The Tragic Story of Jessica Lange, Who Chose to Never Marry Again

Jessica Lange, renowned for her performances in popular films such as Tootsie, King Kong, and American Horror Story, has faced numerous challenges in her personal life. Despite her success in the entertainment industry, Lange’s romantic journey has been marked by difficulty. At the young age of 21, she entered into matrimony with a photographer, only to later divorce him after a few years. Since then, the talented actress has chosen not to remarry.
Born on April 20, 1949, in Minnesota, Jessica Phyllis Lange hails from a diverse heritage. Her ancestry includes German, Dutch, and Finnish roots. Growing up, Jessica was part of a family of six, which consisted of her two older sisters, Jane and Ann, as well as her younger brother, George. Her father held the professions of both a teacher and a traveling salesman, while her mother dedicated herself to homemaking. Due to her father’s line of work, the Lange family frequently relocated, constantly moving from one city to another.

In 1967, Jessica was granted a scholarship to pursue her studies in art and photography at the University of Minnesota. It was during her time there that she encountered Paco Grande, a talented Spanish photographer, whom she eventually married in 1970. Following this, Lange made the decision to leave her college education behind in favor of a more unconventional and free-spirited lifestyle. Alongside Paco, she embarked on an adventurous expedition across the United States and Mexico in a microbus, fully embracing a nomadic way of life.

The beginning of her career in films


The couple’s daring and exciting life ultimately brought them to Paris, but as they established themselves there, their relationship started to deteriorate. During their time in the City of Light, Lange uncovered her love for mime theater and ventured into the realm of modeling. Her professional journey took a momentous turn when she caught the attention of Hollywood producer Dino De Laurentiis, which led to her debut in the 1976 remake of King Kong. In the film, she portrayed the classic damsel-in-distress character. Despite the movie’s success, her performance faced criticism from reviewers, resulting in a two-year struggle to secure another acting opportunity.
However, this obstacle proved to be just a minor setback in her professional journey. In 1982, Jessica Lange created a milestone by receiving Academy Award nods for Best Actress (Frances) and Best Supporting Actress (Tootsie). This remarkable feat had not been accomplished in more than forty years. Throughout her illustrious career, she has garnered two Oscars, three Emmys, a Tony Award, and five Golden Globes.

Her relationships never worked out.

Jessica Lange had a number of relationships in her personal life. She was married to photographer Francisco “Paco” Grande from 1970 to 1982, with the divorce being finalized in the early 1980s and involving undisclosed alimony payments. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Lange was romantically linked with the famous Latvian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. They welcomed their first child, Aleksandra Lange “Shura” Baryshnikov, in 1981.
1. In 1982, Lange began a romantic involvement with playwright Sam Shepard. Together, they welcomed two children: Hannah Jane Shepard and Samuel Walker Shepard. Throughout their relationship, they resided in different places such as Virginia, New Mexico, Minnesota, and New York City, until their separation in 2009.
She never married after her divorce.

Jessica Lange and Sam Shepherd were in a relationship for 27 years, yet they never tied the knot. Jessica mentioned that Sam was not very laid-back. Loyalty was also a problem for the couple, as both of them had been unfaithful to their previous partners. Sam confessed that he felt remorse for leaving his wife and child for Jessica. Jessica has openly discussed her ongoing struggles with severe depression, attributing her creativity to the well of emotions such as anguish, rage, and sadness that she experiences.
She has chosen to not let the negatives pull her down.


Following the birth of her children, her focus shifted entirely to them. She feels that they have provided her with a fresh outlook on life. “Every decision I make is made with my children in consideration. Being a mother is the most fulfilling role I have ever had,” she shares.
In spite of facing her own obstacles, Lange has dedicated herself to various charitable endeavors. She is actively involved as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Moreover, in the early 1990s, she took in a child with special needs from Romania, showcasing her dedication to humanitarian efforts.

Jessica Lange continues to be an influential figure in the industry, consistently voicing her concerns about the gender bias prevalent in Hollywood. Recently, she showcased her remarkable talent in the movie Marlowe, marking another significant milestone in her career. Similarly, Kathy Bates, her co-star from American Horror Story, continues to captivate audiences

My In-Laws Refused to Come for Thanksgiving but Sent Us a ‘Gift’ – When My Husband Opened It, He Screamed, ‘We Have to Drive to Their Home Now!’

My husband and I had an incredible bond with his parents, to the point of seeing them as close friends. But after we discovered we were pregnant, my in-laws started pulling away before we could share the good news, only for us to find out they had been hiding something shocking!

