Remembering Tanya Roberts: a beautiful life in pictures

Roberts may have never been the most famous star, but she starred in some of the most iconic roles of her time: In ‘Charlies Angels,’ as a Bond Girl and as a mom on the throwback ‘That ’70s Show.’ Roberts passed away in 2021, at age 71. Let’s look back on the incredible life of this beautiful woman.

Tanya Roberts (born Victoria Leigh Blum) grew up in the Bronx, leading a humble life and facing challenges. Her parents divorced. When she was 15, she ran away from home, hitchhiking around the country with “some guy” she married, according to People. The guy’s mom later annulled that marriage.

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Back in New York, she soon after met a psychology student, Barry Roberts waiting in line for a movie. She proposed to him at a subway station, and they were married in 1974. She began seriously studying acting and appearing Off-Broadway. He was a screenwriter. In 1977, they moved to Los Angeles to pursue their careers.

Image: (From left to right): Michelle Phillips, Barry Roberts and Tanya Roberts

Outside of some commercials, she started getting cast in movies — particularly slasher films. Her debut was in the disturbing ‘The Last Victim’ (1975), and she also starred in the cult supernatural slasher film ‘Tourist Trap’ in 1979. Roberts was also big in the beach-party film genre, as seen in the 1979 film ‘California Dreaming’ (pictured).

Out of around 2,000 gorgeous candidates, Roberts was chosen to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth season of ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ Channeling her upbringing in the Bronx, she played a streetwise fighter. Her character was hyped to save the show from its downward spiral but failed to. The show was canceled after her one season.

When ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was canceled, it was a devastating blow for Roberts. She told People that she went from being a TV sensation to facing financial difficulties. “Before, I had every magazine cover, then suddenly I was off TV.” For a while afterward, she said, “We didn’t have a nickel. We were living off credit cards.”

In 1982, Roberts appeared in the movie ‘The Beastmaster’ and did a full spread in P l a y b o y to promote the movie, now considered a cult classic. “I thought it would help the movie,” she told People in 1984. “Now I see it as something I can look back at years from now and remember I had a nice body.”

Another career highlight was in the 1984 fantasy flick ‘Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.’ Some considered the movie to be “so bad it’s good,” and she was nominated for Worst Actress at the Razzie Awards. Others praised her work, with the New Yorker reviewing her as having “a staring, comic-book opaqueness. ... She’s a walking, talking icon.”

For the Sheena role, Roberts dyed her hair blonde (which stayed that way) and aggressively amped up her training. She told People she upped her daily hour and a half of weightlifting to “a five-hour marathon including bareback riding and trapeze swinging.” She did 80% of her own stunts, including zebra riding, rock climbing, and rope swinging.

In 1985, came a new level of success. She was cast as Bond girl Stacey Stutton, a geologist starring with Roger Moore in ‘A View to Kill.’ The part got her nominated for a second Razzie for worst actress, but that didn’t deter her.

While Roberts may have never been nominated for an Academy Award, her particular taste in movies got her to star in quirky B-movies that are cult favorites. Another is ‘Body Slam’ a 1987 action movie about professional wrestling. She also starred in classic spicy thrillers, including ‘Night Eyes,’ ‘Inner Sanctum,’ ‘Hot Line’ and ‘Sins of Desire.’

Image: 'Sins of Desire,' March Productions, Cinetel Films

In 1998, Roberts signed on to star in the smash hit sitcom ‘That '70s Show.’ She played Donna’s mother, Midge — a spacey, kind-hearted housewife who evolves to embrace feminist ideals. She was written out of the show as divorcing her Husband Bob so Roberts could take care of her real-life husband.

She bowed out of acting to take care of her husband Barry when he fell ill with encephalitis in 2001. They had no children and were described as one of the most admired couples in Hollywood, known for being “very in love,” according to The Sun. She made a few more guest appearances on the show during that time and had no more acting roles after 2006.

On Dec. 23 2020, she was hiking and noticed lower intestinal pain and difficulty breathing. Soon after, she went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection that had advanced to sepsis. She was placed on a ventilator, but her condition deteriorated. She was pulled off life support on Jan. 3, 2021.

At her passing, she left behind her new partner Lance O’Brien and her sister Barbara Chase. Interestingly, Chase had earlier been married to psychedelic icon Timothy Leary from 1978 to 1992. Here, they are pictured with their son (Tanya Robert's nephew) Zachary Leary.

Although she died in Los Angeles and spent most of her career there, Roberts told People in 1981 that she was a New Yorker at heart. “LA drives you crazy… I’m used to weather and walking and people who say what they mean.”

Photo: Tanya Roberts poses on a sportscar around 1969

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