Skirt styled as a top and floral corset by MAISON DE HOE
Broken moth wings earrings by ANCIENT FUTURE

Over the years, you may have seen actress Morgan Fairchild in Search for Tomorrow, Dallas, Flamingo Road, and Falcon Crest. She’s been acting for the vast majority of her life, and as a result, has conquered both the film and theater spaces, with too many guest starring appearances to count on top of her more prominent roles. Known as a beautiful blonde bombshell, she has single handedly helped to define Hollywood’s image of ambitious, glamorous women. However, she is also so much more, working tirelessly to support causes like AIDS awareness, women’s rights, and environmental efforts. Read on to learn more about her multifaceted past, present, and future.

**Left:**
Velvet loose-fit dress with embroidered sequin flowers by VUNGOC&SON
Broken moth wings ring by ANCIENT FUTURE
Leather belt by SAINT LAURENT
**Right:**
Skirt styled as a top and floral corset by MAISON DE HOE
Broken moth wings earrings by ANCIENT FUTURE

You’ve been acting since age ten! What has it been like being in the spotlight for your entire life?
Starting in the theater at 10 gave me a chance to get used to being in the spotlight. I was so shy that it took me a while to get used to being the focus of any attention at all! Each step of my career led to other steps, so I was fortunate to be gradually introduced to attention and then fame. I was so very lucky! I've seen many people get overwhelmed and lose their way when fame hits too fast.

You earned a Golden Globe nomination for your role in Flamingo Road. What is your most prevalent memory from working on that show, what did it mean to you at the time, and what does it mean to you now?
FR was my big breakthrough, and I will always be grateful for it. Although I'd done many guest star spots on series (including a recurring part on Mork & Mindy), plus several TV movies and mini-series, there was nothing like having a series on a major network, back when there were only 3, to give you a platform with the public!

I felt so lucky to be working with major pros that I had grown up watching - Barbara Rush, Stella Stevens, and Howard Duff - and that was the show that seemed to make the general public much more aware of me.

Although I was not meant to be the star, it afforded me the opportunity to score with the public. It was based on a Joan Crawford movie, and I was NOT the Joan Crawford part. My only reason to be there was to come between the two star-crossed lovers. But he was married to me! I only had 8 scenes, I think, in the 2-hour pilot, but I ad-libbed a lot and made her funny. People didn't realize they liked to watch Constance because she was a funny bitch!

You’ve guest starred on pretty much everything, including Friends, Two and a Half Men, and Murphy Brown (the last of which earned you an Emmy Nomination). Do you have a favorite character from your shorter appearances?
There were a few shows that I guest-starred on that I treasure. I treasure every moment of working with Robin Williams on Mork and Mindy that first year, and just sharing a stage with the legendary Bob Newhart was exciting. Friends was not a major hit when I first guested on it, but I thought the show had potential. Boy, was I right!! I loved Nora Bing! And Murphy Brown brought me an Emmy nomination, for which I have always been grateful. And of course, getting to play Fonzie's new girlfriend at the top of the Happy Days phenomenon was amazing! I always remember how kind and fun Henry was to a new kid in town.

**Left:**
Skirt styled as a top and floral corset by MAISON DE HOE
Broken moth wings earrings by ANCIENT FUTURE
**Right:**
Asymmetrical floral skirt by *VUNGOC&SON*
White button-down shirt by Balmain
Silk scarf styled as a belt by Max Mara
Dramatic satin cape by Diana Caramaci
Statement necklace by Elisheva & Constance

Apart from your television appearances, your stage work has earned major acclaim, including Geniuses being named one of the top plays of the year by Time and The New York Times. What draws you back to the theater time and time again?
I started in the theater when I was 10, so I will always be a theater gypsy at heart. I love the immediacy of the stage, and the rehearsal process is one of my favorite things. I relish doing comedy, and there is always the rush of hearing an audience laugh (or not!!) I loved doing Geniuses at Playwrights Horizons, and when Gloria Steinem came to see it, I told her it was 20 years of women's lib in 3 acts! I also loved touring with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Graduate. I try to get back to the theater as often as possible, as long as I am ambulatory and can still remember lines! Fortunately, I have a few good theaters that look for things for me.

Do you have a dream stage role that you haven’t yet had the chance to take on?
I've always wanted to play Eleanor of Aquitaine in Lion in Winter. I'm old enough now!! LOL!

