Alana Hamilton


About

Birth Place
San Diego, California, USA
Born
May 18, 1945

Biography

Better known for her marriage to rock star Rod Stewart and close friendship with Farrah Fawcett than for her movies, actress and former model Alana Stewart received her start in low-budget features like "Evel Knievel" (1971) and Roger Corman's "Night Call Nurses" (1972). Though she touched upon more esteemed material with small parts in "Funny Lady" (1975), Stewart became more famous for...

Filmography

The Ravagers (1979)

Biography

Better known for her marriage to rock star Rod Stewart and close friendship with Farrah Fawcett than for her movies, actress and former model Alana Stewart received her start in low-budget features like "Evel Knievel" (1971) and Roger Corman's "Night Call Nurses" (1972). Though she touched upon more esteemed material with small parts in "Funny Lady" (1975), Stewart became more famous for her marriages to first husband, George Hamilton, and second husband Rod Stewart. Following her high-profile divorce from Rod, whom she discovered was having an affair, Stewart fell off the radar following a turn in "Swing Shift" (1984), only to re-emerge as an advocate against breast implants after being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr. Meanwhile, she professionally reunited with Hamilton for the short-lived talk show "George & Alana" (1995-96), and later contended with her children's highly publicized marriages, arrests and battles with substance abuse. In 2006, she was shocked to learn that best friend Farrah Fawcett was diagnosed with cancer. Stewart was enlisted to follow Fawcett with a camera, which resulted in the documentary "Farrah's Story" (NBC, 2009), which was widely criticized for being overly maudlin while seeking to capitalize on her friend's illness. Regardless of her travails, Stewart remained a highly visible figure able to overcome just about any adversity.

Born on May 18, 1945 in San Diego, CA, Stewart was raised in a poor section of Nacogdoches, TX, and later graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston. After briefly attending the University of Texas, Stewart headed to New York City and signed with the prestigious Ford Models agency, leading to frequent trips to Los Angeles in order to make commercial and television appearances. She made her feature debut in "Evel Knievel" (1971), which starred first husband George Hamilton as the titular motorcycle daredevil. The pair married in 1972, had son Ashley two years later. Meanwhile, Stewart - who at the time was billed as Alana Hamilton - starred in Roger Corman's rather silly, ultra-low budget sex comedy "Night Call Nurses" (1972). The following year, she appeared alongside her husband in "Medusa" (1973), a rather poorly received supernatural thriller, before landing a smaller part in the Oscar-nominated, Depression-era musical "Funny Lady" (1975), starring Barbra Streisand and James Caan. That same year, her she and Hamilton divorced, but would remain close friends.

From there, Stewart fell away from making features and instead landed sporadic television appearances with guest spots on popular series like "The Bionic Woman" (ABC/NBC, 1976-78), "The Love Boat" (ABC, 1977-1986) and "Fantasy Island" (ABC, 1978-1984). At the time, the actress met and started dating rock singer, Rod Stewart, which resulted in a high-profile courtship that included a gushy People magazine article in which she confessed that her relationship with the rocker was her most fulfilling yet. Often photographed on the town together, Stewart and Rod were regulars at Studio 54 in New York City and eventually married in 1979, while having two children, Kimberly and Sean. With her husband supportive of her acting career, Stewart returned to performing after some time off to appear in episodes of "Hart to Hart" (ABC, 1979-1984) and the short-lived espionage drama "Masquerade" (ABC, 1983-84). But just as life was looking up, Stewart had what she called a rude awakening when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with model Kelly Emberg. Stewart later admitted she had always been quite certain that the rock star had been faithful, which made the revelation all the more painful. The couple divorced in 1984.

The divorce appeared to invigorate Stewart's focus on her career and she appeared in the sex comedy "Where the Boys Are '84," a remake of the 1960s film that was widely panned by critics. She followed up with a small role in a much higher-profile feature, "Swing Shift" (1984), an award-winning drama starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, about women who took factory jobs while men went off to fight World War II. Though she had a small role in the made-for-TV movie "Small Sacrifices" (ABC, 1989), starring her close friend Farrah Fawcett, Stewart remained largely away from the cameras from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. During this time, Stewart discovered that she was suffering from the Epstein-Barr virus, which she attributed to receiving breast implants during her marriage to Rod Stewart. For years prior to her diagnosis, Stewart suffered from fatigue and attributed her symptoms to some form of chronic problem. Once diagnosed, however, she spoke publicly about the disease and advocated against breast implants.

Returning to the small screen, Stewart reunited with first husband, George Hamilton, at least professionally, when the pair served as co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show, "George & Alana" (1995-96). The show barely registered with viewers and was canceled after only one season. As her children left adolescence and entered adulthood, Stewart saw them descend into ill-fated marriages and substance abuse problems. In fact, she further bonded with Fawcett as both supported each other as the parents of children who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Fawcett's only son, Redmond, had battled drug addiction and was in and out of jail in his early 20s, while Stewart's 19-year-old son Ashley made news for his five-month marriage to actress Shannen Doherty in 1993-94 and alcohol issues. Meanwhile, daughter Kimberly ran with the likes of hard-partying socialites like Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kelly Osbourne and Bijou Phillips, while being romantically linked to Jack Osbourne. But of all Stewart's children, son Sean received more than his share of negative publicity. In 2007, he was sued by Daniel Refoua, who claimed he was beat up by Stewart's son in a Hollywood nightclub. Prior to that, Sean was charged with four felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon, for being part of a violent attack outside a Hollywood Hills party.

Reality television beckoned Stewart back in 2003 when she appeared on "The Hollywood Squares" (GSN, 1998-2004) and the British version of "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" (ITV, 2003). Appearing alongside Bruce Jenner, Tyson Beckford and Cris Judd, Stewart outlasted only Robin Leach, who was the first contestant asked to leave. A few years later, her life took a dramatic turn when Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in the fall of 2006. Stewart began accompanying her friend to Germany for alternative cancer treatments unavailable in the States and, at the behest of Fawcett, recorded her struggle with the disease on video. As Fawcett's condition worsened, longtime companion, actor Ryan O'Neal, reportedly took over her affairs and Stewart took control of the project, which became mired in a legal entanglement with a former producer. Eventually "Farrah's Story" (NBC, 2009) aired a month before the actress' death in June. Called ghoulish and voyeuristic, the documentary was criticized as maudlin and opportunistic, thanks in part to the excruciating deathbed scene where Fawcett says goodbye to her handcuffed son, Redmond. Though dubbed tasteless by some and brave by others, the documentary earned significant ratings and an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Special. Stewart followed up with her book, My Journey with Farrah: A Story of Life, Love and Friendship, which was published later that year.

By Virginia Pelley

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

The Ravagers (1979)

Life Events

Bibliography