Bo Derek, born Mary Kathleen Collins on November 20, 1956, in Long Beach, California, seemed destined for a life of sunshine and surf. Her father worked in the boating industry, and her mother was a Hollywood makeup artist who styled stars like Ann-Margret. Yet beneath this seemingly perfect backdrop, her childhood was fractured by her parents’ divorce and the complexities of a blended family. When her mother remarried stuntman Bobby Bass, young Mary drifted away from school, disappearing for a month to live a life fueled by the ocean and youthful freedom. She later joked about her truancy in a 1985 interview, admitting she never meant to quit school but simply slipped away to the beach.

Hollywood was not initially on her radar. It was her mother’s connection to Ann-Margret that changed everything. The star saw something special in Mary and introduced her to a talent agent who sent the 16-year-old to audition for director John Derek’s film, Once Upon a Love. Landing the role catapulted Mary into a world far removed from carefree days on the beach.

What followed was a dark and controversial chapter. John Derek, then 46 years old and married to Dynasty star Linda Evans, took Mary to Greece to film the movie. The production was financed in a disturbing way—John convinced his wife to pose nude so he could sell the photos to fund the project. The film’s plot centered on a teenage girl’s romance with her adopted brother and included nude scenes featuring Mary, still a minor. This exploitation was unsettling, but the director’s infatuation with the young actress soon became apparent. Linda Evans, witnessing the affair, left John Derek, ending their marriage on Christmas Day.

Faced with legal trouble due to their age difference, Bo and John chose to stay in Europe, avoiding the United States where their relationship was illegal. They lived in fear of arrest, with Bo quitting high school and plunging headfirst into an adult world she barely understood. Their life in Europe was fraught with uncertainty—funding for their film dried up, and the German film lab holding Once Upon a Love locked it away, leaving their hard work unseen.

Eventually, Bo returned to the U.S. on a separate flight from John, who slipped back through Mexico to avoid detection. They married on June 10, 1976, but marriage brought new challenges. Bo found herself in a household dominated by John’s past relationships with famous blondes Ursula Andress and Linda Evans, making her feel more like a collectible than a partner. She also became stepmother to John’s children, older than herself, adding to the complicated family dynamics.

Bo’s early Hollywood career was rocky. Her role in Orca was small and overshadowed by the film’s failure, despite a notable cast. Meanwhile, John Derek directed low-budget films like Love You, where Bo worked behind the scenes as a producer rather than an actress. Her career seemed stalled until fate intervened.

In 1979, Blake Edwards, director of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, was casting for 10, a film requiring a woman whose beauty could inspire a man to transform his life. After seeing Bo, Edwards was captivated by her striking looks and was relieved she could act well enough to carry the role. The film’s romantic storyline mirrored Bo’s own life, involving a relationship with a man significantly older than herself.

Filming in Mexico felt like a dream to Bo, a beach girl at heart. The iconic cornrow hairstyle she wore in the movie, painstakingly crafted over ten hours, became a symbol of her image and the film’s enduring legacy. Despite mixed reviews, 10 made Bo Derek a household name and earned her a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year.

However, the fame came with its own controversies. The cornrow hairstyle sparked debates about cultural appropriation, even becoming part of a legal case involving American Airlines’ ban on cornrows. Bo’s involvement was unintended but highlighted the complex intersections of culture and celebrity.

Bo’s past resurfaced when Once Upon a Love was released in Germany under the title Fantasies, much to her and John’s dismay. To redirect attention, John cast Bo in Tarzan, the Ape Man, a film notorious for its chaotic production and bizarre animal stories, including an orangutan reportedly enamored with Bo and a lion that protected her. The movie’s explicit scenes, including one where a chimpanzee kissed Bo’s nipple, led to legal battles with the Tarzan estate and multiple Golden Raspberry nominations. Bo won Worst Actress, a dubious honor she would receive again.

Despite critical backlash, Bo remained loyal to John Derek, even as better roles passed her by. She turned down parts in major films like The Naked Gun and a James Bond movie, choices some believe limited her career. Emotionally, she carried guilt over the pain caused to Linda Evans, yet maintained that John protected her from predatory producers.

After John Derek’s death in 1998, Bo eventually found love again with actor John Corbett. They married in 2020 and now live a peaceful life on a ranch, far from Hollywood’s glare. Bo rarely watches her films, except 10, which she jokes she hardly appears in.

The slow-motion beach run in 10 remains her signature moment—staged, choreographed, and forever etched in pop culture. It symbolizes her leap from obscurity to stardom, a moment that continues to captivate audiences decades later.

Bo Derek’s story is one of beauty and turmoil, of a young woman navigating a complex world shaped by love, power, and survival. Her journey invites reflection on the cost of fame and the resilience required to endure.