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Spotlight (9/27/99)

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Write to Lesley-Anne Down at: Lesley-Anne Down (Olivia, Sunset Beach) c/o Sunset Beach NBC-TV 3000 W. Alameda Ave. Burbank, CA 91523

Acclaimed actress Lesley-Anne Down plays Olivia Richards, the "trophy wife" of Gregory Richards. Driven by social power and status, she heads the local radio station and virtually runs the town of Sunset Beach. Downs versatility as an actress has earned her accolades for performances in such classic feature films as "Brannigan" with John Wayne and Richard Attenborough, "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" with Peter Sellers, "A Little Night Music" with Elizabeth Taylor, "The Great Train Robbery" with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland, "Rough Cut" with Burt Reynolds and David Niven, "Hanover Street" with Harrison Ford, and John McTiernan's "Nomads" with Pierce Brosnan. She recently completed filming on her own screenplay, "Saving Grace," which was directed by her husband, Don FauntLeRoy, and is due for release in 1997.

Down's television credits include a vast array of both American and British programs. In the United States, she starred in the epic miniseries "North and South;" "North and South, Book II" (earning a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress); "North and South, Book III (Heaven and Hell);" and "The Last Days of Pompeii." Her television-movie credits include "Ladykillers," "Nightwalk," "Indiscreet," "Arch of Triumph" and the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with Anthony Hopkins. Among her series credits are guest-starring roles on "Dallas," "Diagnosis Murder" and "The Nanny."

In the U.K., Down is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Lady Georgina Wolsey in the classic series "Upstairs, Downstairs," which has been broadcast in the United States and still airs on PBS's Masterpiece Theater. Her other British credits include the BBC productions of "Unity Mitford," "Heartbreak House," "The One and Only Phyliss Dixie," "The Snow Queen" and "Hamlet."

Down prefers to spend her free time reading; ironically, she does not own a television set. She lives in Malibu, California, with her husband and two children. Down's birthday is March 17. From NBC Daytime

LESLEY-ANNE DOWN CRITICAL ACCLAIM

PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
March 9, 1998 - Soap Opera Weekly Magazine

Sunset Beach's Olivia Richards knows turmoil. While pregnant, she was lured to a remote cabin where the nefarious Annie drugged her and brought on premature labor. Robbed of her memory (from drugs) and her baby (whom she thinks is dead, but is actually being raised by daughter Caitlin), Olivia is now trying to piece together the shards of that broken evening.

Throughout this ordeal Lesley Anne-Down has been mesmerizing, but her performance reached a crescendo when Olivia returned home from the hospital this week. First, Olivia was confronted with her new "grandson," which drove her out of the room in tears. Down was heartbreaking immediately afterward, when Olivia told Caitlin that Caitlin's newborn "gift" was something not meant for Olivia. Down's calm yet powerful delivery of the reasons she was "being punished" brought Caitlin - and surely countless viewers - to tears.

Later, Down let Olivia's agony wash over her completely when she walked into the vacant nursery. She conveyed Olivia's utter fragility and despair - amazingly without words - as she recoiled from the empty crib, the haunting cries of a baby echoing around her. Then, pulling a baby blanket to her face, she let it caress her check. Still no words were necessary, because one only had to look past Down's manic expression and into her eyes to see the depth of Olivia's confussion and loss. When the words finally came, Olivia could only say "my baby!" over and over, swearing that she had heard her baby cry at birth. Rocking back and forth on the nursery floor - hands at times balled into fists and at other times pulling at her hair - Down convinced us that Olivia needed just a slight breeze to push her over the edge.

Down's dance from hysteria to catatonia was done with such amazing deftness that you couldn't take your eyes off of her. She has always entertained as Sunset's boozy broad, but with the loss of her baby, Down transformed Olivia into a flesh-and-blood character whom viewers could finally care for and sympathize with.

Down should also be commended for tackling those physically and emotionally draining scenes while being (very) pregnant. Maybe all of those hormones, combined with the powerful storyline material and her well-honored talent, were just the right ingredients needed for her to deliver a truly delicious performance.--Tony Calega

LESLEY-ANNE DOWN PHOTO ALBUM