Actress Jacqueline Bisset is proving once again that timeless style isn’t bound by age. The iconic British actress, 81, turned heads in Turin, Italy, on Saturday November 22 as she attended the 43rd Torino Film Festival, where she appeared radiant and effortlessly elegant on the red carpet. Photographed in a patterned black-and-ivory midi dress and soft waves framing her face, the star looked every inch the screen icon she has been for more than five decades. She was honored with a Stella della Mole award for her six decades in the entertainment industry at the event. Also in attendance at the Festival were actor Antonio Banderas, director Spike Lee and Rocky star Dolph Lundgren.
Born in Surrey and raised in Reading, Jacqueline trained in ballet before turning to acting in the mid-1960s. Her breakout came shortly after, starring opposite Frank Sinatra in The Detective and later captivating global audiences as Miss Goodthighs in the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale – a role that cemented her status as a Bond-universe beauty and one of the most striking faces of her era.
Throughout her decade-spanning career, the British star has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award. In a milestone moment, the actress also received France's highest honour – the Legion of Honour – in 2010. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy presented Jacqueline with the award, referring to her as "a movie icon."
Across the 1970s and 1980s, Jacqueline built a reputation as a versatile, grounded performer, working with some of the industry’s most influential directors. She earned acclaim for her performance in François Truffaut’s Oscar-winning Day for Night, and her roles in Bullitt, The Deep, Rich and Famous and Under the Volcano showcased her ability to move seamlessly between action, drama and romance. Her multilingual fluency and European sensibility also made her a favourite presence in international cinema.
Away from the screen, Jacqueline had a close friendship with Angelina Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, a bond that led Jacqueline to become Angelina’s godmother. Jacqueline told People: "I met her around 1971 when I was making a movie with director Maximilian Schell and Jon Voight, who [Marchline] was married to at the time. We became friends, and she asked me to be her godmother when Angie was in the tummy."
While Jacqueline cherishes her role as Angelina's godmother, the A-lister has never considered having children of her own. In a 2013 interview with Mail Online, she said: "I always had cats and animals, so children were never really in my thoughts."
In recent years, Jacqueline has continued to work steadily in film and television, finally earning her first Golden Globe in 2014 for her performance in Dancing on the Edge, an accolade that came in her 70s. She also had a role in the 2021 comedy-drama, Birds of Paradise.