Angie Dickinson was a very famous actress in her time. She acted so well that she won awards for her performances. People loved watching her in movies and TV shows.
Now, at 92 years old, she’s not in the spotlight like she used to be.
Angie Dickinson, whose full name is Angeline Dickinson, is from America. She had a great career on TV. She started acting in the 1950s, appearing in different shows. One of her early movies was “Gun the Man Down.” You might also remember her from “Rio Bravo,” where she won a Golden Globe award.
Besides TV, Angie Dickinson also acted in many movies. Some of her films include “Jessica,” “The Chase,” “The Outside Man,” “The Art of Love,” “The Killers,” “Ocean’s 11 (1964),” “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” and more. She was really popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
But her most important role was as Sergeant Pepper Anderson in “Police Woman.” This was special because it was the first time a woman led a TV show, and it was a big hit. Her character even inspired some young girls to become police officers.
Angie Dickinson said it was unusual to see a woman as a cop on TV back then. Today, it’s more common in shows like CSI or Law and Order, but back then, it was different.
In a PBS series called “Pioneers of Television,” Angie Dickinson talked about her role and how people liked crime shows, even back then.
The actress didn’t see herself as a “feminist.” She felt like she had to compete with men. Even though she didn’t call herself a feminist, her role did inspire many women.
She said, “When I was going for a role, I wasn’t competing with men; it was a role for a woman.”
When asked about the pay difference between male and female actors, she wasn’t bothered. She said she was happy with the money she was offered for her work.
She was also sad about some things in “Police Woman.” She thought the show could have shown more. She didn’t like that everything always ended perfectly in each episode and that there wasn’t much violence.
She wished the show had shown more serious consequences for the bad guys. She liked newer shows like “Southland” and “Detroit 1-8-7” because they did a better job with that.
When “Police Woman” was really popular, she got letters from fans who said she inspired them to become police officers.
She was in her 40s when she did “Police Woman.” She worked really hard to do a great job. She worked even harder than younger actresses. And even as she got older, she seemed to get more beautiful instead of just looking old.
A lot of people found her really interesting. Some people say she was very close to the Rat Pack, a group of famous entertainers. There were rumors that she had a 10-year relationship with Frank Sinatra after they both acted in the original “Ocean’s 11” movie. Some people also said she was involved with Dean Martin and former President John F. Kennedy.
She had a famous small part in the 2001 movie “Ocean’s 11” with George Clooney. Even today, people in Hollywood think she’s a legend.
In 2020, she said something surprising in an interview on the “CBS Sunday Morning Show.” She talked about her time on “Police Woman” and said that when she was first offered the role, she felt sick to her stomach.
She said doing the show was really hard. They made 20 to 21 episodes every season, which was really tough. She agreed to do the show for four years, but not longer than that.
After four years, she realized she hadn’t been paid much for her work. She said it took away a lot from her life and wasn’t worth it.
When asked why she took the role, she said the producer, David Gerber, told her it would make her very famous. But she said what people want can change over time.
She’s been married twice. Her first husband was Gene Dickinson, and they were married from 1952 to 1960. Then she married Burt Bacharach from 1965 to 1981. It was his second marriage too.
The couple had a daughter together, who was the first child for both of them. They named her Nikki. She was born early, about three months before her due date, in 1966. Angie later said that Nikki had Asperger’s syndrome, which is a type of “high-functioning autism.”
Nikki went to Cal Lutheran University and studied geology. But her eyesight got worse over time, so she couldn’t pursue a career. Her parents then took her to a special place where she lived for ten years.
Sadly, Nikki died by suicide in 2007 at her condo in Thousand Oaks. She was 40 years old. A statement released to the public said she took her life to “escape the pain” she was feeling in her mind.
When Angie got together with Bacharach, he wasn’t famous yet, but she was a big star. Then Bacharach started writing songs for singers like Dionne Warwick and for movies like Butch Cassidy, and he became famous.
As Bacharach got busier, Angie was happy to focus more on being a mom and wife. She turned down acting jobs to stay close to home. She took a break from acting until “Police Woman” came along.
