Bo Derek was raised in a middle-class family after being born in Long Beach, California, on November 20, 1956, under the original name Mary Cathleen Collins. Her mother, Norma Bass, was a hairstylist and cosmetics artist, while her father, Paul Collins, was a public relations executive.
Bo’s early professional interests in the entertainment sector were influenced by her parents’ jobs.
When she met John Derek, an actor and director thirty years her senior, in her late teens, her road to stardom officially began. After John divorced actress Linda Evans in 1976, they started dating. Bo’s career was significantly shaped by John.
Bo made her big screen debut in Blake Edwards’ 1979 film “10,” in which she portrayed Jenny Hanley. She became an immediate sex icon and gained international recognition after the iconic video of her sprinting on the beach in a nude one-piece swimsuit went viral.
Career in Acting
Following the popularity of “10,” Bo Derek acted in a number of films directed by her husband, John Derek, in the 1980s, including “Tarzan, the Ape Man” (1981), “Bolero” (1984), and “Ghosts Can’t Do It” (1989). Even if a few of these movies were financially successful, critics frequently gave them negative reviews. Still, Bo remained a symbol of his era’s culture.
Life Apart from Performance
Bo Derek turned her attention to other pursuits after her film career faltered. She joined the California Horse Racing Board and started advocating for animal welfare. She has also actively participated in numerous humanitarian endeavors and supported causes related to veterans.
Bo shared details about her life and profession in her book, “Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses,” which was published in 2002.
John Derek and Bo were wed till his passing in 1998. Their relationship, which was characterized by a large age gap and professional cooperation, was often featured in the media.
Following John’s passing, Bo befriended actor John Corbett, who was well-known for his parts in the television series “Sex and the City” and “Northern Exposure.” The pair has been dating since 2002 and has kept their personal lives mostly to themselves.
Her legacy has been further solidified beyond her acting career by her philanthropic work and advocacy for animal welfare.
Ron Howard calls wife ‘good luck charm,’ shares secret to 49-year marriage
“Remember how we always said, ‘You can do it if you want, but you don’t have to?’ Well if you start this, you can’t quit’,” said Howard, recalling a conversation he had with his parents decades before. “You don’t have to do other parts on other shows, if you don’t want, but you’d have to keep doing this one.”
Explaining that he understood the message his parents were delivering, Howard adds, “I think it was pretty clear at that point that I was enjoying it, and I was good at it.”
Actually, he was great at it, and he was about to reach a level of stratospheric stardom.
Howard’s ‘Happy Days’
While starring in The Andy Griffith Show, Howard also appeared on the big screen in 1962’s The Music Man, a musical film that was a huge commercial success.
A natural talent, he then starred in 1973’s American Graffiti, which also starred Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss and Cindy Williams, whom he would work alongside in the future.
It was in 1974 when he was cast as Richie Cunningham in a new series created by Garry Marshall called Happy Days, which appeared on TV screens in homes across the world from 1974 to 1984.
The TV show spawned a few popular spin-offs like Laverne & Shirley, starring Williams and Marshall’s sister Penny, and Mork & Mindy with Robin Williams as Mork, the favorite Orkan.
High school sweetheart
It was in 1970 – before he won a Golden Globe for his performance as the innocent teenager on Happy Days – that Howard met the high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, whom he would marry in 1975.
“I met her, and there was never anybody else,” Speaking with People, the director of the Da Vinci Code continued, “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been. Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”
After 50 years of shared experiences, Howard, who earned an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, commemorated the 50th anniversary of his first date with Cheryl on Instagram.
“Nov 1 1970 Cheryl & I went on our 1st date,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself wearing socks with images of Cheryl’s face. “We went to see a re-release of Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad World and then got some pizza at now defunct Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. Quite a start, right?”
He also shared their plans that day, “We’ll be driving in the same ‘70 VW Bug I picked Cheryl up in 5 decades ago. It runs great. So do we.”
His ‘good luck charm’
Cheryl made several cameos in Howard’s projects and even played herself on the TV comedy series Arrested Development, produced and narrated by Howard.
Speaking with the Television Academy, Ron called Cheryl his “good luck charm,” and explained that is why she appears in every film he makes.
“At a certain point, I became very superstitious about making sure that she appears, that she’s at least identifiable in one frame,” he said. “They don’t have to be big cameos, but she’s gotta be in there.”
In addition to bringing her husband some luck, Cheryl is also a published author who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in screenwriting.
The power couple are grandparents to six children and the parents of four, daughter Bryce, twins Paige and Jocelyn and son Reed.
Bryce – a recognizable actor – is known for roles in movies like Jurassic World and The Help, while Paige made her feature film debut in the 2009 movie Adventureland. Since she’s appeared in films The Employer and Collection.
Reed is a professional golfer and Paige’s twin sister Jocelyn is very private.
The secret to longevity
Nearing their 49th anniversary on June 7, the Emmy Award-winning producer shares that “communication” is the secret to their enduring love.
“People say, ‘How’d you do it?’ There’s no technique,” Howard tells People. “There’s no tactic, other than communication is really important. You have to learn to communicate and have difficult conversations in constructive ways. Beyond that, there’s an element of luck because people either grow together or they don’t and I don’t think you can force that.”
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