LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sally Kirkland has had a successful, multidecade Hollywood career that many credit to her talent and good fortune. However, she has freely admitted that her "obsession" with iconic artist Bob Dylan was what really propelled her Hollywood career.
The 81-year-old actress has reportedly starred in more than 250 movies and television shows over the course of her 60-year career.
Kirkland discussed her longtime romance with Bob Dylan, whom she followed to Los Angeles as an "obsessed fan" when he was married, before destiny and a bit of Hollywood charm reunited them together.
Dylan's songs like 'Like A Rolling Stone, Knockin' 'On Heaven's Door', and 'Blowin' In The Wind' influenced a whole generation of artists.
Where is Sally Kirkland now?
Sally Kirkland's present location is unknown, but on her Instagram profile, she has claimed Los Angeles, California as the location for a few of her posts. Her latest film, 'Bobcat Moretti' starring Vivica A Fox, premiered on August 5.
Sally Kirkland on Bob Dylan
The 'Anna' actress spoke about the longtime love she continues to cherish today. "I was obsessed, Oh God yeah. He is the reason I am single and is definitely the love of my life," Kirkland revealed, reports Daily Mail.
The two first crossed paths more than 60 years ago, when Kirkland was a rising model waiting tables in New York City. She later joined Andy Warhol's The Factory and became an integral component of the city's innovative theater.
"I fell in love with him the second I saw him perform on stage. I was 22 at the time. I was working as a waitress at Café Figaro in New York," she recounted.
At the time, Bob was singing at venues around Greenwich Village with Joan Baez. The two were romantically linked before he married his first wife Sara Lownds in 1965.
Sally Kirkland 'moved' to LA for Bob Dylan
Kirkland told Daily Mail that she fell "madly in love" with Dylan when she first laid eyes on him. However, the artist was unaware of Kirkland's emotions during their first encounter in New York City in the 1960s.
Dylan moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Although he may not have realized it, Kirkland's decision to follow the songwriter ultimately ignited the beginning of her own career.
"When Bob moved to LA in 72, I was living in New York City still, working as a stage actress," Kirkland recalled. "I said to myself, 'I am not going to stop until I am with him.' So, I moved too."
Kirkland's career changed course after moving to Tinseltown; within months of her arrival, several studios were expressing interest in casting her. And within three years in Los Angeles, she had racked up over 20 roles in movies and television shows.
How Sally Kirkland pursued Bob Dylan in LA
Hollywood success helped Kirkland realize her greatest ambition in 1976: a close relationship with Dylan. "Bob's best friend was Louis Kemp and I was very close friends with Louis' sister, Sharon Kemp, who also grew up with Bob," Kirkland told Daily Mail.
"Sharon told me, 'If you make me your manager, I will get you together with Bob.' So, obviously, I did." Kirkland had just divorced her first husband, Michael, whom she married in 1974.
Meanwhile, Dylan's marriage to Sara was disintegrating; his 1975 album 'Blood on the Tracks' recounts the breakdown of the union. "I believe in life after life. I believe that I have had five lifetimes with Bob," Kirkland told Daily Mail. "I told Bob this once and he agreed with me."
"I didn't get romantic with Bob until I was in my 30's. When we started dating, I finally got to tell him what I had been waiting to tell him since I was 22 years old, which was how I felt about him," she said.
Kirkland claimed that Dylan was "charmed" by her revelation.
She and Dylan had an on-again, off-again relationship for the following 20 years, which, according to Kirkland, was largely a result of their busy schedules.
Kirkland's life was drastically altered in 1988 when 'Anna', a movie that earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, made her an A-list celebrity.
She defeated Glenn Close and Barbra Streisand, a longtime friend, to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Kirkland claims that Dylan taught her a lot in addition to their mutual appreciation of the arts.
