Catherine Oxenberg

Catherine Oxenberg
Born (1961-09-22) September 22, 1961
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1982–present
Spouse(s) Robert Evans
(m. 1998; annulled 1998)

Casper Van Dien
(m. 1999; div. 2015)
[1]
Children India Riven Oxenberg
Maya van Dien
Celeste Alma van Dien
Parent(s) Howard Oxenberg
Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia

Catherine Oxenberg (Serbian: Катарина Оксенберг, born September 22, 1961) is a Serbian-American actress best known for her performance as Amanda Carrington on the 1980s prime-time soap opera Dynasty. She is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Although a descendant of the Serbian House of Karađorđević, she is not noble or royal herself, since only male-line descendants of royal persons are royal. She has dual citizenship, American and Serbian.

Early life

Oxenberg was born in New York City, but grew up in London. She is the eldest daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia (born 1936) and her first husband Howard Oxenberg (1919–2010),[2] a Jewish dress manufacturer and close friend of the Kennedy family. Princess Elizabeth is the only daughter of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia (who served as regent for his cousin's eldest son King Peter II of Yugoslavia) and Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark.[3]

Elizabeth is a first cousin once removed of the current Duke of Kent and also a second cousin once removed of Queen Sofía of Spain and Charles, Prince of Wales, making Catherine a third cousin of Felipe VI of Spain and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Catherine is also a great-great-great-granddaughter of Karađorđe, who started the First Serbian Uprising against the Turks in 1804.

Catherine Oxenberg's maternal grandmother, Princess Olga, was the daughter of Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia and Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, himself the son of another Romanov grand duchess, Queen Olga Konstantinovna of the Hellenes and her Danish-born husband King George of Greece, brother of Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and Empress Maria Fyodorovna. Princess Olga was the sister of Princess Marina, who married the Duke of Kent (uncle of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom); and also a first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh (husband of Queen Elizabeth II) through their respective fathers Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, who were brothers.

Oxenberg was educated at St. Paul's School, Harvard University, and Columbia University.

Acting career

Oxenberg made her acting debut in the 1982 made-for-television film The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, in which she played Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1984, Oxenberg joined the hit ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty — then at its height of popularity[4] in the role of Amanda Carrington, the second daughter of Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) and Alexis Colby (Joan Collins). Following a salary dispute after the end of her second season on the show, she was fired from Dynasty in 1986 and the role was recast with American actress Karen Cellini.[5]

Oxenberg was the guest host on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live on May 10, 1986 (making her the only descendant of a royal family to host the show). Oxenberg starred as Princess Elysa in the 1987 television film Roman Holiday. She also appeared in The Lair of the White Worm in 1988, and reprised the role of Diana, Princess of Wales in the TV film Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After in 1992. From 1993 to 1994, she starred in the short-lived series Acapulco H.E.A.T..

Oxenberg was portrayed by Rachael Taylor in the 2005 telemovie Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure, a fictionalized retelling of the behind-the-scenes goings-on during the production of Dynasty. In 2006, Oxenberg appeared in the TV special, Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar, in which she was reunited with her former Dynasty castmates to reminisce about the series.

Personal life

Conan O'Brien mentioned in a 2000 commencement speech that Oxenberg is listed directly ahead of him in the Class of 1985 Harvard freshman Facebook.[6] A contemporary Harvard Crimson piece, however, indicates that she was at least initially in the Class of 1983, dubbing her "queen of the Facebook".[7]

Oxenberg's first marriage was to the producer Robert Evans, in Beverly Hills, California on July 12, 1998, but the marriage was annulled nine days later.[8][9]

Oxenberg met actor Casper Van Dien during the filming of the 1999 TV movie The Collectors, and they worked together again in the 1999 Evangelical Christian thriller The Omega Code. On May 8, 1999, they married in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2005, the couple appeared in their own reality series, I Married a Princess, which aired on the Lifetime Television channel in the United States and on LIVINGtv in the United Kingdom. During the 2006–2007 TV season, Oxenberg and Van Dien co-starred in the American drama series Watch Over Me on MyNetworkTV.

Van Dien filed for divorce from Oxenberg in 2015.[10]

Oxenberg is the mother of India Riven Oxenberg (born June 7, 1991), whose father has never been publicly identified, and of two daughters with Van Dien: Maya (born September 20, 2001) and Celeste Alma (born October 3, 2003). Van Dien has two children from his previous marriage, of whom he has full custody (Casper "Cappy" Robert Mitchum Van Dien and Caroline "Gracie" Dorothy Grace Van Dien).

