Dynasty
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$30 Million
“I’m happier [now] than I’ve ever been before. I wouldn’t be young again just to look good. I wouldn’t want to give up the wisdom I’ve achieved as I’ve gotten older.” Linda Evans rose to icon status for her portrayal of glamorous Krystle Carrington on the hit television series Dynasty. But Evans’ talents aren’t limited to acting, however. Noy only is she also a successful businesswoman who founded a popular chain of fitness centers, but she's also written two books and won the British reality television show, Hell's Kitchen.
While Evans is most famous for her role on Dynasty, she landed her first acting gig at the age of 15, and racked up a number of television credits before being cast in what became her breakthrough role on the dazzling Aaron Spelling prime time soap opera. Here’s a closer look at the life and career of this beautiful and talented small screen icon.
From Shy Girl to Star
Linda Evans was born as Linda Evenstad on November 18, 2942 in Hartford, Connecticut to professional dancers Arlene and Alba Evenstad. She was the middle of three daughters. When Evans was a baby, her parents relocated from Connecticut to North Hollywood, California, where she attended Hollywood High School. This was where Evans took her first drama class as a form of therapy. “I was so shy that I wouldn’t give a book report in school, so [the school] forced me to take drama,” she reveals.
Evans’ time at Hollywood High also led to her first show business break: While visiting her friend actress Carole Wells on the set of the National Velvet television series a director noticed her natural beauty and signed her on the spot for a television commercial. This, in turn, led to television roles on shows including Bachelor Father, Ozzie and Harriet, The Untouchables and The Eleventh Hour. In fact, it was on Bachelor Father that she first met her future Dynasty co-star John Forsythe when she was just 15 years old. Evans continues to advance her career with roles on Walt Disney’s Those Calloways, The Big Valley, Avalanche Express, and Tom Horn. Her career took a meteoric rise in 1981 when she was cast on Dynasty.
Wondering when Linda Evenstad became Linda Evans, meanwhile? She changed her name when she launched her professional career.
A Dynasty is Born
Dynasty was conceptualized by ABC network executives in an attempt to compete with the smash CBS series Dallas. Evans played the secretary-turned-wife of millionaire oil tycoon Blake Carrington, who was portrayed by Forsythe. While the show’s ratings were initially less than stellar, it eventually took off. By its 1984-85 season, Dynasty had bested Dallas to claim the spot of top-ranked show on American television.
Evans was a significant part of Dynasty's success, and won a Golden Globe, a Soap Opera Digest Award, and five People’s Choice Awards for her performance. She also received numerous nominations. Of her unique talents, the show’s executive producer Aaron Spelling one said, “All I can tell you is that when she’s in a scene, we never worry. We have a saying on the set, ‘When in doubt, cut to Linda.”
Evans has also been lauded for her extraordinary beauty, and was voted “the best-looking woman in America” by People magazine readers in 1985 as well as declared one of “America’s 10 most beautiful women” by Harper’s Bazaar that same year. Notably, Evans also became a spokesperson for Crystal Light soft drinks in some part due to her Dynasty character’s name.
Today, Evans speaks fondly of that period of her life, during which she spent a lot of time traveling for interviews and promotional junkets. “I was busy every minute and loving every minute!” she says.
After leaving Dynasty in 1989, Evans made only occasional television appearances. Instead, she pursued her interest in fitness and started a small chain of fitness centers. (The business was eventually purchased by the 24-Hour Fitness chain.) This was a natural direction for the actress, who had written the book, Linda Evans Beauty and Exercise, in 1983.
Evans, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, did return to the small screen to reprise the role of Krystle Carrington for the television miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion in 1991. In the subsequent years, Evans also appeared in several made-for-television movies. After another period of semi-retirement, Evans reconnected with the Dynasty cast for the reunion special, Dynasty: Catfights and Caviar. She also starred in the stage play Legends alongside her former Dynasty co-star and nemesis John Collins. Evans garnered additional fame when she won the British television show Hell’s Kitchen after just 16 days of training with celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. She also published an anecdotal cookbook in 2001, Recipes for Life -- My Memories.
Evans honored by PBS as a “pioneer of television” in 2011. And while she now lives on a secluded farm in Washington state, she remains in great shape and is committed to staying active. “I’m still a firm believer in fitness because, basically, I adore food. I don’t always eat the right things or amounts. To eat what I want, I have to work out. I walk and do aerobics,” she asserts. She also recently took up skiing for the first time in her life. “I just didn’t have time before, and now I do,” Evans says of the hobby.
Evans is also proud of her role model status for women of a certain age. "I represent several important issues. I am older, attractive, single and good. I'm one of the first women to say you're not too old for anything at 40. I've gone through some incredible tests and come out on top. There are millions out there who can relate to that,” she insists.
As to what’s next for Evans, the sky is the limit. "You don't grow old until your dreams die -- and then you age from the inside out. I still have plenty of dreams,” she says.
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