Lynn-Holly Johnson
Lynn-Holly Johnson is an American retired figure skater and former actress. After achieving some success as a figure skater in the mid-1970s, she began an acting career, including a Golden Globe-nominated role in 1978's Ice Castles and her role as Bibi Dahl in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only.
Not to be confused with Holly Johnson.
Lynn-Holly Johnson
Early life and career[edit]
Lynn Holly Johnson was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Margaret, a housewife, and Alan Johnson, a general contractor.[1][2] Johnson added the hyphen to her name after her roommate wrote Johnson's name that way.[1] She graduated from Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois.[3]
Johnson won the silver medal at the novice level of the 1974 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She gave up competitive skating in 1977 to turn professional and join the Ice Capades, and subsequently began an acting career, making her film debut in Ice Castles, in which she portrayed Alexis "Lexie" Winston, a figure skater who is blinded by a blood clot in her brain. The film, a romantic drama co-starring Robby Benson, was a minor success in December 1978, grossing $18 million in the US.[4] Johnson, who was described as "an appealing young woman who actually happens to be a good skater who can act" by film critic Roger Ebert,[5] was nominated for a Golden Globe as "Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress" for her performance in the film.
Johnson was subsequently cast in the lead role of the Disney horror drama The Watcher in the Woods. The film received a limited release in April 1980, but it was soon withdrawn and not given a wider release until October 1981. Also in 1981, Johnson had a minor supporting role as Bibi Dahl in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only . In For Your Eyes Only, she played a figure skater who has a crush on James Bond, played by Roger Moore. In 1984, Johnson starred in Where the Boys Are '84, a remake of the 1960 film of the same name. The film was a critical and box-office failure.
In 1996, Johnson retired from acting to concentrate on her family; her last acting role at that time was a made-for-television film, Fugitive X: Innocent Target.
In 2007, she returned to acting in a community theater production of It's a Wonderful Life.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Johnson currently lives with her husband and their two children in Los Angeles, California.[7] In January 2010, Johnson suffered a stroke while on a flight from Florida to Los Angeles.[7] Upon medical intervention, Johnson learned that the stroke had been brought on by a patent foramen ovale, a congenital heart defect that had gone undiagnosed.[8] She subsequently underwent open heart surgery to treat the condition.[7][8]
Johnson's daughter, Jensie, is a competitive gymnast and a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team.[9]