Victoria Tennant (born 30 September 1950) is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the TV miniseries ''

The Winds of War ''The Winds of War'' is Herman Wouk's second book about World War II (the first being ''The Caine Mutiny''). Published in 1971, ''The Winds of War'' was followed up seven years later by ''War and Remembrance''; originally conceived as one volume, ...

'' and ''

War and Remembrance ''War and Remembrance'' is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in October 1978 as the sequel to Wouk's '' The Winds of War'' (1971). ''The Winds of War'' covers the period 1939 to 1941, and ''War and Remembrance'' continues the story of the extende ...

'', in which she appeared as actor

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

's on-screen love interest, Pamela Tudsbury, as well as her supporting roles in such movies as '' All of Me'' (1984), ' (1985), ''

Flowers in the Attic ''Flowers in the Attic'' is a 1979 Gothic novel by V. C. Andrews. It is the first book in the Dollanganger Series, and was followed by ''Petals on the Wind'', ''If There Be Thorns'', ''Seeds of Yesterday'', ''Garden of Shadows'', '' Christopher's ...

'' (1987), ' (1990), and ''

L.A. Story ''L.A. Story'' is a 1991 American satirical romantic comedy film written by and starring Steve Martin and directed by Mick Jackson. The plot follows a weatherman (Martin) trying to find love in Los Angeles. It was released on February 8, 1991, ...

'' (1991).

Early life

Tennant was born in London, England. Her mother, Irina Baronova, was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

prima ballerina who appeared with the

Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo The company Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo (with a plural name) was formed in 1932 after the death of Sergei Diaghilev and the demise of Ballets Russes. Its director was Wassily de Basil (usually referred to as Colonel W. de Basil), and its ...

; her father, Cecil Tennant, was a producer and

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sp ...

for

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gen ...

. 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 that killed their father. Tennant's godfather was the actor

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

. Like her mother, Tennant trained in

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

, first at the

Elmhurst Ballet School Elmhurst Ballet School is an independent school for professional classical ballet in the United Kingdom. It takes students aged 11–19 years who intend to pursue a career in professional classical ballet. Elmhurst provides a full academic day in ...

and then (for two years) at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

Career

After a number of roles in British and other European films, including '' The Ragman's Daughter'' and ''

Inseminoid ''Inseminoid'' (titled ''Horror Planet'' in the United States) is a 1981 British Science fiction film, science fiction horror film directed by Norman J. Warren. It stars Judy Geeson, Robin Clarke and Stephanie Beacham, along with Victoria Tenna ...

'', she emigrated to the United States. She then appeared in the TV mini-series ''

'' and ''

'', and films such as ''

The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which ...

'' and ''

Best Seller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

''. She starred in two films with

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...

, her future husband: '' All of Me'' and ''

''. In 2014, she published a memoir about her mother titled
Irina Baronova and The Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo
', published by the

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including '' The Chicago Manual of Style' ...

. The book was presented at the

Bel Air Country Club The Bel-Air Country Club is a social club located in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California. The property includes an 18-hole golf course and tennis courts. The golf course is the home course for the UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic tea ...

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Founded in 1923, it is the home of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and the American Jewish Univers ...

."Blue Ribbon Book"
(21 Nov 2014) '' The Beverly Hills Courier'', Vol. 49, No. 46, p. 8

Personal life

Tennant's first marriage was to Peppo Vanini, a nightclub owner who owned the Xenon nightclub, in 1969 (divorced, 1976).''Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television'' (2008) She dated Matthew Chapman, a writer and director from 1978 until 1982, but ended their relationship upon meeting actor–comedian

. 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, and a son, Nikolai.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music

*'' Hussy'' – theme song lyrics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennant, Victoria 1950 births 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama British expatriate actresses in the United States English ballerinas English emigrants to the United States English film actresses English people of Russian descent English television actresses Living people People educated at the Elmhurst School for Dance