Nicollette Sheridan

1. Overview

Nicollette Sheridan (Nicollette Sheridan_{ˌnɪkəˈlɛt}^English) is a British-born American actress, writer, and producer who gained prominence for her roles in popular television series and films. She began her career as a fashion model before making her acting debut in the 1984 ABC primetime soap opera Paper Dolls. Her breakthrough came with the role of Paige Matheson in the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing, which she starred in from 1986 to 1993, earning two Soap Opera Digest Awards. Sheridan later achieved widespread recognition for her portrayal of the witty and manipulative real estate agent Edie Britt in the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives (2004-2009), a role that earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2005. Following her departure from Desperate Housewives, she took on the iconic role of Alexis Carrington in The CW's reboot of Dynasty from 2018 to 2019. Throughout her career, Sheridan has also appeared in numerous television films and feature films, including Noises Off (1992), Spy Hard (1996), and Beverly Hills Ninja (1997). Her career has also been marked by a high-profile legal dispute with the creator of Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry, and ABC, alleging assault and wrongful termination.

2. Early Life and Background

Nicollette Sheridan was born on November 21, 1963, in Worthing, England. Her mother is actress Sally Adams, who was born in 1947 in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Sally Adams gave birth to Sheridan when she was 17 years old. Less than a year after Sheridan's birth, her father left the family, and she has had no contact with him since.

In 1969, her mother, billed as Dani Sheridan, appeared in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service as one of Blofeld's "Angels of Death." During this time, Sally met actor Telly Savalas, who played Blofeld in the film. Savalas subsequently became her de facto husband and Sheridan's stepfather. Sally Adams later became known as Sally Savalas. Sheridan emigrated from the United Kingdom to the United States in 1973, at the age of 10. According to some sources, her great-grandparent was of Punjabi descent from India.

3. Career

Nicollette Sheridan's acting career spans several decades, encompassing modeling, television, and film roles that established her as a recognizable figure in Hollywood.

3.4. Desperate Housewives

In 2004, Nicollette Sheridan was cast as Edie Britt in the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives. The character was initially conceived as a recurring role, though Sheridan had originally auditioned for Bree Van de Kamp, one of the series' more prominent characters.

On November 15, 2004, Sheridan, in character as Edie Britt, appeared with NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens in an introductory skit for that evening's Monday Night Football episode. The skit, which depicted Britt seductively approaching Owens in a locker room, drew criticism from some observers who deemed it sexually suggestive. ABC later issued an apology for airing the segment. However, on March 14, 2005, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that the skit did not violate decency standards, citing the absence of outright nudity or foul language.

For her performance as Edie Britt, Sheridan was nominated for a 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film. She was also ranked number 48 on Maxim magazine's 2006 Hot 100 List. In February 2009, during the show's fifth season, Sheridan announced her departure from Desperate Housewives. Her character, Edie Britt, was killed off in an episode that aired in April 2009. Unlike other main characters who had been written off the show over the years, Sheridan did not make an appearance in the series' final episode, which aired in May 2012. Media reports also noted that she was placed on Mr. Blackwell's list for worst-dressed and faced media scrutiny regarding plastic surgery.

4. Legal Disputes and Controversies

In April 2010, Nicollette Sheridan initiated a lawsuit seeking 20.00 M USD against Desperate Housewives creator and producer Marc Cherry and ABC Television. The lawsuit alleged that Cherry assaulted her on the set of the show, and that she was subsequently fired when she reported the alleged abuse to the network.

Sheridan's legal claims included wrongful termination, assault and battery, gender violence, discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and age, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She also asserted that Cherry exhibited abusive behavior towards other cast members and writers. ABC responded by stating that while they were unaware of this specific complaint, they had previously investigated similar claims made by Sheridan and found them to be without merit. The show's lead stars, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria, publicly pledged their support for Cherry in the legal battle against Sheridan's allegations.

In May 2011, a judge allowed the case to proceed to trial but dismissed Sheridan's claims of harassment. The trial commenced on February 27, 2012. Cherry testified that the alleged "assault" was merely a light tap to Sheridan's head with his fingers, performed during rehearsals to demonstrate how she should play a physical gag in a scene. He further stated that the decision to kill off her character had been approved in May 2008, several months prior to the alleged hitting incident in September 2008. Cherry cited budget reduction needs, Sheridan's alleged unprofessional on-set behavior (including habitual lateness, not learning lines, and feuding with co-stars), and the character having "run its course" as reasons for the decision to write out Edie Britt.

