Jackie Collins Biography

A mistress of Hollywood intrigue who makes her fortune from the lives and loves of the rich and famous, the late director Louis Malle described her as a “raunchy moralist”. Staple stock of airport lounges, her books have sold over 400 million copies in more than 40 countries.

Jackie’s experiments in writing began at eight and, as a teenager, her sexy stories were devoured by her classmates. With her sister Joan, Jackie grew up around the entertainment business and their father, a theatre booking agent, hoped both girls would enter the theatre. In 1959, she married Wallace Austin, then divorced him four years later, and married Oscar Lerman.

As Joan started to make headway in Hollywood, Jackie moved to Los Angeles to pursue her talent for popular fiction with her first book, 'The World is Full of Married Men' (1968). Its honesty and open sexuality shocked polite society and the book was banned in Australia. The combination of her talent and the scandal made her an overnight success

'Stud' (1969) and its sequel 'Bitch' (1979) were set in the bars and clubs of London, though most of her work is inspired by the glamour and debauchery of Californian high-life. From her photographs, Jackie clearly revels in her “Queen of Trash Lit” image, yet insists her fiction always maintains a good moral standard.

Jackie lives in Los Angeles. Her hobbies are photography, soul music, and exploring exotic locations so she can write about them later.