There is the name Linda Evans, which evokes the elegance and grace and just a hint of 80’s glamour. Linda has had a career that has spanned decades and genres. Most remembered for her legendary part in the television show Dynasty, Evans carved a lasting fame in Hollywood not only for what she did in front of the cameras, but also for her tenacity, strength, and grounded nature outside them. Her rise from a quiet child to an internationally fame star is a story of patience, passion and unpredictable metamorphosis.
Linda Evenstad (her birth name), born on November 18, 1942, in Hartford, Connecticut, grew up in a Norwegian/American family with two sisters. Her family eventually settled in California in North Hollywood, and her life took an important turn here. Even as she was a shy and introverted child, her gorgeous looks and silent grace were noticed early on. As a teenager, she attended Hollywood High School, where fate intervened – one of her drama classmates persuaded her to go to acting classes, a decision that changed her life forever.
Evans started her acting career in the 1960s when she made several appearances on television shows in small roles. Her first listed performance was a guest at Bachelor Father but it was her performance as Audra Barkley on The Big Valley (1965-1969) that made her a household name.
Acting with the great Barbara Stanwyck, Evans portrayed the headstrong daughter of a ranching family. The western drama was a success and exposed Evans to the fruits of wide recognition for the first time. The job taught her a lot about professionalism and true strength, things that she had in her throughout her career.
In the years after The Big Valley, Evans had countless TV movies and series, but it was her 1981 series, Dynasty, on which she made a name for herself as Krystle Carrington. Located in the glamorous realm of oil riches and the upper class, Dynasty was very soon a cultural phenomenon.
Krystle as played by Evans was Carrington family’s graceful moral ground, not free from intense (physical even) confrontations with devious Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins). Their legendary catfights turned into pop-culture standards, and extensive dramatic twists and lavish fashion ensured that the soap opera became one of the most treasured of the years.
The performance of Krystle made by Evans brought her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 1982 and several People’s Choice Awards. She was frequently lauded for injecting warmth and humanity into a famous over-the-top drama show. Evans brought the heart while Collins brought the fire. The contrast for electric television and established both actresses in the TV history.
It was not an easy life behind the scenes for Evans. She suffered personal misfortunes such as a messy divorce from actor and producer John Derek, a man who made it big in Hollywood by leaving her for a then-teenage Bo Derek. In spite of the emotional strain, Evans dealt with it gracefully without going on rampage in public. Her quiet strength only added to the admiration of her fans for her.
Dynasty drew to a close in 1989 when Evans slowly began to take a step back from her acting career and instead refocused more on her personal life and well-being. She relocated to the Pacific Northwest and chose a more passive lifestyle like focusing on health, spiritual development, and writing.
In 2011, she released her memoir, Recipes for Life. My Memories, a hybrid of personal anecdotes and cooking recipes from a life spent both in and out of the camera’s eye – on screen and in the kitchen. The book had exposed an inner, more introvert side of Evans, which showed her love for family, boundless passion for cooking and the personal transformation she went through due to fame, heartbreak and healing.
Apart from writing, Evans was also active in one or other philanthropic and wellness project. In 2009, she shocked her fans by participating in the British reality show Hell’s Kitchen and establishing that her grace and longing to do something did not end with the world of television drama. She won the competition against her fellow contestants, winning the hearts of the famously difficult chef Gordon Ramsay and a whole host of viewers.
Linda Evans, now, is known as one of television’s longest and most cherished stars. With her outward beauty and inward core of strength and humanity, she represents a time in television when characters were made to be larger than life but still utterly human. Although she never craved to be in the limelight the same way some of her contemporaries did, her work moves on to strike a chord with old and new fans alike.
In her eighties, Evans has a serene life out of the Hollywood spotlight. Her legacy, however, lives on in glory. As the hardy Audra Barkley or the beaming Krystle Carrington, Linda Evans’s marks on TV are indelible. Her account is an inspirational insight into how fortitude under pressure, along with talent and authenticity, can make an impression that endures long after in a business that is famous for its temporary status.
