A lot of times the movies and shows we enjoy in our youth remain with us forever. From time to time, we might think about some of the actors who appeared in films or television shows we adored but are not that active in the industry anymore.
So if you ever loved ‘North and South’ and wondered what happened to the female character Madeline, played by Lesley-Anne Down, you are in luck because we know exactly what she has been up to!
Keep reading to learn more about what her life is like now!
“North and South” was a true 1980s classic. In the TV series, Lesley-Anne Down played Madeline, Patrick Swayze’s love interest—but in reality, she fell for another colleague. Here’s how the actress is living nearly 40 years after the cult series’ success.
Lesley-Anne Down, who portrayed Patrick Swayze’s girlfriend in the classic TV series North and South, began her career as a child model in her early teens.
A Career Across Decades
Her breakthrough came in the 1970s with the series Upstairs, Downstairs, where she played Georgina Worsley, a character who spent the war years in France as a nurse.
She also appeared in films like The Pink Panther Strikes Again, where she portrayed the Russian character Olga Bariosova opposite Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau. However, she is most famous for her roles in TV series and soap operas, such as Dallas, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Sunset Beach.
The Role of Madeline in North and South
Between 1985–86 and 1994, she starred in the classic series North and South, set during the American Civil War. The series depicted the lives of two families in the eastern U.S.
Down played Madeline, whom Patrick Swayze’s character Orry Main falls for. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series.
A Close Collaboration with Patrick Swayze
After Swayze’s passing in 2009, Down reflected fondly on their time working together. ““Patrick was new to the business when I met him,” says Down. “It was before Dirty Dancing and all the fame stuff, so North and South was a huge break and was really exciting for him. We had a really great time working together. We were young. He was 31 and I was 30 and it was 1985 so we behaved accordingly. We had enormous fun,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
The actress recalled how close the cast and crew became during filming and how they often went out dancing in Charleston, South Carolina.
“He was an amazing dancer, of course. And we all went out dancing, all the time. We’d finish work, get ready, and off we went. It’s kinda weird how the years just drop away and disappear and then something like this happens and you can just go back 25 years and it’s like nothing else existed,” she said.
She was deeply impressed by Swayze’s talent, noting, “From the moment I met him I knew he was going to be a star, and I told him so. He was such a humble guy. But it was what he wanted and he got it.”
Finding Love Behind the Scenes
Although they played a couple on-screen, Down fell for someone else during the production: cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy. Both were married to other people at the time but eventually divorced their partners to be together. They married in 1986, and today they live in Georgia, USA, with their son.
Personal Challenges
In 2008, Down underwent a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She shared, “I ended up having a double mastectomy because I wanted it, not because I needed it. They didn’t want me to have it, but I’m 1,000 per cent glad I did because it greatly reduced the chances of it coming back. Of course it scared me. I remember praying a lot in the middle of the night while Don was sleeping. I prayed for enough life to be given to me to see George become an adult,” Daily Mail.
Today, Lesley-Anne Down continues to live a quieter life, cherishing her family and the legacy of her roles in television history. Was this insightful for you to know where the actress is today? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to share this with other fans who might appreciate the update.