My husband, Ethan, and I have always had an amazing relationship with his parents, Linda and Rick. But when they started acting distant and weird, we ended up driving unannounced to their home to confront them!

An upset couple driving | Source: Midjourney

An upset couple driving | Source: Midjourney

See, my 45-year-old mother-in-law (MIL) and 47-year-old father-in-law (FIL) are the kind of in-laws everyone dreams about. They’re young enough to be fun and adventurous but still undeniably “parent-y” when it counts. Linda had Ethan when she was just seventeen, and Rick wasn’t much older.

They’re an inspirational couple who have the perfect balance of energy and wisdom and are more like friends than your typical in-laws. Lately, though, they’ve been acting… different.

An older couple | Source: Midjourney

An older couple | Source: Midjourney

It started a few months ago when Ethan’s father began dodging his calls with bizarre excuses, like saying he was busy “working on the attic” when they lived in a single-story house or fixing the porch when they didn’t have one.

The calls were always strained and abruptly cut off from my FIL’s end. Linda, who typically bombarded me with memes and baking recipes, suddenly went silent. When I did reach out, her responses were curt, emoji-laden replies that made no sense.

An older woman texting | Source: Midjourney

An older woman texting | Source: Midjourney

Once, when I asked if they’d watched a particular movie, she replied by sending me a spaghetti emoji! Ethan brushed it off as her being “quirky” though I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

But the first obvious red flag had to do with their guest room, which Rick was quite protective about. We visited them last month and for the first time, the room’s door was locked! When Ethan jokingly threatened to pick the lock, Linda’s sharp “Don’t you dare!” left us both stunned.

An upset older woman shouting | Source: Midjourney

An upset older woman shouting | Source: Midjourney

Awkward is an understatement for how the rest of that visit went! The warmth and humor they usually radiated had been replaced by a tension we didn’t understand.

The second red flag had to do with the Thanksgiving holiday, which we hoped would bring us back together. We’d been planning to host the holiday for weeks and were eager to share some life-changing news with them: we were expecting our first child! We even bought a tiny, adorable onesie that said “Grandma & Grandpa’s Little Turkey” to make the announcement extra special!

A baby's onesie | Source: Midjourney

A baby’s onesie | Source: Midjourney

But a week before the holiday, Linda called and said they wouldn’t make it. “We have something going on,” she said vaguely.

Ethan pressed for details, but all she gave him was a frustrated, “You wouldn’t understand.”

My husband was furious. “Something’s going on with them,” he said, pacing the kitchen that evening. “They’re hiding something. Why can’t they just talk to us?”

He even threatened to drive over and confront them, but I convinced him to let it go. I figured everyone deserved their privacy. But their absence hurt more than I expected.

An upset man | Source: Midjourney

An upset man | Source: Midjourney

Thanksgiving morning came, and instead of a bustling house filled with family, it was just Ethan and me because I wasn’t close with my parents or my side of the family. We made the best of it, but the elephant in the room, his parents’ unexplained absence, was impossible to ignore.

The holiday felt lonely without them there, but around 3 p.m., the doorbell rang. A delivery man presented us with a medium-sized package addressed to Ethan.

A man holding a box | Source: Midjourney

A man holding a box | Source: Midjourney

After signing for the “gift,” we noticed a note taped to the top that read: “We’re so sorry we couldn’t be there. Please open this together. Love, Mom & Dad.”

My husband carried the box inside, and I set up my phone to record our reaction, thinking it might be a heartfelt gesture, like a photo album or one of Linda’s famous quilts.

Ethan tore into the package, pulling out a plain cardboard box. Inside, nestled among layers of tissue paper, was something I couldn’t see. It took him a moment to register what he was looking at. Then his face drained of color, and he let out a guttural scream!

A man screaming | Source: Midjourney

A man screaming | Source: Midjourney

“We have to go. Now!”

“What? What’s wrong?” I asked, my heart racing.

Ethan didn’t answer. He grabbed his keys, slipped on his sneakers, and motioned for me to follow. “Get in the car. We have to drive to my parents’ house now!”

“Ethan, you’re scaring me. What was in the box?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. We need to hear this from my parents,” he muttered as he buckled his seatbelt. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white!

An upset man driving | Source: Midjourney

An upset man driving | Source: Midjourney

The five-hour drive to his parents’ house was agonizing. Ethan wouldn’t say a word, leaving my imagination to run wild! Was someone sick? Hurt? Was this their way of calling for help? Or did they have a fallout they didn’t mention? Or maybe they were in danger?!

