One of the most beautiful girls in Hollywood, who came in the 80s to take over from the post-war glittering stars, was Andie McDowell. Of course, times had changed and so had the requirements. The new stars were not so dazzling, the sexiness receded, they had to be women next door, have something fragile, be able to “wrinkle” the role, have an acting education, fit more into the cast as a whole, to stand next to or even under the blind, the effectiveness of the film.

It was the generation that, together with the young talented directors of the time, renewed the public’s interest, broke down stereotypes, gave life to new trends, new forms in American cinema. They contributed to this, together with Andie McDowell and Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathleen Turner, Jamie Lee Curtis and Madeleine Stowe, who possessed more or less the same characteristics, stormed the cinema with dynamism and managed to draw attention to themselves and not only the male audience.

Andie McDowell, who turned 65 (born April 21, 1958), came into the news again some time ago not so much for her performance, but for her decision to let, or rather show, her gray hair, to defend natural female beauty, in spite of the times and extreme aesthetic interventions at the altar of eternal youth, another Hollywood stereotype. But before her useful, if anything, turn to naturalness, Andie McDowell also had an important film career, never becoming the undisputed star or sex symbol of an era, despite starting her career as model.

From Gaffney to… Elite

Addie McDowell was born in Gaffney, South Carolina, to parents of English, French, Scottish, Irish and Welsh descent, and had three older sisters. Her childhood was not carefree, as her mother suffered from mental disorders and was also an alcoholic. Her parents divorced when she was just six years old, and her mother died at the age of 53. On a trip to Los Angeles, an agent discovered her and convinced her to sign a contract with the modeling agency Elite Model Management in New York in 1978.

Both model and “Jane”

In the early 1980s, McDowell began shooting for Vogue and starred in advertising campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Anne Klein, etc. Her advertisements and posters in Times Square for Calvin Klein attracted the attention of producers and in 1984 she made her film debut in the smash hit Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle as ‘Jane’ opposite the then up-and-coming Christophe Lambert. Next year he will play in the comedy “San Elmo’s Bar”, directed by Joel Schumacher and alongside the new rising generation of the decade, namely Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore and Andrew McCarthy.

In 1986, he signed a gold contract with L’Oréal, while he had already started acting studies at the Actors Studio and took lessons with Harold Gaskin and Warren Robertson.

“Sex, Lies and Videos”

A few years later, Steven Soderbergh will choose her to star in the iconic film of the decade “Sex, Lies and Videos”, which will premiere in 1989 at the Cannes Film Festival, win the Palme d’Or and give McDowell several awards and a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actor. A film that would forever change independent American cinema, approaching human relationships, infidelity and its effects, with a European air. Next to her, James Spider and other talented actors will perfectly serve the brilliant script.

Next to Depardieu

Her success will bring her several proposals and in 1990 she will star in the excellent comedy “Green Card” by the important Australian director Peter Weir and with Gerard Depardieu next to her. A film in the style of a witty comedy, with the French star playing an illegal immigrant in the US, who in order to get a green card of legal residence will have to have a white wedding, which will develop into a great love.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

It will be followed by Robert Oldman’s scathing satire of the entertainment world “Snapshots” and Harold Ramis’ famous “Groundhog Day”, co-starring Bill Murray. For her big hit in 1994, Mike Newell’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, a romantic comedy that was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, McDowell would have to compete against very good actors of the British school. From Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas to John Hannah, Simon Callow and many more. Once again he did great.

Her career will continue with notable and not so films, she will even play in a female western – “Bad Girls” – along with Madeline Stowe, Drew Barrymore, Mary Stewart Masterson, while in 1997 she will star in Wim Wenders’ powerful thriller “The End of Violence’ alongside Bill Pullman and Gabriel Byrne.

Calmness and confidence

Andie McDowell, although she will star alongside many stars, in her personal life she will not give reasons for gossip or pink and yellow readings. In 1986, she married Paul Quiley, a model with whom she worked together for Gap advertisements and with whom she had a son and two daughters. She divorced in 1999, to start a relationship with Dennis Quaid, and soon after she would reconnect with a high school classmate, whom she married in 2001 and after four years they divorced.

Today, Andie McDowell lives a quiet life, proves that natural female beauty doesn’t need surgery and feels better about showing her true age. At the same time, she continues to take roles and we are eagerly awaiting her latest film, the thriller “Red Right Hand”, with Orlando Bloom alongside her and with her her new “silver” appearance, full of confidence and with the charming maturity of 65 years her.