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| Birth Name(s) : Victoria Leigh Blum |
Date of Birth: October 15, 1955 |
| Status:
Married
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Partner:
Barry Roberts |
| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Tanya Roberts Biography
Tanya Roberts came from modest beginnings in the Bronx, the daughter of a pen salesman (Irish) and a Jewish mother (who were divorced before she reached high school). She dropped out of high school at age 15, got married, and hitchhiked around the country until her husband's mother had the marriage annulled. She met psychology student, Barry Roberts, in a New York movie line. A few months later she proposed to him in a subway station, and they were married.
She studied acting under Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen. In her early years in New York she supported herself as an Arthur Murray dance instructor and then modeling. She appeared in off-Broadway productions of 'Picnic' and 'Antigone' and in television commercials for Ultra Brite, Clairol, and Cool Ray sunglasses. In 1977 Tanya and her husband (who took up scriptwriting) moved to Hollywood.
She began appearing in TV pilots such as Pleasure Cove (1979) (TV), Zuma Beach (1978) (TV) and Waikiki (1980) (TV). Her first film appearance is evidently Forced Entry (1975) [made in 1975]. After roles in several minor films, her first big break came when she was selected as an angel (the last) for Charlie's Angels (1976) (TV) in the final season. She was featured on the cover of People magazine (2/9/81). The attention at this time helped secure her most significant film parts - Beastmaster, The (1982), Sheena (1984) [the lead role], and View to a Kill, A (1985). Tanya was featured on the cover and inside of the Oct. 1982 issue of _Playboy_ to promote Beastmaster, The (1982). Tanya continues to appear in films, which primarily go directly to video and cable release. Most recently she is featured in the CD computer game Pandora Directive, The (1996). |
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Additional Tanya Roberts Biography
Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Leigh Blum on October 15, 1954) is an American actress best known for her roles in Charlie's Angels, The Beastmaster, For Your Eyes Only, Sheena, and That '70s Show.
Tanya Roberts grew up in the Bronx, New York City. The daughter of an Irish American pen seller and a Jewish American woman, her parents divorced before she reached high school. Her sister, actress Barbara Chase, was married to Timothy Leary from 1978 to 1992.
At age 15, she abandoned her studies to get married and lived for a while hitchhiking across the United States until her mother-in-law annulled the union. Tanya continued to live in New York City, modelling and working as a dance teacher with Arthur Murray.
After meeting psychology student Barry Roberts while waiting in line for a movie, she soon married again, having proposed to him in a subway station. While Barry started a career as a screenwriter, Tanya began to study at the Actors' Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen.
Starting out, Roberts landed several television commercials for Ultra Brite, Clairol and Cool Ray sunglasses, and played serious roles in the off-Broadway productions Picnic and Antigone. She continued to support herself as an Arthur Murray dance instructor. Her film debut was the thriller Forced Entry (1975, Jim Sotos) together with Nancy Allen. This was followed by the comedy The Yum-Yum Girls (1976, Narry Rosen).
In 1977, as her husband was securing his own screenwriting career, the couple moved to Hollywood. In 1978, Tanya filmed the drama Fingers (by James Toback), co-starring Harvey Keitel, Tisa Farrow, Jim Brown and Danny Aiello. A role in the 1979 cult-movie Tourist Trap (by David Schmoeller) with Chuck Connors followed. She also appeared in the movies Racket (1979, by David Winters) with Bjorn Borg, and California Dreaming (1979, by John Hancock).
Roberts also featured in several television pilots that were never picked up: Pleasure Cove, the comedy Zuma Beach (1978, by Lee H. Katzin, co-written by Halloween director John Carpenter) and Waikiki (1980).Tanya Roberts with Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only (1981)
In 1980, Roberts was chosen among 2,000 candidates to replace Shelley Hack in Charlie's Angels in what later turned out to be the last season of the series. In the show, Roberts interpreted her character Julie Rogers as a streetwise fighter who used her fists more than her gun.
After this, her popularity exploded. She was the cover of People magazine (September 7, 1981) and was offered more ambitious projects, though it could be argued that this was due to her good looks rather than her acting talent.
In 1982, she played Kiri in the sword and sorcery movie The Beastmaster (by Don Coscarelli, creator of the Phantasm franchise) with Marc Singer. She also appeared in Playboy to help promote the movie, appearing on that issue's cover (November 1982).
In 1983, Tanya filmed the little-known adventure Paladini-storia d'armi e d'amori (Guns and Love Story) in Italy. She also played the role of "Velda," buxom secretary to private detective Mike Hammer (played by Stacy Keach) in Murder Me, Murder You. The made-for-TV movie was the first of two pilots that kicked off the syndicated television series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. Roberts declined to continue the role in the Mike Hammer series - where she was replaced by Lindsay Bloom - in order to film her next project, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (by John Guillermin). The 1984 film was based on a character adapted from a Will Eisner's comic book. Dressed in scantily clad costumes, Sheena also introduced a new blonde hairstyle that Roberts would keep for the rest of her career. The movie was a box office disaster and was mauled by the critics.
After a brief break she appeared in Body Slam (1987, by Hal Needham), an action movie set in the professional wrestling world. Roberts closed out the decade with Purgatory (1989, by Ami Artzi), film about the life of imprisoned women.
By 1990 satisfying roles began to dry up and Roberts started to film erotic thrillers for cable television, often competing with then-current star of the genre Shannon Tweed.
In Night Eyes (1990, by Jag Mundhra) she was zealously watched over by her husband, but she ends up having an affair with the detective (Andrew Stevens) who was following her. Her 1991 film Inner Sanctum (by Fred Olen Ray) became one of the biggest hits of the genre and was successful on video rental shelves. In 1992, she played Kay Egan in Sins of Desire (by Jim Wynorsky).
Roberts also appeared on the Hot Line television series (1994) and the video game The Pandora Directive (1996).
In 1998 her career had a resurgence, and she became familiar to younger audiences, when she took on the role of Midge Pinciotti on That '70s Show until she left the series in 2001. In a recent interview on E! True Hollywood Story discussing That '70s Show, Roberts said she left the show because her husband had become ill, but gave no details of his condition. The Internet Movie Database, however, reports that Barry Roberts died on 15 June 2006, after a four year battle with encephalitis. He and Tanya had been married for 32 years.
After leaving That '70s Show, Roberts has been heard on radio and seen on television as the spokesperson for several Las Vegas, Nevada timeshare companies, notably Soleil and Tahiti Village. Roberts does commercials on a wide variety of radio stations and programs for Consolidated Resorts. |
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Tanya Roberts Quote(s)
| Even if I get thrown out of Hollywood, I'll come back. It took me 14 years to get where I am. I'm going to hang in there. |
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