Legendary actress Sally Kirkland has enjoyed an acclaimed Hollywood career spanning decades and a record of success that will forever remember her name as one of the industry greats.
Some might attribute her success to sheer talent, while others, more cynical, would say it was a combination of looks and a bit of luck – but now, in a very candid interview with , Kirkland herself has uncovered the truth about how what really sparked her Hollywood career: her “obsession” with legendary singer Bob Dylan.
It’s a story that could well have been written for the big screen: a doe-eyed waitress with a crush on a music legend follows him into the bright lights of Tinseltown, only to find her own fame and fortune – before finally finding it Man lands her dreams.
Their relationship would eventually blossom into the biggest and most passionate romance of Kirkland’s life – a lifelong love the Anna star openly admits she still cherishes to this day.
“I was obsessed, oh god yeah.” “He’s the reason I’m single and he’s definitely the love of my life,” Kirkland revealed.
The two met over 60 years ago when Kirkland was an aspiring model waiting in New York City and rising as a member of Andy Warhol’s The Factory and an active part of New York’s avant-garde theatre.
“I fell in love with him when I saw him on stage. I was 22 at the time. “I was working as a waitress at Café Figaro in New York,” she recalls.
“Bob sang with Joan Baez in venues around Greenwich Village. The two were romantically linked before he married his first wife Sara Lownds in 1965.
Iconic actress Sally Kirkland, 82, has revealed her lifelong love for legendary singer Bob Dylan (seen left with Sally and Robert De Niro in 1976), with whom she had a decade-long romance
Leggy Legend: Kirkland (seen in the 1980s) moved to LA from NYC in 1972 after learning Dylan had moved there. “I was obsessed,” she says
Accomplished Beauty: In her 80s, the Oscar-nominated actress (pictured at home recently) has appeared in over 270 films – winning a Golden Globe for Anna in 1988
Kirkland got her start as a Vogue model, thanks at least in part to her mother, also Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor for Vogue and Time.
While working as a model, she studied at The Actor’s Studio under the direction of acting coach Lee Strasburg.
She went on to appear in over 270 films and television shows, starring alongside such iconic talent as Michael Caine, Goldie Hawn, Kevin Costner, Barbra Streisand, Jeremy Renner and Robert De Niro.
When she first set her sights on Dylan — an influential troubadour whose songs like “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” and “Blowin’ In The Wind” shaped an entire music generation — she told , that she fell ‘madly in love’ with him.
His impressive catalog also included ballads written for Kirkland, including Sally Gal and Girl From the North Country, which mimicked his first words to her when they met: “You remind me of a North Country girl.”
However, Dylan didn’t know how Kirkland felt when she first met him in New York in the 1960s.
In fact, by this time he was already in love with Sara Lownds, who became his first wife in 1965 and later the mother of his four children, Jesse, Anna, Samuel and Jakob.
In 1972, Dylan relocated to Los Angeles, which was then the epicenter of the country’s musical universe — and while he may not have known it, it was a move that eventually sparked the launch of Kirkland’s own career when she made the decision to follow him.
“When Bob moved to LA in ’72, I was still living in New York City and working as a stage actress,” Kirkland recalls.
“I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to stop until I’m with him.’ So I moved too.’
The move to Tinseltown became a turning point in Kirkland’s career. Within months of arriving in LA, she was in high demand in the studios, playing over 20 film and television roles in her first three years in LA.
But while her success in front of the camera gave her a sense of accomplishment and accomplishment, and confirmed her status as a Hollywood actress, it also led her in 1976 to achieve her ultimate dream: a close personal connection with Dylan.
“Bob’s best friend was Louis Kemp and I was very good friends with Louis’ sister Sharon Kemp, who also grew up with Bob,” Kirkland tells .
Love at first sight: Kirkland says she fell “madly in love” with Dylan (pictured in New York, 1961) the first time she saw him perform in Greenwich Village, New York
Lucky Lady: Although Kirkland (with Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, 1976) had many famous men trying to win her heart, she sells
Trouble: Before she fell in love with Dylan (left), Kirkland (below) briefly dated De Niro (right) and said the two men were the “best kissers” she ever had
“Sharon said to me, ‘If you make me your manager, I’ll set you up with Bob.’ So obviously I did it.’
