The Polish dancer

Stefanie Powers was actually born Stefania Zofia Federkiewicz - a name she later changed to get ahead in Hollywood, for obvious reasons. The daughter of Polish American parents who'd settled in Los Angeles, she was a tomboyish child, preferring to play baseball with the neighbourhood boys rather than mingle with the girly girls.

Despite this, she also developed an obsession with music and theatre, and her initial ambition was to be a dancer rather than an actor. In fact, she even auditioned for a dancing part in the film West Side Story, but was forced out during the final stages when the bemused producers realised she was just 15.

Running into her destiny

Stefanie's near-miss with West Side Story made her all the more determined to break into the film world, and she started attending acting seminars at some of the major Hollywood studios. She secured some small parts here and there, but her big break came quite by accident – on the day she was late for one of her acting lessons at Columbia Studios.

Rushing down one of the corridors, Stefanie turned a corner and smacked right into a man walking the other way. She happened to be wearing a pair of designer sunglasses a friend had brought her back from Monte Carlo, and by incredible coincidence the man she'd collided with had an identical pair of shades on. This got them talking, and he revealed himself to be none other than director Blake Edwards (who'd later make the Pink Panther movies, and various other hits). Taken with the young woman, he gave her a big part in one of his films, helping establish her as a rising star.

The Girl from UNCLE

Although Stefanie starred in many films alongside silver screen legends like John Wayne and Lana Turner, it was television that really made her a household name. Which is quite an achievement, given that her telly breakthrough was in a series that completely bombed.

It was The Girl from UNCLE, a spin-off of the hugely popular (and deliciously cheesy) 60s spy series The Man from UNCLE. Stefanie was given the lead role of secret agent April Dancer. And, though the character's name was suggested by series consultant Ian Fleming, she didn't exactly fare as successfully as James Bond, and the programme ended after one season. Still, it was enough to establish Stefanie as a sex symbol – and is it possible that April Dancer might have inspired the people who came up with Charlie's Angels?

Success and tragedy

Stefanie worked steadily throughout the 1970s, but it was at the end of that decade that she was launched into super-stardom thanks to the hit series Hart to Hart, in which she starred alongside Robert Wagner.

However, terrible events were to befall both Stefanie and her co-star just as Hart to Hart was taking America by storm. In 1981, Stefanie's partner William Holden – the iconic star of classics like Sunset Boulevard and The Bridge on the River Kwai – died after a fall at his home. Despite the 26-year age gap between them, Stefanie regarded Holden as her soulmate, and "the most significant human being in my life". By tragic coincidence, Robert Wagner's wife Natalie Wood also died just two weeks later. The twin bereavements brought the Hart to Hart stars even closer together, cementing a long-standing closeness both on and off the screen.

Animals and polo

Animal and environmental conservation has been a major part of Stefanie's life. In fact, it's a legacy of her relationship with William Holden, who spent much of his time working with animals in Kenya. Following his death, Stefanie formed the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, which provides an education programme to 10,000 students every year in Africa.

And when she's not saving the animals, she also enjoys riding them – specifically horses, as she's a rather accomplished polo player. In fact, she was one of the first non-Brits to be admitted into the prestigious Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, where Prince Charles is a member.


All images © 2007 CPT Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Sony Pictures Television International)