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From
the age of 16, when she was declared ‘The Face of ‘66’ by a British
newspaper, Twiggy has packed in a lot of living and a multitude
of careers – as a world famous model, a recording artist, a film
actress and an author (her second autobiography ‘Twiggy in Black
And White’ was published when she was 48).
Born Lesley Hornby in Neasden, London in September 1949, she was
to become the most famous model of the 1960s and one of the most
familiar faces in the world. Her photograph was even encased in
a time capsule and sent into space. However, her career in films
and on record has not been as well documented as her modelling
career under her boyfriend and manager of the time, Justin de
Villeneuve. Many people commented on the control he seemed to
wield over her and he was dubbed her ‘Svengali'. She says, “A
Svengali? I don’t think so, but he made sure he ran every aspect
of my life.”
Twiggy has recorded more than a dozen singles and appeared on
seven albums. It was in 1966 that record label Ember approached
de Villeneuve offering a contract for her to make records. “I
don’t suppose they even knew I could sing,” she recalls, remembering
she’d only left school six months previously. When her debut single
was released in Japan it became a huge hit and she was booked
to appear at the prestigious Budokan Hall in Tokyo. Twiggy paraded
up and down the stage wearing different outfits while a Japanese
group played Beatles numbers. Despite the numerous records she
has made, Twiggy was only to enjoy one Top Twenty entry, ‘Here
I Go Again’, which was a hit for her in 1976.
Once Twiggy was established as a model she sought to expand her
career by becoming an actress. She and Justin thought that William
Faulkner’s ‘The Hanging Tree’ would make a good film project for
her and decided to approach the Beatles for backing. They met
John Lennon and Paul McCartney and she was to say, “For me it
was like meeting God…… Paul was the one who was my hero; he was
the one I’d stuck pictures of all over my desk at school and on
my bedroom wall. At 13 it was him I’d screamed my head off for
at the Finsbury Park Astoria. I was so excited to be meeting him
at last, but trying to be cool. And he was lovely, just as I’d
imagined, and he was the one I became most friends with. The Beatles
did like the film idea, but we never managed to get it together”.
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However,
Paul suggested they contact movie director Ken Russell, and Twiggy
was later to star in his film musical ‘The Boyfriend’ in 1971,
for which she received two Golden Globe Awards. In 1968 there
were plans for Twiggy to tour Russia and Granada Television intended
making a documentary film of the trip. Unfortunately, it fell
through. Twiggy said, “Paul actually wrote a song for that trip
to Russia that didn’t come off – and it was ‘Back In The USSR’,
which went on the Beatles' White Album.”
After ‘The Boyfriend’, Twiggy sought further roles, and a film
called ‘Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance’ was planned. The name was inspired
by the Gene Kelly song ‘Broadway Melody’, which contains the words
‘gotta dance’ and the story was to be set on a cruise liner in
the 1930s.
Once again, Paul wrote a song for Twiggy, this time the title
song. The film was never made and Paul later used the number in
his ‘James Paul McCartney’ television special. In 1996 Twiggy
released the album ‘London Pride’ which was a collection of classics
from British musicals. She next released an album of Noel Coward
numbers.
Her career in films hasn’t been spectacular, but it has provided
her with steady acting work over the years and her movies, following
‘The Boyfriend’, have included ‘W’, ‘There Goes The Bride’, ‘The
Blues Brothers’, ‘The Doctor & The Devils’, ‘Club Paradise’, ‘The
Diamond Trap’, ‘Madame Sousatzka’ and ‘Istanbul.’
One of the most dramatic periods of her life occurred when she
was cast in the thriller ‘W.’ Her co-star was 6ft 2ins former
baseball player Michael Whitney. The two fell in love, were married
at Richmond Registry Office, and went off to Sardinia for their
honeymoon. After a miscarriage Twiggy became pregnant again and
their daughter, Carly, was born in 1978.
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Things began to
go downhill when Twiggy discovered that Michael was an alcoholic. His
behaviour became so erratic that it produced problems for the couple.
She was to note, “It not only affected Michael’s career, it affected
mine too. Los Angeles is Network City. If you’re not in, you’re out.
People just didn’t want to have to cope with him”.
With no prospects for them in Hollywood, they decided to move back to
London. Then, in 1983, Twiggy was offered the lead in the musical ‘My
One And Only’ in the States. By the time of the musical’s last try-out
in Boston, Michael’s alcoholism had become too much of a problem and
they split up. Michael was jealous of her success in the musical and
went into such a rage that he punched a hole through a wall and was
dragged away by police. In New York he turned up at the stage door,
completely drunk, resulting in Twiggy and Carly having to have protection
from a bodyguard. Twiggy realised that the addiction to alcohol had
killed her love for him, but she agreed that he should continue to see
Carly.When he turned up she was shocked. “The handsome man I’d fallen
in love with was long gone. Haggard and thin, the muscles from his legs
all wasted. His clothes hung on him. His hands shook. His eyes were
bloodshot and he had bloodhound-sized bags under them". |
Bill Harry Original
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