Jackie Collins

Jackie Collins – Life, Career, and Memorable Quotes

Jackie Collins (1937–2015), British-born novelist of sex, scandal, and glamour, sold over 500 million books worldwide. Discover her life story, bold literary style, legacy, and quotes that reflect her unapologetic voice.

Introduction

Jackie Collins was a towering figure in popular fiction. With her glamorous, risqué tales set amid the glitter and grit of Hollywood, she created a body of work beloved by millions. Born in London in 1937, Collins reinvented the “bonkbuster” genre, writing about sex, power, fame, and betrayal—but always with fierce female protagonists at the center. Her novels sold in the hundreds of millions and were adapted into films and TV miniseries. She remains a celebrated icon of commercial, sensational storytelling.

Early Life and Family

Jackie Collins was born October 4, 1937 in Hampstead, London, England. Her birth name was Jacqueline Jill Collins. She was the younger sister of actress Joan Collins, and had a younger brother, Bill.

Her father, Joseph William Collins, was a theatrical agent whose clients would include high-profile names such as Shirley Bassey, the Beatles, and Tom Jones. Her mother, Elsa (née Bessant), had been a dancer.

Collins’s upbringing was marked by exposure to show business and glamour—but also by rebellion. When she was 15, she was expelled from Francis Holland School, reportedly for misbehavior. After that, she left England to live with Joan in Los Angeles for a time.

She often said she dabbled in writing from a young age, even charging classmates five or six cents per page to read her limericks.

Education & Early Career

Formal records of higher education are limited. Collins’s formal schooling ended when she was expelled as a teenager.

Instead, her early career path veered into acting. In the late 1950s, she appeared in British B-movies under the pseudonym Lynn Curtis, with credits in Barnacle Bill (1957), Rock You Sinners (1957), Passport to Shame (1958), The Safecracker (1958), Intent to Kill (1958), The Shakedown (1960), and in TV shows like Danger Man and The Saint.

However, acting never became her long-term path. She later shifted her attention to writing—initially under encouragement from her second husband, who urged her to finish a manuscript she had begun.

Literary Career & Major Works

Breakthrough & “Bonkbuster” Genre

Jackie Collins’s first novel, The World Is Full of Married Men (1968), generated controversy upon release with its frank portrayal of adultery and sexuality—and was even banned in Australia and South Africa. Despite criticism, the scandal fueled its popularity, helping it become a bestseller.

Her second novel, The Stud (1969), also made the bestseller lists and later was adapted into a film starring her sister Joan. Over time, Collins became known for novels exploring the hidden side of wealth, celebrity, sex, and power.

Her best-known works include Hollywood Wives (1983), Hollywood Husbands, Hollywood Kids, Chances, Lucky, Lady Boss, The Bitch, Drop Dead Beautiful, The Santangelos, and many more in the Santangelo and Hollywood series.

Of her total output, 32 novels were published—and all made it onto The New York Times Best Seller list. Her books have reportedly sold more than 500 million copies and have been translated into dozens of languages.

Themes & Style

• Glamour, scandal, and sensuality: Her novels often delve into bedroom betrayals, power dynamics, and the dark side of fame.

• Strong, ambitious women: Many protagonists are fierce females who assert control over their lives—often in male-dominated environments.

• Insider Hollywood mystique: Moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, Collins used her surroundings and connections to create richly detailed settings behind the scenes of celebrity life.

• Fast-paced plots, multiple threads, glamorous settings: Her books often have interwoven character arcs, glitzy backdrops, and dramatic conflicts.

Several of her novels have been adapted into films or TV miniseries—Hollywood Wives, The Bitch, The Stud, Chances/Lucky are among them.

Personal Life, Later Years & Death

Marriages, Family & Relationships

Collins had three marriages and relationships:

• Her first marriage was to Wallace Austin in 1960; they had one daughter, Tracy (born 1961). They divorced in 1964.

• In 1965 she married Oscar Lerman, an art gallery and nightclub owner; they had two daughters, Tiffany (1967) and Rory (1969). Lerman adopted Tracy. Lerman died in 1992 of cancer.

• In 1994, Collins became engaged to Frank Calcagnini, a Los Angeles executive. He died in 1998 from a brain tumor. Collins once said losing loved ones taught her to celebrate life, rather than grieve.

