Jane Seymour biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Actress. Born Joyce Penelope Wilhemina Frankenberg on February 15, 1951 in Wimbledon, England, Seymour is best known for her performances in made-for-television dramas. Seymour earned considerable popular acclaim for her portrayal of Dr. Michaela Quinn, a Boston physician who moves to the post-Civil War frontier, on the hit CBS series Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman.

Seymour, the eldest of three daughters, was raised on the outskirts of London. Her father, John Frankenberg, was a Polish obstetrician and her mother, Mieke, a former Red Cross nurse. Her first love was ballet and she trained rigorously toward a career in that field. She made her professional debut at the age of 13 with the London Festival Ballet. She then entered the Arts Educational Trust to receive additional instruction. Three years later, after a performance with the Kirov Ballet, Seymour suffered knee injuries that effectively ended her dancing career.

Acting Debut

She turned to the theater, renaming herself after King Henry VIII's third wife, the only survivor of her husband's penchant for beheading his brides. At the age of 20, she was cast in the James Bond film Live and Let Die as Solitaire, the prototypical 007 ingénue. The performance earned her continual television and film work, much of it mainstream fare, including appearances on episodic programs such as McCloud and Battlestar Galactica. Her performance in the 1976 miniseries Captains and the Kings earned her an Emmy nomination and established her reputation as ‘Queen of the Miniseries’.

Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman

When it premiered in 1993, Dr. Quinn was largely dismissed by critics as too hokey for American viewers. However, the show attracted 22 million viewers at its peak, and led its Saturday-night time slot. Dr. Quinn ran for six seasons and, following the show’s cancellation, Seymour reprised her role in several made-for-television movies.

Seymour has teamed up with current husband James Keach for several projects, including a production company called Catfish Productions. The two have also authored a series of children's books. In the spring of 2002, Seymour debuted her own clothing line, the Jane Seymour Signature Collection. Later that year, Seymour signed a deal to develop and sell an exclusive home products and children's clothing line to Saks Fifth Avenue.

Personal Life

Seymour married Michael Attenborough, son of famed British director Sir Richard Attenborough, when she was 20. The marriage was short lived, and in 1977, Seymour married again, this time to businessman Geoffrey Planer. After a year, the couple divorced. In 1981, Seymour wed her then-business manager, David Flynn. The marriage produced two children, Katie and Sean, but the couple divorced in 1992.

Seymour met actor-director Keach, in 1992. The two wed in May of 1993. Seymour gave birth to twins in 1996, bringing the family total to six (including stepson Kalen Keach and stepdaughter Jenny Flynn). The family owns residences in Malibu, California and Bath, England.

© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.