An attractive and talented film actress of the 1960s and 1970s, and star of the popular television show Police Woman, Angie Dickinson's lasting image was thrust upon her by Brian De Palma in 1980. By then an elegant and sophisticated presence, she was cast in De Palma's Dressed to Kill as a woman who is brutally and shockingly slashed to death in an elevator. Competing with the shower scene in Psycho as one of the most uncomfortably enduring celluloid murders of modern times, Dickinson's bloody demise guaranteed her immortality. Earlier in her career, Dickinson (born Angeline Brown in North Dakota), exuded a unique blend of up-front acting, all-American girl charm, sympathetic femininity, and good-natured sex appeal. She was perfect as both foil and comfort to the men in her several male-oriented films, beginning with Rio Bravo (1959). Although she played many sympathetic characters, a tougher quality was exploited in The Killers (1964) and Point Blank (1967). She was married for a time to Burt Bacharach.

Further Reading:

Cross, Robin. "Angie Dickinson." In Who's Who in Hollywood, edited by Robyn Karney. New York, Continuum, 1993.