Lois Chiles | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Studio portrait (1979) | |
| Born | Lois Cleveland Chiles (1947-04-15)April 15, 1947 (age 77) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1972–2006 |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Eddie Chiles (uncle) |
Lois Cleveland Chiles (born April 15, 1947)[1] is an American actress and former fashion model known for her role asHolly Goodhead in theJames Bond filmMoonraker (1979), and as ahit-and-run driver inCreepshow 2 (1987).
Other screen credits includeThe Way We Were (1973),The Great Gatsby (1974),Death on the Nile (1978),Broadcast News (1987), and the television role of Holly Harwood onDallas (1982–1983).
Chiles was born inHouston, the daughter of Marion Clay Chiles and Barbara Wayne Kirkland Chiles. Her paternal uncle was oil tycoon andTexas Rangers ownerEddie Chiles.[2][3][4] She had two brothers: Clay Kirkland Chiles (died 1979),[citation needed] and William Edmonds Chiles, president and CEO ofBristow Group, Inc. She was raised inAlice, Texas.
Chiles studied at theUniversity of Texas at Austin and the formerFinch College in New York City, where she was discovered by aGlamour editor looking for a young woman to feature on the cover of the magazine's annual college issue.[1] She landed the job and soon had contracts withWilhelmina Models in New York andElite Models in Paris. Later, she studied acting underRoy London.[5] She datedDon Henley but the relationship ended, and in 2005, she married money managerRichard Gilder.[6] They are both honorary co-chairs ofNorthfield Mount Hermon, a school in Massachusetts. Gilder donated money to the school and they named the Chiles Theater after her.[7] Gilder died in 2020.[8]
Chiles enjoyed a successful modeling career in the early 1970s. After her role in the independent 1972 blaxploitation filmTogether for Days oppositeClifton Davis, Chiles appeared in the successful 1973 studio releaseThe Way We Were, as the college girlfriend ofRobert Redford. She was then cast as Jordan Baker inThe Great Gatsby (1974) alongsideMia Farrow and, once again, Robert Redford. She again shared the screen with Farrow in theAgatha Christie adaptationDeath on the Nile (1978).
AsNASAastronaut, scientist, andBond girl Dr.Holly Goodhead, Chiles appeared oppositeRoger Moore inMoonraker (1979).
Chiles had initially been approached to star in the previous Bond filmThe Spy Who Loved Me, but she declined the role as she was taking a break from acting at the time.[1] She also appeared in a small role in thethrillerComa (1978), one of the many films in which she played a murder victim.[9][unreliable source?]
She appeared in the music video for theTony Powers songOdyssey in 1982.
Chiles lost her youngest brother tonon-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1979, which contributed to her decision to take a three-year hiatus from acting. The time away took a toll on her film career, and she struggled to find roles of the caliber she previously enjoyed, although film criticPauline Kael gave her good notices for her performances inAlan Alda'sSweet Liberty (1986).[citation needed] Her portrayal of reporter Jennifer Mack inJames L. Brooks'Broadcast News (1987) was also well received, as was her turn inGeorge A. Romero's horror flickCreepshow 2 in 1987, as a hit-and-run driver.[10][unreliable source?] In 1989, she appeared uncredited in a short but effective cameo as the estranged mother ofIone Skye's character inSay Anything... (1989).[citation needed]
She has since appeared as a stuffy high-school principal in the 1996Disney filmWish Upon a Star, and as a frightened cruise passenger in the critically pannedSpeed 2: Cruise Control in 1997. She made acameo appearance in the international release of the 1997Bond spoofAustin Powers: International Man of Mystery, though her scene was cut from the United States release.[citation needed]
She has worked in television, playingJ.R. Ewing's love interest Holly Harwood in the 1982–1983 season ofDallas and guest appearances in series such asHart to Hart (as a psychotic split-personality model),In the Heat of the Night,Murder, She Wrote, andThe Nanny (with another Bond girl,Ivana Miličević). Later career high points included the indie filmsDiary of a Hitman (1991) andCurdled (1996).[1] In 2005, friendQuentin Tarantino, with whom she had previously worked on the set ofCurdled, recruited her to appear in the two-episode finale of season five ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which he wrote and directed.[citation needed]
In the spring of 2002, she taught a course in film acting at theUniversity of Houston.[5] Unlike some "Bond girls", Chiles has said that "being a Bond girl is a fun way to be remembered", although she jokes that being asked to sigh "Oh, James" is annoying because "you can't live up to people's fantasies".[11][unreliable source?]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Together for Days | Shelley | |
| 1973 | The Way We Were | Carol Ann | |
| 1974 | The Great Gatsby | Jordan Baker | |
| 1978 | Coma | Nancy Greenly | |
| 1978 | Death on the Nile | Linnet Ridgeway | |
| 1979 | Moonraker | Dr.Holly Goodhead | |
| 1981 | Hart to Hart | Mary Scott / Scottie | TV series, Season 2 (1 episode) |
| 1982 | Odyssey | Unnamed | Music video for Tony Powers song |
| 1982–1983 | Dallas | Holly Harwood | TV series, Season 6 (22 episodes) and Season 7 (2 episodes) |
| 1984 | Courage | Ruth | |
| 1986 | Sweet Liberty | Leslie | |
| 1986 | Dark Mansions | Jessica Drake | TV movie |
| 1987 | Creepshow 2 | Annie Lansing (segment "The Hitchhiker") | |
| 1987 | Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's | Lita Nathan | TV movie |
| 1987 | Broadcast News | Jennifer Mack | |
| 1989 | Say Anything... | Diane's Mother (uncredited) | |
| 1989 | Twister | Virginia | |
| 1990 | Burning Bridges | Claire Morgan | TV movie |
| 1990 | In the Eye of the Snake | Claire Anzer—Marc's Mother | |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Millie Bingham Stafford | TV series, Season 7 (1 episode) |
| 1991 | Veronica Clare | TV series, Seasons 1 and 2 (1 episode each) | |
| 1991 | Bis ans Ende der Welt | Elsa Farber | |
| 1991 | Diary of a Hitman | Sheila | |
| 1992 | Obsessed | Louise | TV movie |
| 1993 | In the Heat of the Night | Muriel Gray | TV series, Season 6 (1 episode) |
| 1993 | Civil Wars | Alexandra Phelps | TV series, Season 2 (1 episode) |
| 1993 | Crossroads | Renee | TV series, Season 1 (1 episode) |
| 1993 | Lush Life | Lucy | TV movie |
| 1994 | L.A. Law | Camilla Greer | TV series, Season 8 (1 episode) |
| 1995 | The Babysitter | Bernice Holsten | |
| 1995 | Flipper | Allison Van Rijn | TV series, Season 1 (1 episode) |
| 1996 | Curdled | Katrina Brandt | |
| 1996 | Wish Upon a Star | Principal Mary Mittermiller | TV movie |
| 1997 | Bliss | Eva | |
| 1997 | The Nanny | Elaine | TV series, Season 4 (1 episode) |
| 1997 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Steamrolled Henchman's Wife (uncredited) | |
| 1997 | Speed 2: Cruise Control | Celeste | |
| 1998 | Black Cat Run | Ada Bronnel | |
| 2000 | Eventual Wife | Susan's Mother | short |
| 2002 | Any Day Now | Judge | TV series, Season 4 (1 episode) |
| 2002 | Warning: Parental Advisory | Susan Baker | TV movie |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jillian Stokes | TV series, Season 5 (episode: "Grave Danger") |
| 2006 | Kettle of Fish | Jean |
