To those of us of a certain age, Beverly D'Angelo will always be Ellen Griswald from the 'National Lampoon' series of films, and we think of her every Christmas when we watch the holiday installment of the movies. D'Angelo has been playing the character since 1983, and we may yet see her do so again. It's not a fair reflection on D'Angelo's career to focus on that one role though; she's done a great deal more.
D'Angelo kicked off the 1980s by appearing as Patsy Kline in the biopic 'Coal Miner's Daughter,' which brought her a Golden Globe nomination. She also spent the decade married to an Italian aristocrat and heir. The marriage didn't last, but we're confident it meant that she never had to worry about money again for the rest of her life. As a little-known fact, before she was an actress, she worked as an illustrator for Hanna-Barbera.