Who is Victoria Tennant? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Kirk Stambler (m. 1996), Matthew Chapman (m. 1978 – div. 1982), Peppo Vanini (m. 1969 – div. 1976), Steve Martin (m.1986 – div. 1994)

father: Cecil Tennant

mother: Irina Baronova

siblings: Irina Tennant, Robert Tennant

children: Katya Irinia Stambler

Actresses British Women

Height: 5'5" (165 cm), 5'5" Females

City: London, England

Notable Alumni: Elmhurst Ballet School, Central School Of Speech And Drama

More Facts

education: Central School Of Speech And Drama, Elmhurst Ballet School

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Career

Victoria Tennant has done considerable work in the theatre. She has appeared in Santa Barbara Theatre Company's production of John Patrick Shanley’s play ‘Doubt’, for which she earned the Santa Barbara Independent's Indie award; the Canon Theatre and the Napa Valley Opera House’s productions of Eve Ensler’s ‘The Vagina Monologues’; LA Theatre Works’ production of George Bernard Shaw’s ‘The Misalliance’; Steppenwolf in Chicago’s production of A. R. Gurney’s ‘Love Letters’; Circle-in-the-Square’s Broadway production of Shaw’s ‘Getting Married’; and Westport Playhouse’s production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.

After making her film debut in ‘The Ragman's Daughter’ in 1972, Tennant appeared as a dinner party guest in ‘The Dogs of War’ (1980). In 1981, she starred in the British-Hong Kong horror film ‘Inseminoid’ and in her first American film, ‘Sphinx’. She subsequently played Helen Curtiss in the French telefilm ‘La guerre des insectes’ and Annette Dorberg in the German feature film ‘Ich bin dein Killer’ (1982). She also made a guest appearance in a season five episode of Roald Dahl’s ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ in 1982.

Tennant was cast as Pamela Tudsbury in the ABC miniseries ‘The Winds of War’ (1983). Based on Herman Wouk’s book of the same name, the project earned Tennant her first Emmy nomination. She was nominated for another Emmy for its sequel, ‘War and Remembrance’, in which she reprised her role.

She worked with Matthew Chapman in his quirky-drama film ‘Strangers Kiss’ (1983), playing Carol Redding, a 1950s B-movie actress. She shared screen space with Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Aidan Quinn, and Elizabeth McGovern in Volker Schlöndorff’s 1990 film ‘The Handmaid's Tale’. Based on a novel by Margaret Atwood, the film’s screenplay was written by Harold Pinter. She worked with her husband Steve Martin in films like ‘All of Me’ (1984) and ‘L.A. Story’ (1991). In 1994, she played the recurring role of Anita Hargraves in the Australian drama series ‘Snowy River: The McGregor Saga’. She lent her voice to Beatrice in the 2010 direct-to-video animated film ‘Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic’. In recent years, she has portrayed Elizabeth Utley in the comedy-drama ‘Cold Turkey’ (2013), Lydia Thorsby in the drama film ‘Louder Than Words’, and Barbara in the romantic-comedy ‘Alex & The List’ (2018).

In 2014, Tennant put out ‘Irina Baronova and The Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo’, a memoir about her mother, through the University of Chicago Press.

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Family & Personal Life

Born on September 30, 1950, in London, England, Victoria is one of the three children of Russian prima ballerina Irina Baronova and English producer and talent agent Cecil Tennant. She has a brother, Robert, and a sister, Irina. Her parents had a happy, stable relationship until Cecil’s untimely death in an automobile accident in 1967. Robert and Irina also sustained serious injuries in the accident. Legendary actor Laurence Olivier was her godfather. She was also related to the silent film actress Barbara Tennant (1892-1982).

Inspired by her mother’s prolific career as a ballerina, Tennant began training in the dance form. She was a student at the Elmhurst Ballet School for eight years and later attended the Central School of Speech and Drama for two years.

Tennant has been married three times. Her first husband was entrepreneur Peppo Vanini, to whom she was married from 1969 to 1976. She then began dating writer/director Matthew Chapman in 1978. That relationship ended in 1982. Tennant became acquainted with comedian and actor Steve Martin on the set of the comedy ‘All of Me’ (1984). They exchanged wedding vows on November 20, 1986. Martin was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time and this relationship put her right under the spotlight. She dealt with the media and public attention with her characteristic elegance and uninhibited sophistication. The couple divorced in 1994. She is currently married to lawyer, actor, and producer Kirk Stambler. After tying the knot with him on March 4, 1996, she has given birth to their daughter, Katya Irinia, and son, Nikolai.

Victoria Tennant Biography