Stephanie Beacham Biography & Gallery (1947–)

Biography / Gallery

Stephanie Beacham signed memorabilia @ eBay UK (direct link)

Stephanie Beacham — Actress

Date of Birth: 28 February 1947 — Casablanca, Morocco

Height: 5' 7"

Family

2 children from her marriage to actor John McEnery (divorced 1980s)

Quote

"I find men so inflexible. Women can talk about God and shoes in the same conversation." - Stephanie Beacham

A Life on Screen

Stephanie Beacham was born the on 28th February 1947 in Casablanca, Morocco to English parents

Her list of tv credits as an actress include the character Sable Colby in Dynasty , Phyl Iswyn in ITV's award-winning prison series Bad Girls, and on stage as the manipulative hostess extraordinaire in the play Dinner.

Before her TV career Beacham was famous on both sides of the Atlantic for her film work which included Michael Winner's The Nightcomers with Marlon Brando. Brando became a lifelong friend.

When Brando died in July 2004, Beacham said:

"He was no longer a happy man. He was ready to reincarnate. He had not been happy since that tragic accident with his son, Christian, in 1990, and the death of his daughter, Cheyenne. That broke his heart and he was ready to die then. I don't feel sad, because he was ready to go - it was time for him to leave his body and soar like an eagle".

Beacham was married to the actor John McEnery. The marriage collapsed in the early 1980s and she was left to bring up her two young daughters, Phoebe and Chloe. Dentists, holidays, boarding schools - Beacham paid for by herself. Stephanie says:

"I'm proud of that and proud, too, of how the girls have turned out. John said to me when we were married, 'Divorce is not a word in my vocabulary.' I wish he'd used the word 'infidelity' instead". After her unhappy marriage, she decided she would never marry again. But, after having seen how happy Joan Collins (colleague from Dynasty) is with her fifth husband, Percy Gibson, Stephanie has not ruled it out altogether:

"My soulmate could come into my life at any moment. I'm still romantic. But if I was going to be closely attached to a man, there would have to be a great deal of sex." Stephanie's manner is strong and positive, but some people have found her frosty, something she partly put down to being hard of hearing - she is completely deaf in one ear and has only about 40 per cent hearing in the other, so she can easily be distracted.

She used the money she earned from working in the U.S. on Dynasty wisely and bought a beach house in Malibu and another home in London. She loves being a mother to Phoebe, now 29, and Chloe, 27. She also now has a 4-year-old grandson, Jude. But she is not obsessed with glamour and hasn't has cosmetic surgery:

"The truth is, I might be tempted if I thought I could get away with it - if I made people think I looked as fabulous as Catherine Deneuve. But I think I would rather grow old disgracefully in a wrinkled way. Look at my hands. They're 57 years old. Look at my poor little elephant's knees. Unless I could go into some machine and get my whole body done, what's the point? My wisdom, brain, wit and being are in my 50s. Why on earth would I want a face that didn't match my body? A brilliant acid-washed facelift would mean I couldn't go in the sun or garden any more. And I could name a numbe rof people who have been profoundly unsuccessful at it."

Stephanie, who was one of four children, grew up in North London. Her father was managing director of the Grosvenor estate, which owns large chunks of Westminister, and her mother was an exceptionally glamourous woman. She died of cancer in 1998 and her father followed three years later having suffered from Alzeimer's. To help her cope with her grief, she turned to spiritualists and psychic mediums which have helped tremendously.

Recent Years (2005–Present)

Since 2005, Stephanie Beacham has continued her prolific career in television, film, and theatre. She appeared in the romantic-comedy film Love and Other Disasters (2006) and maintained a presence in television dramas.

She had recurring roles in popular British series, including a stint on Coronation Street as Martha Fraser, appearing again briefly in 2022.

Between 2012 and 2016, she continued acting in various television roles and starred in the film Wild Oats (2016).

In 2017, she featured in the comedy series Bucket, showing her versatility across genres.

In 2022, she guest-starred in an episode of Whitstable Pearl (series 2, episode 4), portraying ’70s-film icon Zelda St. John in a dramatic storyline that only Stephanie Beacham can do best.

She also appeared in films such as Renegades (2022) and in 2023 took roles in Nessie, Forever Young, and Grey Matter, demonstrating her continued presence on the big screen.

Throughout these years, Beacham has maintained her versatility, taking on roles that range from comedy to drama and thrillers, showing that even after decades in the industry she remains a compelling screen presence.