When Angie started her job, she made a rule that she would be home by 6 p.m. every day. But it didn’t always happen. She often brought home Italian takeout so they could eat quickly. Bacharach told her she seemed angry a lot, but she didn’t get why until later.
Years later, she realized she blamed herself for little things, which hurt her marriage. She started to wonder if being a Hollywood mom was worth it. She wondered if her husband would have loved her more if she had stayed home instead of working.
The couple separated for five years before their divorce. They saw other people during the time but Angie always kept pictures of Bacharach in her home because after all, he was her daughter’s father.
Her daughter was also a musician and played the drums. They had a rocky relationship which was strained especially when Nikki was 14 years old and had joined a religious cult.
Nikki was also not very feminine and said she would “never be as feminine” as her mother. Still, the women had a beautiful bond and Angie always wanted her daughter to be close to her.
When Angie was working on a project called “Pearl” in Hawaii, she took her daughter Nikki with her. While they were in the water, they got caught in a strong tide and hit a coral reef. Angie was really scared they wouldn’t make it, but she managed to keep Nikki safe.
Nikki had health issues because she was born early and was also on the autism spectrum. Sometimes she would get physical with her mom, but Angie always understood her frustrations.
As Nikki needed more care, Angie stopped working to take care of her daughter. She didn’t see it as a sacrifice because she would have been working on plays if she didn’t have Nikki to care for.
When Nikki died, Angie found support from her friends, including Veronique, the widow of Gregory Peck. Angie also found comfort in a play by Tony Kushner, which had themes about losing someone.
Burt Bacharach, Angie’s former husband, passed away on February 8, 2023, at 94 years old. Although he had other children, Nikki was Angie’s only child. Angie and Bacharach separated and divorced because of various reasons, including his infidelity, which he wrote about in his autobiography.
Angie often talked about how her former husband, the composer, didn’t love her like most people do. She said, “He didn’t respect me.” But when asked if she loved him, she said yes.
Now, Angie lives a quiet life in her home in Beverly Hills. She rarely goes out, which makes sense because she’s quite old now. Her last movie was in 2004, called “Elvis Has Left The Building.” She was also on TV in 2009, in a show called “Mending Fences.”
But she’s still been on camera. She appeared in a PBS documentary about Sammy Davis, Jr., called “I’ve Gotta Be Me.” When she was 79, Angie said she felt lucky. She said, “I was lucky to be around during a great time. I met some amazing stars and stayed friends with many, and lovers with some. It was a wonderful life, and it still is.”
As for acting again, she said she didn’t want to only play grandmother roles. But she thought about doing one-person shows or theater instead.
At 92 years old, she says acting in movies and TV shows can be tough. She still cares about looking good, even at her age. She joked about the stereotype of being a glamorous actress who can’t act.
In 2008, she sat next to Clint Eastwood, who joked that makeup artists stopped fussing over him because of his age. But for her, it was different. She said she got so used to hair and makeup that she felt strange without them.
Later on, she said, “You become obsessed with how you look. If an elevator doesn’t have a mirror, I’m done. It doesn’t matter who you are, once you’re past 50, everything changes.”
The actress doesn’t talk much about her personal life. She thinks that’s why publishers aren’t interested in a book where she spills all the secrets. She said, “But I won’t reveal everything. That’s not who I am. Maybe one day I’ll have the energy to do a one-person show.”
Alexandra Becket, a writer for LA Magazine, said she often took care of Angie’s cats. In a neighborhood full of big Hollywood stars, Angie was the best neighbor she could ask for.
The actress lives by herself, as far as we know. Let’s hope she’s doing well and doesn’t feel too lonely!
It’s funny how people talk about “strong women” nowadays. Angie was showing strength long before anyone talked about it. She did it with style, beauty, and a fearless attitude.
Back then, there were many strong women in movies and TV shows. They were the pioneers of their time. It seems like everyone has forgotten about them.
Angie later talked about her daughter, saying, “She was really smart, funny, and amazing. All my memories of her are my favorite.”
