Early fight: Lesley-Anne in Upstairs, Downstairs, with co-star Anthony Andrews
Actress Lesley-Anne Down, 70, is best known for hit TV series Upstairs, Downstairs and North And South.
Her latest role is as Margaret Thatcher in Reagan, a biopic of Ronald Reagan, which is due in cinemas on 30 August, writes Peter Robertson.
Born and raised in South London, Lesley-Anne lives in Georgia, USA, with her third husband, cinematographer Don FauntLeRoy, 71, with whom she has a son, George, 26.
She also has a son, Jack, 42, with her second husband, the late director William Friedkin. Don has two daughters whom he considers his own.
What did your parents teach you about money?
Quite a lot. We were poor. I remember my mother (who saved when she could) saying: “Money doesn’t make you happy, but it does make misery more bearable.”
When I had money as an adult, I would send something to my parents every month. When my father Percy died in 2008, eight years after my mother, Isabella, he left 50 percent to me and 50 percent to my sister Angela, who is five years younger than me. I gave everything to Angela because I was paid well. Interestingly, it all amounted to exactly what I had sent my parents for 20 years.
What was your first pay package?
I was 11 years old and a pupil at Mayfield Comprehensive in Putney, south London, and I was in a fashion show for modern school uniforms in the West End. I was probably paid £5 or £10. I was supposed to be at school and my deputy headmistress was sitting in the audience, so it became a real fuss. A picture of me in school uniform appeared on the front page.
Have you ever had difficulty making ends meet?
Yes. When I started at Upstairs, Downstairs they paid me £175 per episode (each one took two weeks to make) and when I finished I was paid £285. I shared a flat in King’s Road, Chelsea, with my boyfriend, the actor and director Bruce Robinson, but we couldn’t afford it and moved to a council flat on the Peabody Estate in Fulham. But then I started making films, like Hammer House Of Horror, for which I was paid around £5,000, which was certainly enough to make ends meet.
Have you ever been paid silly money?
Yes. The first one was for the film The Betsy, starring Laurence Olivier. I was 23, I worked on it for seven weeks playing Lady Bobby Ayres and they paid me $50,000. To me that was silly money! I think I got $150,000 for Hanover Street and $200,000 for The First Great Train Robbery.
The easiest money was for doing absolutely nothing: CBS gave me $250,000 to not go to another network for a year!
What has been the best year of your financial life?
When I did North And South, the American Civil War drama in which I played Madeline, Patrick Swayze’s love interest. I received $650,000 for each of the three series, which began in 1985, the year I met my husband Don, who was a director of photography.
The most expensive thing you’ve bought for fun?
I buy things for other people. In the 1980s I bought Don a Rolex watch that is now worth about $30,000. I got rid of my gold Rolex when we were living in Los Angeles. People were getting mugged for them.
What is your biggest money mistake?
The biggest monetary mistake we make is selling a property. If you buy somewhere and want to move, you should take advantage and keep the one you have. You will be 1,000 times better. So my biggest monetary mistake has been selling. When Don and I came to Georgia, we kept our places in Malibu.
The best money decision you’ve ever made?
Buy properties. There are many that I should have bought as well.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Saver. I like saving. I love money. I love numbers. When I was in school, I got a bad grade in maths because I hated the way it was taught. But when exams came around, I got a good grade. I check my bank statements every two days.
Do you have a pension?
I have a SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild) pension and will have a savings pension when I am 73. I also benefit from royalties.
Do you have any property?
Yes, one in Georgia and two in Malibu. I feel more at home in Georgia. I lived in Los Angeles for 40 years, but it was too long.
Do you donate money to charities?
Yes. I give to children and animal charities.
What would you have done if acting hadn’t worked out?
I was always religious and went to church regularly. I thought about being a missionary, although I don’t think I really understood what it was.
If you were chancellor, what would you do?
I wouldn’t take the job! Everyone would hate you. But if I did, I’d say, ‘Don’t you think it’s time we all got our act together and looked after ourselves?’ The only people who really need the Government’s attention are disabled people. People who can, should work.
What is your number one financial priority?
To leave the four children enough money to live well. Friends like to spend money on trips, but I don’t want to travel; been there and done that.
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