Born: 19-06-1954,
Birthplace: Springfield (Missouri)
Country: USA
Height: 5' 8" (1,73 m)

She was raised in a strict conservative Christian household in Canada and the family lived also in Cuba and England, where her father diplomat was. Her father is U.S. Foreign Service officer Allen Richard Turner who grew up in China and her mother is Patsy Turner. Allen was imprisoned by the Japanese during WWII, while his great-grandfather was an methodist missionary. The family moves back to the United States, after her father died of a coronary thrombosis.

She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in her English period and graduated from the American School in London in 1972. She studied drama for two years at the Missouri State University in Springfield and studied theater at the UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) in 1977, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. She took also acting classes at the New York University. She's trained in tai chi who gives lessons to her colleagues and friends as teacher.

She had an relationship with business man David Guc from 1977 until 1982. She started an relation with real estate entrepreneur Jay Weiss in january, 1984. The couple married on 04-08-1984 in New York and divorced in december, 2007. The pair has one daughter named Rachel Ann Weiss who was born on 14-10-1987.

Theatre Work

She made her off-Broadway debut as female lead in Michael Zetter's play ''Mister T'' at the Soho Repertory Theatre in 1977. She made her Broadway debut several months later, as Judith Hastings in ''Gemini'' at the The Little Theatre in New York.

Model Career

there are several covershoots and articles about her in magazines as The New York Times, The Daily Express, TV Guia, Celebritie Skin, Film Threat, Boxoffice, Entertainment Weekly, American Film, Empire, Celebrity Sleuth and many more. She posed on the cover of Playboy Magazine in the may, 1986 edition.

Action Movie Career

She made her action movie debut as Joan Wilder,a mousy romance novelist who receives a treasure map in the mail box from her recently murdered brother-in-law in ''Romancing the Stone'' (1984). Two responsible criminals have kidnapped her sister Elaine (played by Mary Ellen Trainor), who demand that she travels to Colombia in order to exchange the map for her sister. Joan becomes strayed in the jungle after she's attacked by Zolo (played by Manuel Ojeda), a vicious and corrupt Colombian cop who will do everything to obtain the map. She meets irreverent soldier-of-fortune Jack Colton (played by Michael Douglas) who helps her, in an adventure that can be written in one of Joan's novels.

She plays Stella Clayton and Rutger Hauer plays the lead role as Vietnam veteran Jim Malden who lives as a recluse on an island full of rare birds, after losing his wife and child in ''A Breed Apart'' (1984). His only contact with humanity is with Stella Clayton and her young son Adam (played by Andy Fenwick). Mountain climber Mike Walker (played by Powers Boothe) visits the island, in order to observe two very rare eagles. He doesn't tell Jim that he's hired by an egg collector to steal the eggs of the eagles. Jim notices Mike's intentions after a while and does everything to prevent that he steals the eggs.

She plays Joan Wilder again in ''The Jewel of the Nile'' (1985), the sequel of "Romancing the Stone". Joan accepts the invitation to visit Egypt as guest of a sheik. Things change when she is abducted by criminals during her stay. Jack Colton (played by Michael Douglas) decides to rescue her with help of his new partner Ralph (played by Danny DeVito).

She plays the lead role as detective Victoria "V.I" Warshawski a Chicago based private detective, who agrees to fit on the baby for her new boyfriend in ''V.I. Warshawski'' (1991). She notices later that her boyfriend is murdered during his trip, while she investigates the murder. She becomes friends with Kat (played by Angela Goethals), who's the daughter of her boyfriend. Together they do everything to solve this case.

She plays park dweller Rebecca Cairn and Frank Nasso plays JJ Somerled who feels himself miserable since his ill mother has disowned him to an foster mother in ''Prince of Central Park'' (2000). He decides to search for his mother, while he manages to escape from his foster parents. He makes an accommodation in Central Park and becomes the new protégé of the eccentric The Guardian (played by Harvey Keitel), who the self-appointed King of Central Park is. He meets several eccentric people in the park during his journey, to find his mother.

Awards And Achievements

• She won the LAFCA Award for ''Best Actress'' at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards in 1984.
• She won the NBR Award  for ''Best Actress'' at the National Board of Review (USA) in 1986.
• She won the Sant Jordi Award for ''Best Foreign Actress'' at the Sant Jordi Awards in 1986.
• She was Woman of the Year at the Hasty Pudding Theatricals (USA) in 1989.
• She won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Savannah Film and Video Festival in 2004.
• She received a lifetime achievement award from the Savannah College of Art and Design at the Savannah Film Festival in october 2004.
• She received an London Evening Standard Theatre Award for her performance in ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' in 2006.
• She won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival in 2007.
• She won the Grand Prix Special des Amériques at the Montréal World Film Festival in 2013.
• Ranked #73 in the "100 Sexiest Stars in film history'' list, chosen by Empire magazine.
• Ranked #1 in Fotogramas magazine's "Favourite Foreign Actress" poll.

Action Movie Filmography

• Prince of Central Park (2000)
• V.I. Warshawski (1991)
• The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
• A Breed Apart (1984)
• Romancing the Stone (1984)