Joan Collins

Dame Joan Collins of Paddington, London is renowned for her acclaimed portrayal of the vengeful yet scheming Alexis Carrington Colby in the hit soap opera "Dynasty" (1981-1989). Her illustrious career was bestowed with the prestigious honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1997, and in 2015 she was further honoured with a promotion to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contributions to charity. A much-beloved figure of the stage, Dame Joan's talent can be attributed to her father, a South African talent agent of Jewish descent, Joseph William Collins, who counted such luminaries as Shirley Bassey, the Beatles and Tom Jones amongst his clients. Her mother, a dance teacher of Anglican descent, Elsa Bessant, also contributed to Dame Joan's talents. She was educated at the esteemed Francis Holland School in London, an independent day school for girls, where her theatrical debut at the tender age of six as a chorister in the West End production of "The Merry Widow" set the wheels in motion for her illustrious career.