Through a variety of your roles, you've helped to define the “glamorous yet ambitious woman” on television. How has your own relationship with that archetype evolved over the years?
I always thought I'd end up playing ingénues, given my pointy-nosed, WASPY look, but I've found it much more fun and gratifying to play the "Bad Girl". I love the old style glamour of the movies I grew up watching, so it's been great fun trying to uphold that bit of Hollywood. I've been fortunate to work with a few of the ladies I admired - Bette Davis, Natalie Wood, etc. - and have known a few more of them. They inspired me as a girl, and I hope I've had some influence on some little girl out there to have fun and be larger than life!

Super Looks, your book, lets readers in on some of your beauty and wellness secrets. How has your beauty and wellness philosophy shifted over time?
When I wrote Super Looks, I had no idea that 40 years later I would still have women coming up to me in airports and restaurants to tell me how they loved the beauty tips - and how they still use them!! I tried to write it as if you just happened to have a cousin in showbiz who shared tips with you. Each chapter started with a story of some event that went wrong for me, like the time they accidentally turned my hair red just before I started shooting The Seduction. I tried to let ladies know that just because you live in Hollywood, it ain't all sunglasses and autographs.

My philosophy on health and beauty has remained about the same. Healthy eating, exercise, lots of water, and then slap on the goo! Obviously, as you age, you actually need to be even more steadfast in sticking to the healthy parts, and slather on the creams and serums. I paint out more dents and wrinkles now, too! It's all TRICKS! LOL It's also great to hit that age where you just don't give a damn what people think!

**Left:**
Asymmetrical floral skirt by VUNGOC&SON
White button-down shirt by Balmain
Silk scarf styled as a belt by Max Mara
Dramatic satin cape by Diana Caramaci
Statement necklace by Elisheva & Constance
**Right:**
Velvet loose-fit dress with embroidered sequin flowers by VUNGOC&SON
Broken moth wings ring by ANCIENT FUTURE
Leather belt by SAINT LAURENT

As a woman, how has it felt for you to be so strongly praised for your looks? Do you feel that your acting abilities and intelligence have been overlooked in any way as a result?Yes, the way I look seems to have often distracted people and caused them to underestimate my acting ability. Often, about 3 days into a new movie, the director or someone will come over and whisper, "You're really good! I had no idea!" Oh joy! And, of course, they assume you are an idiot if you're a blonde actress. I actually have a genius IQ and have odd hobbies, like emerging viruses and epidemiology. That's how I ended up working with Dr. Fauci through the '80s and '90s on AIDS. It's why I try to update folks about Covid and the dangers of Long Covid on my social media sites.

I'm used to being underestimated by now, and sometimes...it actually works to my advantage.

You use your platform to speak out on important issues such as AIDS, the pro-choice movement, and environmentalism. Is there anything in particular that spurred your passion for these causes?
I wanted to be a doctor or a paleontologist when I was a kid. My love of science is the basis of most of the causes I've embraced over the years. AIDS, because I realized that my odd hobby meant I was the only famous face that could go on Nightline and explain what a retrovirus is and how you do and don't catch it (in 1985). It meant that I grew to see my job as taking the hits for all the fear and anger of that time to make it safe for others to talk about it, too.

Al Gore and I were the first two people in DC talking about Global Warming when he was still a senator. I testified before a Senate committee on desert preservation (to turn Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Mojave into national parks), and used that appearance as an excuse to explain the concept of Global Warming to the senators, as well as the likely consequences if we didn't address it...in 1987.

I have always been pro-choice, and was told at one point in the '80s that if Joanne Woodward or I weren't available, some pro-choice groups would have no speaker for their events. It was that controversial, even back then. I remember the days when we would get up at 4 am to find out which clinic Operation Rescue was hitting, and then race over to form human chains to get women into the clinic. I don't want to go back to how things were when I was a teenager.

How do you hope to see Hollywood use its voice in today's landscape?
I hope folks in Hollywood will continue to use our platform to stand up for freedoms and rights for all. These are perilous times, and we need to unite to make all our voices heard. I lost a lot of work in the '80s because I stood up on AIDS and Choice. But it was the best thing I ever did with my life. I will go to my grave feeling that I helped save lives. And that is better than an Emmy anytime.

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Morgan Fairchild
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer: Mike Ruiz
Fashion Stylist: Petrov Petar
Hair: Frank Galasso
Makeup: Gilbert Soliz
Photography Assistants: Ozzie Gutierrez, River Chad
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Logan Dutra, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Location: Hype Studios, SPECIAL THANKS TO HYPE STUDIOS