Whatever Happened to Linda Evans?
What To Know
- Linda Evans, best known for her Golden Globe-winning role as Krystle Carrington on Dynasty, had a successful television career that began in the 1960s with The Big Valley.
- After Dynasty ended, Evans largely stepped away from Hollywood, focusing on personal passions like cooking, writing a memoir, and making occasional television appearances, including winning the British Hell’s Kitchen in 2009.
- Her personal life included high-profile relationships and marriages, and in recent years she has returned to acting with roles in independent films while enjoying a quieter life in the Pacific Northwest.
For many viewers, Linda Evans, who turns 83 on November 18, 2025, will forever be remembered as Krystle Carrington on Dynasty. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe and a devoted fan base that still remembers her as one of the most elegant leading ladies on television. However, the blonde icon already had a long history in TV before she teamed up with John Forsythe and became a Carrington, including time in the ’60s starring as Audra Barkley on The Big Valley. In the decades since Dynasty, Evans as largely stepped back from Hollywood, though she does still sometimes act — and she’s discovered a passion for cooking.
What did Linda Evans do after Dynasty?
After Dynasty wrapped in 1989, Evans stepped back from Hollywood and focused on building a quieter life. She returned briefly for Dynasty: The Reunion in 1991, then appeared only occasionally on TV.
But in her years away from the screen, she’s been focused on food. She published her memoir, Recipes for Life: My Memories, in 2011, blending stories from her career with recipes tied to meaningful moments in her life. In interviews, she shared that cooking had become a grounding passion, and she had long enjoyed hosting friends and family. Evans also gained attention in 2009 when she competed on the British version of Hell’s Kitchen, where she surprised viewers by winning the season under chef Marco Pierre White.
Aaron Spelling Prod./Everett Collection
Her personal life was often just as eventful as her onscreen work. In her late teens, Evans became engaged to Patrick Curtis, who later worked as a press agent and married Raquel Welch. She eventually married actor and filmmaker John Derek in 1968; however, their marriage ended on Christmas Day in 1973 when Derek revealed his relationship with 17-year-old Mary Cathleen Collins, who later became known to the world as Bo Derek.
Evans married again in 1975, to realtor and property executive Stan Herman, a union that lasted until 1979. After that, she lived with restaurant owner George Santo Pietro from 1980 to 1984 and dated Lee Majors for a brief period following her second divorce. In 1989, she began a long-term relationship with musician Yanni, which continued until 1998. Today, she is not known to be in a romantic relationship.
She also made headlines for appearing in Playboy twice, first in 1971 during her marriage to Derek and again in 1982 when the magazine republished the photos after her rise on Dynasty. In 2014, she was arrested for driving under the influence of a prescription drug.
What is Linda Evans doing today?
In recent years, Evans has continued to work selectively, most recently appearing in the 2021 independent drama Swan Song, starring Udo Kier. The film marked her first acting role in more than a decade, and introduced her to a new generation of viewers. She also appeared in a film called Christmas at Grey Horse Inn, which shot in 2021, but has yet to be released.
She has remained connected to her former Dynasty castmates, speaking warmly about them in interviews and occasionally participating in reunions and documentary projects about classic television. Today, Evans mainly lives a peaceful and private life in the Pacific Northwest.
Remind 
’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘80s? See what your favs are up to now!
Buy This Issue