Who is Frank Calcagnini? People are wondering about Jackie Collins’ ex fiance after light was shed on their relationship in the new documentary Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story.
Who is Jackie Collins?
To tell Frank’s story, we have to start with the Lady Boss herself. English by birth, American by naturalisation, Collins is one of the most prolific novelists of the second half of the 20th century.
The writer, known for The World Is Full Of Married Men, Hollywood Wives and The Stud, penned 32 novels. Every single one of them ended up on the New York Times bestseller list.
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It is extensively reported that Collins, the sister of famous actress Joan, has sold nearly half a billion copies in total.
She was the daughter of London theatrical agent Joseph Collins and his dancer wife, Elsa. She died, aged 77, in 2015.
Who is Frank Calcagnini?
In her words: “He’s tall, dark, handsome and Italian.”
The Wrap describe him as a “playboy, who was not liked by any of her friends and family”.
That’s in a review of the documentary, which also shows her sister Joan try to describe why Jackie got involved with the “angry and controlling Calcagnini” and finally concludes: “Women put up with a lot.”
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He was friends with Collins and her ex-husband, ex-nightclub and gallery owner Oscar Lerman, who died in 1992.
Frank, who owned a chain of shopping malls at the time, attended his funeral.
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Two years later, in 1994, Frank called Jackie after the deadly LA earthquake on the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday to check she was all right, according to Hello.
“Frank’s a trip,” she said when going public about the relationship. “He’s never staid, never dull. We’re Librans, our birthdays are four days apart. We laugh, fight, love a lot. We’re passionate. He’s incredibly handsome, like a hero out of my books.”
In early 1998 a medical examination revealed Frank had cancer. Four months later, on 30 April, aged 58, he lost his battle.
Jackie Collins’ children and other husbands explored
As mentioned, Jackie became engaged to Frank after her ex-husband Oscar Lerman died in 1992, like Frank from cancer.
Jackie married Oscar, 18 years her senior and owner of London nightclubs Ad-Lib and Tramp, in 1965.
The pair had two daughters, Tiffany, born 1967, and Rory, born 1969.
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Lerman also formally adopted Collins’ daughter, Tracy, born 1961, from her previous marriage with her first husband, Wallace Austin.
They divorced in 1964. He died from an overdose the year after their marriage ended.
In 1994, Collins became engaged to Frank, the pair didn’t have any children together.
In 2011, when asked if she were dating anyone, Collins said: “I have a man for every occasion.”