By the time we pulled into their driveway, my nerves were shot! I was partially convinced that the FBI would be waiting inside! I was about to knock when Ethan threw the door open! Linda and Rick, startled by our sudden arrival, jumped to their feet!

A shocked older couple | Source: Midjourney

A shocked older couple | Source: Midjourney

Ethan got straight to the point, holding up the box and taking out a pregnancy test. “What. Is. This?”

My FIL’s face turned ashen, and Linda’s cheeks flushed deep red. She looked at me, then back at Ethan, and finally stammered out, “I—I was going to call.”

“Call?!” Ethan’s voice was incredulous with hurt. “You thought sending this was a better idea than just telling us?!”

My MIL wrung her hands nervously. “I didn’t know how to say it.”

“Say what?” I interjected, my voice trembling.

Linda took a deep breath, her eyes welling with tears. “I’m pregnant.”

Silence. Complete, deafening silence.

A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney

A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney

I blinked at her, sure I’d misheard. “You’re…what?”

Rick cleared his throat, his voice thick with emotion.

“It’s true. We didn’t think it was possible. I mean, I had a vasectomy years ago.”

He laughed nervously. “Guess it wasn’t as foolproof as we thought.”

“We were so overwhelmed by this news and trying to figure out how to break it to you that we panicked and chose to avoid you instead,” Rick explained.

An older man | Source: Midjourney

An older man | Source: Midjourney

“We skipped Thanksgiving because we hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy beforehand and didn’t want to suddenly arrive with a pregnant belly! We thought the test was the way to tell you the news,” Linda continued.

The cryptic messages. The avoidance. Suddenly, it all made sense! At their age, a baby wasn’t just unexpected, it was unimaginable!

“You couldn’t have just told us?” Ethan asked, his voice softer now. “We would’ve understood.”

Linda’s face crumpled.

A sad older woman | Source: Midjourney

A sad older woman | Source: Midjourney

“We didn’t know how you’d react. I mean, this is insane, right? We’re about to be new parents again! How could we explain that?”

My husband’s expression softened, and he let out a shaky laugh.

“Yeah, it’s insane that I’m going to be a big brother to someone. But it’s not something you needed to hide.”

Finally, my husband and I looked at each other and started laughing before I reached into my bag, pulling out the onesie we’d planned to give them. Luckily, I hadn’t taken it out of my bag since we bought it, so I handed it to Linda.

“Congratulations, Grandma and Grandpa. You guys are going to be grandparents and parents at the same time!”

A woman handing over a onesie to someone | Source: Midjourney

A woman handing over a onesie to someone | Source: Midjourney

My MIL stared at the onesie for a moment before bursting into tears. “You’re pregnant?”

I nodded, tears springing to my own eyes. “Looks like this family’s about to get a lot bigger!”

Rick enveloped Ethan in a bear hug, while Linda pulled me into hers! The weight of the past few months seemed to lift at that moment, replaced by something lighter: joy, relief, and maybe even a little humor at the absurdity of it all.

Two men hugging | Source: Midjourney

Two men hugging | Source: Midjourney

The rest of the night was a blur of laughter and celebration. Linda showed us the guest room, which they converted into a nursery filled with baby clothes and a crib. That’s why they kept it locked.

Rick pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider, and we toasted to the wildest Thanksgiving any of us had ever had! Ethan and I promised we’d work with them to help navigate this next chapter, and they swore to stop keeping secrets from us. As we sat around the table, pie crumbs scattered across our plates, Linda reached for my hand.

A couple having Thanksgiving dinner | Source: Midjourney

A couple having Thanksgiving dinner | Source: Midjourney

“I’m sorry we’ve been so distant. I was so scared of what you’d think, but I should’ve trusted you,” she said.

I squeezed her hand. “We’re family. That’s what we’re here for.”

Ethan leaned back in his chair, a wide grin on his face. “So, Mom, what do you think about a joint baby shower?”

Linda laughed, wiping away the last of her tears. “Only if you let me bring the spaghetti emoji cake!”

We all erupted into laughter, the kind that leaves your cheeks sore and your heart full. Thanksgiving hadn’t gone as planned, but in its own chaotic way, it had brought us closer than ever.

Two couples enjoying a meal | Source: Midjourney

Two couples enjoying a meal | Source: Midjourney

If you enjoyed that story, then you’ll love this one about a couple who were thrilled when they discovered they were pregnant, only for the woman’s MIL to steal their thunder by announcing the news to the family. Tired of being bullied, the daughter-in-law sought revenge to teach her a lesson.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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