TIME OF HER LIFE

Dirty Dancing star Jane Brucker is unrecognisable 36 years on from movie that shot her to fame

DIRTY Dancing celebrates its 36th anniversary later this year - and remains a timeless classic.

Its female star, Jennifer Grey, went on to prove that “nobody puts Baby in the corner” by continuing her acting career and winning Dancing With The Stars in 2010.

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Jane performed at the talent show in a bikini before that iconic dance from Baby and JohnnyCredit: Great American Films Limited Partnership
Lisa (Jane Brucker) and Baby (Jennifer Grey) in a scene from the filmCredit: Great American Films Limited Partnership

But what happened to Jane Brucker, who played Baby’s big sister Lisa?

Amazingly the actress was 29 when she played the wannabe singer who donned a bikini for her cringe-worthy performance at the holiday camp talent show.

Her rendition of Hula Hana was memorably overshadowed by Baby and her dance teacher lover Johnny (Patrick Swayze) performing THAT final dance to (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life.

For Jane, who was born in Virginia,  Dirty Dancing was to prove the highlight of her acting career.

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She went on to star in Stealing Home in 1988, and a year later she landed a starring role in the medical TV drama, Doctor Doctor.

But when the acting work dried up, Jane turned her hand to scripts and became a Hollywood screenwriter.

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Jane, now 64, split from first husband Shining Time Station actor Brian O’Connor, in 1993, and they have a daughter, Sally, now 32.

She lives in LA with her second husband, photographer Raul Vega, and they have an 18-year-old daughter, Rachel.

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As well as writing screenplays, Jane volunteers with the Santa Monica Virginia Avenue Project, which performs plays written by at-risk children.

Dirty Dancing fans in the US had a special treat nearly a year ago to the day, when Jane appeared as a guest judge on The Real Dirty Dancing.

The Fox dance competition seaw eight celebrities train to become the Baby and Johnny of 2023.

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