Whatever Happened To Beverly D'Angelo?
At one time, Beverly D'Angelo played one of the most well-known moms on the big screen. Behind the scenes, she was in a relationship with one of the best actors out there.
Even though those statements may no longer be the case for her, D'Angelo has proven over the years that she is an amazing actress. In addition to her television and movie roles, she also has since taken on another very important role in her life. So let's take a look at D'Angelo and what she's been up to over the years.
She took on the role of mother
D'Angelo took on a new role in 2001 when she had her twins, Anton and Olivia. D'Angelo was in a relationship with fellow actor Al Pacino when the two decided to have kids. As the actress told Closer Weekly, "I had a fantasy that when you have kids, you do it in a family setting. After we'd known each other for three months, [Al] looked me in the eyes and said, 'I want you to be the mother of my children.' That's all I had to hear."
The couple split some time after the babies were born. D'Angelo shared the timeline during the interview, saying, "I got pregnant at 48, delivered six weeks after I was 49, and by 51 I was looking at a landscape as a single parent."
She went through a custody battle with Al Pacino
After D'Angelo and Pacino split up, the question came up of who would raise the twins. This led to a custody battle in 2003 between the two stars, when the twins were 2 years old.
In the courtroom, things got messy as both parties tried for custody. According to Entertainment Weekly, D'Angelo's spokesperson said that Pacino "harasses her constantly" and has never changed a single diaper. On the other side, Pacino's lawyer said D'Angelo is (as the outlet put it) "holding the kids hostage for more money."
The ex-couple was eventually able to put things into perspective and came to an agreement. As D'Angelo shared with Closer Weekly, "When you focus on getting pregnant, you can lose the perspective that you're creating a family and a responsibility to a child's future."
They finally mastered co-parenting
Eventually D'Angelo and Pacino came to an agreement and gave a new focus to co-parenting. What did the actress say is the key to moving forward? "Acceptance."
She spoke to this with Closer Weekly and said, "We all have a desire to change things that we don't like, but you can't change another person. You have to accept differences and all the things that led to a breakup in a way that allows you to move forward."
And she and Pacino are in a good place too. She continued, "And out of my support system and people I know and love, I've created the ideal partner."
She has experienced her Vacation glory days again
In 1983, D'Angelo's life changed when she starred in the film National Lampoon's Vacation. As she shared with Entertainment Weekly, she did not realize the level of success she was signing up for. She said, "I don't think any of us thought we were setting up the tent-pole for a franchise. I was really lucky that I got to work with Chevy and Harold Ramis, the smartest guys in this town, the very bright East Coast boys, and do a little summer movie."
At the time, she was 29 years old and discouraged from playing the roles of a mother, but she took the risk. She continued on to star in more films for the franchise throughout the years, and then in 2015, she was able to have another experience with the story. She and Chevy Chase came back to reprise their roles of the Griswolds in the 2015 film, Vacation.
She maintained her friendship with Chevy Chase over the years
The Vacation franchise not only brought D'Angelo success for her career, but a life-long friendship as well. She and Chase have been good friends since taking on the roles of husband and wife Clark and Ellen Griswold in 1983. Even after filming all of the movies, the two remained close and even tried to work together again.
D'Angelo told AV Club about this, sharing, "We've gone through so many things together. We tried to do a TV show a couple years ago. It was a nightmare. I was so mad at him when we were shooting the pilot. And it was over, and it was like, thank god, now I can go back to loving him. That's a long-term friendship."
She sold her home of over a decade
In 2017, D'Angelo made big changes when she decided to sell her home of over a decade. The star owned her Beverly Hills home since 2005. Once before, in 2008, she listed the property but then decided to take it off the market, as reported by Realtor.
And while it may be sad to say goodbye to a home, there was a good outcome. According to the Los Angeles Times, the house sold for $2.6 million. So it's safe to say that D'Angelo can make another house into a dream home for the future.
She's an award winner
In 2016, D'Angelo headed to the 31st annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, where she had a few pressing matters to address. First of all, she acted in one of the films being shown, Dreamland. And secondly, she was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival.
When speaking with the Miami Herald about all of the excitement, D'Angelo didn't boast of her award or film success; she was just excited to be there.
She said, "I've had a lot going on this week so I haven't really had time to think about stuff like, 'What I am going to wear?' But I got a look at the invite and it called for jeans and a glitzy top, so I thought, 'FLIFF sounds like my kind of festival!' It seems like people just want to go and enjoy movies."
She is still acting in shows and movies
D'Angelo is not slowing down when it comes to her acting career. She continues to push herself and find new roles, both in television in film.
The film Dreamland came out in 2016. It was a role that D'Angelo knew immediately that she needed to take on. She told the Miami Herald, "I got the script and loved the story immediately. I started out as a singer and my brother is a musician, so I've always had a soft spot for musicians trying to find their way." Not only did she love the premise before she began shooting, filming was something she enjoyed as well. She continued, "It was a fantastic experience on every level. The spirit was truly independent and that united everybody."
In addition, Deadline announced in 2017 that D'Angelo would return to the show Shooter for season two, continuing to play National Security Advisor Gregson.
She's planning her future memoir
D'Angelo has a busy schedule, raising her kids and continuing her acting career. But this has never stopped the star from thinking of even more projects. What could one of those future projects be? A memoir. However, don't expect this book to come out soon.
As she shared during an interview with AV Club, "When my past becomes more interesting than my present, then I'll write the memoir."
She has written over the years, but has wanted to keep in third person. She has been pushed though to change her mind on that. She shared, "And the last time I went through this, it was with a book that I had written a lot called Once Upon A Nanny and was pushing for that, and they said to me, 'We'll give you X amount if you write this thing in first person.' And I said, 'I can't do that yet. I've got kids.'"