lampoon's Vacation (1983) with Chevy Chase, spoofing the very same
middle-age-male fantasies that made her a star in the first place. Low point: Her attempt to follow Cindy Crawford's House of Style lead by hosting Living in the '90s on CNN was a major flop. The last
word: Although she doesn't seem eager to get back on the set,
Brinkley remains in the public eye with her high-profile marriage to
piano man Billy Joel (she painted the cover for his latest album, River of Dreams).
Ted Danson
High point: The elegant Aramis cologne model of the
1980s dominated television as the libidinous but lovable bartender
Sam Malone on Cheers. Low point: Danson never lived up to the
promise of his early film roles in The Onion Field (1979) and Body
Heat (1981). The last word: Despite some less-than-stellar films
(can anyone remember 1986's A Fine Mess or 1989's Dad?), the ex-model
is still a major star. Next up: Getting Even With Dad, opposite
Macaulay Culkin.
Jane Fonda
High points: She gives vibrant performances in 1969's They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and her two Oscar winners, 1971's Klute and 1978's Coming Home. Low point: Playing a love-crazy coed
in her 1960 debut, Tall Story. Badly. The last word: She did it all:
cover girl (Esquire, Vogue, Glamour), ingenue, serious actress,
activist, and fitness queen. Now she'll produce Pigs in Heaven for
hubby Ted's Turner Pictures.
Lauren Hutton
High point: While Hutton has graced the cover of
nearly every fashion magazine since she began modeling in the '60s,
she's remembered on screen for her sizzling performance as the lonely
wife of a senator in the mediocre American Gigolo (1980). Low
points: Hutton has more than her share of skeletons in her movie
closet (Paternity, '81; Once Bitten, '85; Forbidden Sun, '89), but
there are two words that cut the deepest: Viva Knievel! (1977). The
last word: She recently became Cher's replacement as a spokeswoman
for the sugar substitute Equal.
Ali MacGraw
High points: Yes, there really was a time when the
much-maligned MacGraw (who once made the covers of Mademoiselle, Paris Match, and Harper's Bazaar) got respect for her acting. She
charmed critics in 1969's Goodbye, Columbus and earned an Oscar
nomination for 1970's Love Story. Low points: It's a toss-up between
1972's The Getaway (in which her moll came off as a thrill-seeking
deb), 1978's Convoy (remember her poodle cut?), and her 1985 stint on Dynasty. The last word: Since Dynasty, she has devoted creative time
to a 1991 memoir, Moving Pictures; Victoria Jackson infomercials; and
various TV movies.
