Lesley-Anne Down: Biography

British actress Lesley-Ann Down became a celebrity at a very young age, thanks to her winning several teen beauty contests. In films since the age of 15, Down achieved international prominence for her recurring appearances as Lady Georgina on the British TV serial Upstairs, Downstairs, which ran from 1976 through 1977. At that same time, she became an alluring movie sex symbol by virtue of her co-starring turn in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976).Down's television work has been most rewarding, including a starring role as bewitching Southern belle Madeline Main in the 1985 miniseries North and South and its 1986 sequel. As colorful a personality off-camera as on, Down has been linked romantically with several high-profile males, and was briefly and tempestuously wed to director William Friedkin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide