Victoria Tennant Biography

Victoria Tennant (born September 30, 1950) is an English film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the TV miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, in which she appeared as actor Robert Mitchum's on-screen love interest, Pamela Tudsbury.

Early life

Tennant was born in London. Her mother, Irina Baronova, was a Russian prima ballerina who appeared with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo; her father, Cecil Tennant, was a producer and talent agent for MCA.

Her maternal grandfather, Mikhail Baronov, was a senior officer in the Russian Navy; his wife, the former Lydia Vishniakova, was a general's daughter. Tennant has a sister, Irina, and a brother, Robert, both of whom were seriously injured in a car accident in 1967, in which their father was killed. Tennant's godfather was the actor Laurence Olivier.

Like her mother, Tennant trained in ballet, first at the Elmhurst Ballet School and then (for two years) at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

After a number of roles in British and other European films, including The Ragman's Daughter and Inseminoid, she emigrated to the United States. She then appeared in the TV mini-series The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, and films such as The Handmaid's Tale and Best Seller. She starred in two films with Steve Martin, her future husband: All of Me and L.A. Story.

In 2014, she published a memoir about her mother entitled, Irina Baronova and The Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, published by the University of Chicago Press. The book was presented at the Bel Air Country Club in Bel Air, Los Angeles.

Personal life

Tennant's first marriage was to Peppo Vanini, a nightclub owner who owned the famous Xenon nightclub, in 1969 (divorced, 1976). She dated Matthew Chapman, a writer and director from in 1978 until 1982, but ended their relationship upon meeting the actor-comedian Steve Martin. She married Martin in 1986, and they divorced in 1994. Since 1996, Tennant has been married to Kirk Justin Stambler, a lawyer for Warner Bros., with whom she has a daughter, Katya Irina, and a son, Nikolai.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	'	Doris Randall
1980	'	Dinner Party Guest
1981	Inseminoid	Barbra
1981	Sphinx	Lady Carnarvon
1982	Ich bin dein Killer	Annette Dorberg
1983	Strangers Kiss	Carol Redding / Betty
1984	All of Me	Terry Hoskins
1985	'	Helden von Tiebolt / Helden Tennyson
1987	Best Seller	Roberta Gillian
1987	Flowers in the Attic	Corinne Dollanganger
1989	Fool's Mate	Alice Gordon
1990	'	Aunt Lydia
1990	Whispers	Hilary
1991	L.A. Story	Sara McDowel
1992	The Plague	Alicia Rieux
1996	Edie & Pen	Blonde with Dog
1998	Bram Stoker's Legend of the Mummy	Mary
2008	'	Mrs. Woodman
2009	Irene in Time	Eleanor Jensen
2010	Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic	Beatrice (voice)	Video
2013	Pasadena	Elizabeth Utley
2013	Louder Than Words	Lydia Thorsby
2016	The List	Barbara

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson	Helen Stoner	Episode: "The Case of the Speckled Band"
1981	La Guerre des insectes	Helen Curtiss	TV film
1982	Tales of the Unexpected	Bernice	Episode: "Who's Got the Lady?"
1983	'	Pamela Tudsbury	TV miniseries
1983	Dempsey	Estelle Taylor	TV film
1983	Chiefs	Trish Lee	TV miniseries
1985	George Burns Comedy Week		Episode: "The Funniest Guy in the World"
1986	Under Siege	Gloria Garry	TV film
1986	'	Valentina	Episode: "Red Snow"
1986	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Bride	Episode: "Deadly Honeymoon"
1988-89	War and Remembrance	Pamela Tudsbury	12 episodes
1989	Voice of the Heart	Francesca Cunningham	TV film
1989	Act of Will	Audra	TV series
1994	'	Anita Hargraves	Recurring role (5 episodes)
1997	Diagnosis: Murder	Victoria Larkin	Episode: "Deadly Games"
1999	Providence	Dr. Toynton	Episode: "Blind Faith"
2001	'	Irene	Episode: "Dancin'"
2001	Sister Mary Explains It All	Bitter Divorcee	TV film
2004	JAG	Marta Sperling	Episode: "The Man on the Bridge"
2007	Scrubs	Maggie Kent	Episode: "My Scrubs"
2008	Monk	Ms. Benson	Episode: "Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece"
2009	'	Susan Redman	Episode: "Infected"
2011	William & Kate	Celia	TV film

Music

• Hussy – theme song lyrics