On March 13, 2012, the judge dismissed the battery charge against Cherry due to insufficient evidence, narrowing the lawsuit's focus solely to Sheridan's alleged wrongful termination by ABC. Closing arguments were heard on March 14, 2012, and the jury began deliberations. By March 19, 2012, the jury was unable to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial.

A retrial was initially scheduled for September 2012. However, in August, the Los Angeles Court of Appeal dismissed the case, ruling that Sheridan had not been wrongfully fired. The court rejected her argument that ABC's decision not to renew her contract was comparable to a violation of at-will employment. The court reasoned that unlike an at-will employee whose contract could be indefinite, Sheridan's contract was for a fixed term that had expired, meaning ABC had chosen not to rehire her rather than terminating her. Despite this, the court stated that Sheridan was free to file an amended lawsuit alleging that ABC retaliated against her for complaining about unsafe working conditions. A subsequent appeal by Sheridan to the California Supreme Court was rejected in November 2012.

A new trial, focusing solely on the retaliation claim, was set for December 2013. However, this was also dismissed in October 2013 by a judge who determined that Sheridan should have exhausted her claims through a labor commissioner before pursuing a trial. A further attempt by Sheridan to secure a new trial was refused on January 16, 2014. Yet, the same judge reversed his decision on January 29, 2014, and granted Sheridan a new trial. This decision was later overturned in August 2014 by the Los Angeles Court of Appeal, which found the judge's decision to grant a new trial to be in error.

5. Personal Life

Nicollette Sheridan's personal life has included several notable relationships, marriages, and engagements. During the 1980s, she dated teen idols Leif Garrett and Scott Baio. She began dating Garrett when she was 15 and lived with him at his mother's house while still underage, with their relationship lasting from 1979 to 1985.

On September 7, 1991, Sheridan married actor Harry Hamlin, her co-star from the 1990 television film Deceptions. Hamlin filed for divorce on August 21, 1992, citing July 13 as their date of separation, and the divorce was finalized in 1993.

From July 1992 to September 1995, Sheridan was in a relationship with singer Michael Bolton. She then had a three-year relationship with Australian Simon Main, which concluded in 2000 when Main was sentenced to four years in prison for trafficking ecstasy.

In 2004, Sheridan began dating Swedish personal trainer Nicklas Söderblom, to whom she became engaged on New Year's Eve 2004. However, the couple called off their engagement in October 2005. In October 2005, while on a five-day photo shoot in Australia, Sheridan met with her ex-boyfriend Simon Main following his release from prison. That December, she rekindled her romance with Michael Bolton, and they announced their engagement in March 2006. Sheridan and Bolton recorded a duet, the title track of Bolton's 2006 album, Bolton Swings Sinatra: The Second Time Around. In March 2008, Sheridan posed nude for a London Fog charity advertisement that also featured Bolton. Sheridan and Bolton ended their engagement in August 2008.

Sheridan married Aaron Phypers in December 2015, but the couple separated just six months later. Their divorce was finalized in August 2018. In 2019, Sheridan launched her own range of skincare products called Biolumière Organics.

6. Public Perception and Media Appearances

Nicollette Sheridan's public image and media presence have been shaped by her prominent roles, personal relationships, and occasional controversies. Beyond her acting career, she has appeared in popular culture rankings and been involved in discussions on reality television.

In 1991, she was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People." In 2006, she was ranked number 48 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 List. She also faced scrutiny from fashion critics, with Mr. Blackwell placing her on his worst-dressed list, and media speculation regarding plastic surgery.

In February 2019, the ninth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills featured a discussion between Denise Richards, the current wife of Sheridan's ex-husband Aaron Phypers, and Lisa Rinna, the current wife of Sheridan's ex-husband Harry Hamlin. Rinna recounted details about Sheridan allegedly having an affair with Michael Bolton while Hamlin was in Canada, which she claimed led to the dissolution of Sheridan and Hamlin's marriage. Days later, Sheridan publicly denied Rinna's claims on Twitter, stating that she and Hamlin ended their marriage "nose to nose" in Canada and that Michael Bolton was a long-time friend who was invited to their wedding. Harry Hamlin subsequently defended Rinna's account, but Sheridan re-affirmed that "the end of our marriage had nothing to do with anyone other than us." Following this public exchange, fans of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills expressed interest in Sheridan joining the cast, particularly after Denise Richards' departure at the end of the tenth season. However, in November 2020, producer Andy Cohen confirmed that Sheridan would not be asked to join the show due to her ongoing feud with Rinna.

7. Filmography

8. Awards and Nominations

Nicollette Sheridan has received several awards and nominations throughout her career, particularly for her work in television.