Oxenberg and Van Dien are celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization Childhelp.[11]

Oxenberg is 1,375th in the line of succession to the throne of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Lair of the White Worm, TheThe Lair of the White Worm Eve Trent
1990 Overexposed Kristin
1999 Omega Code, TheThe Omega Code Cassandra Barashe
2000 Sanctimony Susan Renart
2008 Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Tech 2 (uncredited)
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982 The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana Lady Diana Spencer TV movie
1984 Cover Up Michelle Lloyd Episode: "Pilot"
1984 Love Boat, TheThe Love Boat Monika Blackbird 2 episodes
1984–1986 Dynasty Amanda Bedford Carrington 53 episodes
1986 Love Boat, TheThe Love Boat Carrie Barton 2 episodes
1987 Still Crazy Like a Fox Nancy TV movie
1987 Roman Holiday Princess Elysa TV movie
1989 Swimsuit Jade Greene TV movie
1989 Trenchcoat in Paradise Lisa Duncan TV movie
1990 Bony Angela Hemmings TV movie
1991 Ring of Scorpio Fiona Matthews McDonald TV movie
1991 K-9000 Aja Turner TV movie
1992 Sexual Response Kate TV movie
1992 Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After Princess Diana TV movie
1993 Rubdown Jordy TV movie
1993–1994 Acapulco H.E.A.T. Ashley Hunter-Coddington 22 episodes
1994 Treacherous Beauties Simone Hollister TV movie
1995 Nanny, TheThe Nanny Sydney Mercer Episode: "Oy Vey, You're Gay"
1998 Catch Me If You Can Sgt. Tina Walcott TV movie
1999 Boys Will Be Boys Patsy Parker TV movie
1999 Arthur's Quest Morgana TV movie
1999 Time Served Sarah McKinney TV movie
1999 Collectors, TheThe Collectors Det Bailey TV movie
1999 Thrill Seekers Thrill Seekers Spokesperson TV movie
2000 Road Rage Forest Service Woman TV movie
2000 Baywatch Erika Episode: "Bad Boyz"
2001 Flying Dutchman, TheThe Flying Dutchman Lacy Anderson TV movie
2001 Miracle of the Cards, TheThe Miracle of the Cards Marion Shergold TV movie
2002 Perilous Sasha TV movie
2002 Vector File, TheThe Vector File Margaret TV movie
2005 Starship Troopers Female pilot (voice) Video game
2005 Premonition Kate Barnes TV movie
2005 Out of Practice Claudia Penchant Episode: "Brothers Grim"
2006–2007 Watch Over Me Leandra Thames 64 episodes
2010 Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation, TheThe Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation Dottie McGovern TV movie
2015 Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf Dr. Reinhardt TV movie

Ancestry

References

  1. Starpulse. Retrieved from http://m.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2015/09/28/starship-troopers-star-casper-van-dien.
  2. Catherine Oxenberg - Genealogics.com
  3. Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia - Genealogics.com
  4. 1984-1985 Ratings - ClassicTVhits.com Dynasty was the #1 American series during the 1984-1985 season.
  5. Eder, Shirley (August 19, 1986). "'Dynasty' To Do Without Its Princess". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, USA: Knight-Ridder. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  6. YouTube - Conan O'Brien's Speech to the Harvard Class of 2000.(Pt 1 of 2) Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  7. Paul Barrett (1982-09-13). "Pictures of Catherine". Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  8. Archerd, Army. "Evans and Oxenberg saying 'I do.'" Variety, July 1998. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  9. Archerd, Army (1998-07). "Evans and Oxenberg untie knot." Variety, July 1998. Retrieved on 2008-09-09 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1437/is_/ai_n5949007.
  10. http://www.tmz.com/2015/09/25/casper-van-dien-divorce-catherine-oxenberg
  11. Celebrity Ambassadors - ChildHelp.org. Retrieved on 2008-08-06 from http://www.childhelp.org/about/celebrity-ambassadors.

External links

Preceded by
Prince Dushan of Yugoslavia
Line of succession to the British throne Succeeded by
Maya Van Dien
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