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Background:
Fierce, long-limbed black singer, actress and model Grace Jones first came to
prominence as a model before beginning a music career, which specialized in new
wave pop and dance music, and later film. Though she never achieved mainstream
musical success, but most of her singles became huge hits in the dance
underground and many are regarded as classics to this day, including “I Need A
Man,” “La Vie en Rose,” “Nipple To The Bottle,” “The Apple Stretching,” “My
Jamaican Guy,” “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You)“ and “Love on Top of
Love - Killer Kiss.” A favorite among gay men, Jones was even earned a
reputation for herself as “The Queen of Gay Discos” because of her large
following of gay men.
It was more Jones’ image than her musical competence, however, that impelled her
into several acting roles. With her androgynous persona, trademark square-edged
hairdo and attitude of angry hauteur, Jones was a natural for such roles as the
exotic Zula in the adventure fantasy Conan the Destroyer (1984), the vicious May
Day in the James Bond adventure A View to a Kill (1985) and the aptly named
Helen Strangé in the tepid Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang (1992).
Off screen, 5’9” inch tall Jones was once ranked 19th of “World’s greatest
supermodel” by Channel 5 and the 82nd of VH1’s “100 Greatest Women of Rock N
Roll.” 52-year-old Jones recently raised eyebrows for not dress her age at a New
York fashion show, sporting fetish-style leather gear, stockings, suspenders and
a massive fur coat. It has been more than 20 years since Jones posed naked on
her Island Life album cover. In 1998, she also created a controversy by exposing
her breast during a performance at the Orlando, FL theme park that led to her
being banned from the park. As for her private life, Jones has been married to
Atila Altaunbay since 1996 and they are now still together. She was romantically
involved with Jean-Paul Goude, with whom she shares son Apollo, and once became
engaged to Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren (born in 1957).
Twin Girl
Childhood and Family:
Daughter of a preacher father, Grace Mendoza, who would later be famous as Grace
Jones, was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on May 19, 1954. As a child, her
parents took Grace and her twin brother Bishop Noel Jones to relocate to
Syracuse New York. Before becoming a successful model in Paris, Grace studied
theater at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. In February 1996, the
Jamaica-born beauty was married to a bodyguard named Atila Altaunbay, who is 12
years her junior. Grace has a son named Apollo from her previous relationship
with Jean-Paul Goude.
Bond Girl May Day
Career:
Jamaica-born, New York raised Grace Jones started a career as a model in her
early twenties when she was recruited to model for Whilamina Modeling Agency in
New York. With her exotic beauty and height, Jones immediately became one of the
most demanded models in the world and she began a Jet setting lifestyle that
took her to Europe often. During this period, Jones also tried her hand in
acting and landed small roles in the films like Gordon's War (1973), the
French-production Let’s Make a Dirty Movie (1976), and a guest stint in an
episode of “Musikladen” (1978), which broadcasted in German, but soon put acting
on the backburner and concentrated on modeling.
Jones’ involvement in the music industry began in 1977 after securing a record
deal with Island Records, which resulted in a series of club hits and attracted
a large gay following. Portfolio (1977), her debut album, was quite
well-received but Jones received a huge popularity among gay men. One of hit
singles taken from the album, “I Need A Man,” was 70’s anthem, and a classic
cover of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” still becomes one of the best versions of
the song, as well as one of the highlights of Grace’s musical career. It was
followed by two more disco albums, Fame (1978) and Muse (1979).
Adapting the emerging New Wave music to suit a different style, Jones next
collaborated with producers Alex Sadkin and Chris Blackwell, spawning such
acclaimed albums as Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981) and Living My
Life (1982), a dub reggae-influenced album which featured popular tracks like
“Nipple To The Bottle,” “The Apple Stretching,” and the Jones-penned and
much-sampled “My Jamaican Guy.”
Her biggest success as a recording star arrived in 1985 with the conceptual
musical collage album Slave to the Rhythm, working with Trevor Horn, in which
the title track of the album became a No. 1 hit in the US Dance charts. Jones
then teamed up with Nile Rodgers for Inside Story (1986), her debut album after
leaving the Island label. It produced Jones’ last US Hot 100 hit to date, “I’m
Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You).“ Her subsequence album, Bulletproof Heart
(1989) had a #1 US club hit “Love on Top of Love - Killer Kiss,” which was
produced by C+C Music Factory’s David Cole and Robert Clivilles.
Jones’ androgynous appearance, and disgraceful musical act employing live lions
and leopards, has made her a cult favorite, and propelled her into several
acting roles. Jones was seen switching to acting once more during the 1980s.
After her role as Slick’s girlfriend in Deadly Vengeance (1981), she had chance
to star with Arnold Schwarzenegger and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain in Conan the
Destroyer (1984). Her film career received a boost when Jones was cast as May
Day, the villain in James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985). 1986-1988 saw roles
in Vamp (1986), Straight to Hell (1987) and A Reggae Session (1988, TV). In
1987, Jones was nominated a Worst Supporting Actress Award at the Razzie for her
performance in Siesta (1987).
Entering the 1990s, Jones continued her work in film. She was cast as Helen
Strangé in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang (1992), Masako Yokohama in Cyber
Bandits (1995), Alonzo Richter in McCinsey’s Island (1998), Ms. Remo in Palmer’s
Pick Up (1999). She also made such television films as Blood Moon (2001) and
Shaka Zulu: The Citadel (2001), as well as had guest stints in shows like
“Bellezas al agua” (1993) and ”BeastMaster” (1999). Jones maintained he presence
in the music scene with her compilation albums like Island Life 2 (1996),
Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions (1998), 20th Century Masters-The
Millennium Collection: The Best Of Grace Jones (2003), Universal Masters
Collection (2003) and The Collection (2004).
Awards:
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