Jessica Phyllis Lange was born on April 20, 1949 to Al and Dorothy Lange in Cloquet, Minnesota.

She is the daughter of Oscar winning actor Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand, used her middle name as her last name (French translation of beautiful), probably in order to succeed independently of her father's success as an actor.

In the fall of 1967, Jessica Lange enrolled at the University of Minnesota and concentrated her studies in art. She wanted to be a painter but her restless nature and natural curiosity stifled her in the university environment.

In the fall of 1975, producer Dino DeLaurentis contacted Wilhelmina looking for fresh faces for the female lead in his big budgeted remake of the 1930's classic "King Kong". An agent at Wilhelmina, who knew that Jessica was very serious about acting, recommended her.

This lead to Dino De Laurentiis spotting her and casting her opposite Jeff Bridges in the hairy remake of "King Kong", which almost ruined her career as a serious actress before it even began.

During the '80s, Jessica continued to deliver complex, critically lauded performances in such films as "Country" and "Sweet Dreams", both of which brought her Best Actress Oscar nominations. Her fourth Best Actress nomination came with her role in 1990's "Music Box", but oddly enough it was a small film that was released two years after its completion that finely brought Jessica her Best Actress win.

Jessica has three children, Alexandra, by Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Hannah Jane and Samuel Walker, by Sam Shepard, her longtime companion.