Bo Derek is an American actress and model who is best known for her role in the 1979 film “10.” Her role in that film made her an instant celebrity and worldwide sex symbol. She was beautiful and she sported a braided hairstyle with cornrows in the film that made her instantly recognizable.
She was born Mary Cathleen Collins on November 20, 1956 and was married to her first husband, John Derek, when she starred opposite Dudley Moore in “10.” Bo met John Derek when she was 16 and later became his fourth wife. John Derek was used to being married to beautiful Hollywood actresses having been married to Ursula Andres and Linda Evans. John Derek died in 1998 and Bo remarried in 2020.
Unfortunately, Bo’s stunning beauty wasn’t matched by her acting ability. She wasn’t bad, but didn’t have much to offer beyond her looks. Also, John Derek wanted to direct more films, and now he had the world’s biggest sex symbol doing what she was told. So Bo ended up in a series of disasters directed by John Derek, including “Tarzan, the Ape Man” in 1981 and “Bolero” in 1984. Bo undresses often and looked amazing in both films, but even her gorgeous, nude body couldn’t save these films.
After these bombs, Bo started taking on smaller roles and she ended up having a long career. Her best role after “!0” is her role as Beverly in “Tommy Boy” in 1995, playing Chris Farley’s step-mom and Brian Dennehy’s wife in this comedy classic.
Iconic Role: Jenny Hanley in “10”
It’s difficult to explain just how big of a star Bo Derek became after the release of this movie. She was hailed as Hollywood’s newest sex symbol in the tradition of Marilyn Monroe and Raquel Welch.
And the move was actually pretty good. Dudley Moore starred as a Hollywood composer going through a mid-life crisis. He becomes infatuated with a beautiful women who he sees on her wedding day, and then travels to a beach resort in Mexico to find her. Bo was certainly a 10, so the title of the film worked perfectly. Moore is hilarious in this film, and he handles the more serious parts of his character with ease.
Bo plays her part well as she’s not asked to do much, and Moore has pros like Julie Andrews, Robert Webber and Brian Dennehy to play off of. The fantasy scenes of Bo running on the beach in her swimsuit became iconic.
Bo Derek’s Sexiest Roles
Since she took offer her clothes in most of her movies when she was young, there’s a string of sexy roles to choose from with Bo. She always looked amazing, so you couldn’t be disappointed, even if most of the films were terrible. The only film worth watching at all is “10.”
Interviews
Bo Derek on The Tonight Show in 1979
Bo discusses her role in the movie and doing nude scenes. She looks amazing here!
Bo discusses the casting couch
Here’s Bo later in her career discussing Hollywood