She held dual citizenship: British by birth, and American through naturalization (from May 6, 1960).

Later Years & Honors

Even after being diagnosed with stage-4 breast cancer—which she kept private for many years—Collins continued writing and traveling. She was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for her contributions to fiction and charity.

In September 2015, Collins died September 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, aged 77. Twenty-seven days later (October 4) would have been her 78th birthday.

Legacy & Cultural Impact

Jackie Collins’s influence is felt across several spheres:

• Commercial fiction & the “bonkbuster” genre: She helped pioneer a style of commercially successful, sexy, melodramatic novels centered on glamour, scandal, and wealth.

• Feminine empowerment in pop culture: Her protagonists were not passive romantic heroines but strong women navigating complex power dynamics—often winning their own stakes.

• Hollywood insider tales: Because she lived in Los Angeles and understood celebrity culture, her settings had authenticity and “inside” resonance for readers.

• Screen adaptations & cross-media footprint: Her work translated to TV miniseries and film, broadening her audience beyond book readers.

• Global readership: With over 500 million copies sold, her books reached readers worldwide, bridging cultural boundaries with themes of ambition, love, and moral complexity.

• Unapologetic voice: She refused to shy away from sex, scandal, and the darker side of human nature—she insisted on writing what she saw, often calling her characters toned-down versions of reality.

In memorials and obituaries, she was praised as a “trailblazer for women in fiction” and a creative force whose characters live on.

Personality & Creative Approach

Jackie Collins cultivated a flamboyant public persona—leopard print, big jewelry, bold statements—but many say this masked a disciplined, serious storytelling instinct.

She once said she wrote longhand, bound manuscripts in leather, and considered writing the only thing she truly loved. She also claimed she never felt shy about writing sex: for her, it was a natural force in life and in human relationships.

Collins described her characters as “real people in disguise”—meaning the dramatization in her books is often a polished, fictionalized reflection of real human behavior.

She was determined, prolific, and unapologetic. Even while battling serious illness privately, she continued writing and touring. Her last public appearance was nine days before her death on a British TV show.

Famous Quotes by Jackie Collins

Here are some notable quotations that reflect her attitudes toward writing, love, fame, and life:

1. “If you want to be a writer — stop talking about it and sit down and write!”
   

2. “Falling in love is like getting hit by a truck … You fall into it as if pushed from a high diving board. No time to think about what’s happening. It’s inevitable.”
   

3. “I write about real people in disguise. If anything, my characters are toned down — the truth is much more bizarre.”
   

4. “Agents are essential, because publishers will not read unsolicited manuscripts.”
   

5. “I have this theory that people in Hollywood don’t read. They read ‘Vanity Fair’ and then consider themselves terribly well read.”
   

6. “People are intrigued by fame, power and wealth and I think Hollywood is the only place where you get all three together.”
   

7. “Writing is not easy; some people want to write books but just can’t put a story together.”
   

These quotes capture her bold, no-nonsense personality, her view of writing as work, and her fascination with the interplay of glamour and reality.

Lessons from Jackie Collins

• Write boldly and unapologetically. Collins never shied away from sex, scandal, or power in her fiction. Her success shows that courageous, authentic storytelling often finds readers.

• Align with what you know. Her insider familiarity with entertainment culture lent her novels credibility and richness.

• Discipline behind fantasy. Though her stories are dramatic, her creative process was disciplined—writing daily, longhand, producing many novels over decades.

• Create strong female protagonists. Her women often own their sexuality, agency, and destinies, even when navigating adversities.

• Persistence despite hardship. Even while privately battling cancer, she continued producing work and engaging her readership.

• Own your public image as part of your brand. Collins understood that her flamboyant persona and publicity amplified her author brand and aligned with the glamorous worlds she created.

Conclusion

Jackie Collins stands as a master of popular fiction: indelibly associated with waves of glamour, scandal, romance, and female empowerment. Her life—from London expulsion to Hollywood insider—mirrors the drama and audacity of her stories. Today, her books remain bestselling, her characters iconic, and her voice a reminder that popular literature can be unapologetically entertaining and deeply resonant.