Their worlds collided at the perfect time; Kirkland had just divorced her first husband, Michael, whom she married in 1974.
Meanwhile, Dylan’s marriage to Sara began to crumble; his 1975 album Blood on the Tracks chronicles the decline of his association with Sara.
“When I was just getting divorced from my husband Michael and he was legally separated from Sara, I used to send Bob the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness newspaper,” says Kirkland, who is now an ordained minister for the movement.
They often discussed spirituality, focusing on such subjects and the transcendence of the soul and what they believed to be its higher purpose.
“I believe in life after life. “I think I’ve spent five lifetimes with Bob,” Kirkland tells . “I told Bob that once and he agreed.”
However, Dylan wasn’t ready to include her in his love life just yet.
“I didn’t get romantic with Bob until I was 30. Once we started dating I was finally able to tell him what I had been waiting for since I was 22 and how I felt about him.’
According to Kirkland, Dylan was “enchanted” by her admission.
Over the next 20 years, Kirkland and Dylan had an on-and-off relationship, which she says was partly due to their hectic schedules.
“We got together in the late ’70s, had another affair in the mid-’80s, and then another in the ’90s.”
From 1980 through 2000, Kirkland appeared in over 75 films and shows, often as a lead actor. She produced 38 of those projects, which was a rarity for a woman at the time.
In 1988, Kirkland’s world changed forever when she hit the A-list with Anna, a film that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, beating out Glenn Close and her longtime friend Barbra Streisand.
Aside from their shared love of art, Kirkland says she learned a lot from Dylan.
Red carpet queen: Kirkland (pictured at the Oscars when she was nominated for ‘Anna’ in 1988) tells she “has no regrets” about her amazing career.
Winner: Kirkland (with her 1988 Golden Globe Award) fell in love with Dylan in the mid-’80s
“He’s the biggest inspiration of my life.” He was a workaholic like me, but Bob was always there for the little guy. That was one of his most admirable qualities.”
Kirkland’s immense success in the entertainment industry was a double-edged sword.
“I’ve been acting in films and television since 1961. So that’s 62 years.” I never had to leave it. I never had to do anything else. I’ve never had to wait for a job. Always back to back. I’m a very happy girl.’
She adds, “I have no regrets about my career.” “I’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible.”
“My only real regret is not having a baby,” says Kirkland.
“I’ve tried having a kid with Bob a couple of times, but it just wasn’t meant to be.” I would have loved to have been a stage mom. I never had the chance.’
Over two decades have passed since Kirkland met Dylan in person.
“I haven’t seen Bob in many years and haven’t spoken to him in a very long time. I miss him very, very much.’
Before speaking to , she said she was “looking at old Bob Dylan concert footage on YouTube and reminiscing.”
In a 1992 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kirkland said that no one in her life had ever been able to hold a candle to Dylan.
Kirkland says Dylan (2019 in London) is the “biggest inspiration in my life”. She tells : “I miss him very much.”
“It was hard to follow Bob,” she told the outlet.
Kirkland also says that Dylan is “one of the top two kissers of my entire life” — the other being Robert De Niro, whom Kirkland also calls “Bob.”
She reflected on their brief love affair, which she rarely talks about.
‘[Robert] “I got up on the sixth floor in the Upper East ’70s next to the plumbing department, where I shared an apartment with actress Susan Tyrell,” she recalls.
“Before he came to me, she told me that she only dated black guys, so she asked me if I could date him so she didn’t have to. I told her, “Sure.”
“He brought flowers for her, but he gave them to me instead.” He was so shy that he didn’t talk for a long time, so I had to do all the talking. “I was incredibly talkative on our first date.”
“He took me to see his film, which was in theaters at the time. I remember telling him that he would be the next Marlon Brando. “He just looked at his shoes and shook his head.”
“But I was scared of falling in love with De Niro. “He was the great raging bull but always so sweet to me.”
Although famous men have tried to steal her heart over the years, her love affairs have never stood in the way of her greatest passion, acting.
In the past year alone, Kirkland has appeared in ten major films, including 80 for Brady, a film produced by NFL star Tom Brady, who Kirkland says is “so handsome.”
“If I were young, I would immediately be with Tom,” she laughs.
Kirkland’s latest film, Bobcat Moretti, starring Vivica A. Fox, premiered August 5