For those who grew up in the 90s, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” undoubtedly changed the TV viewing experience for many throughout the course of its six-season run. For the most part, Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn showed us that women could be just as successful as men in the field of medicine.
Of course, Dr. Mike’s (Jane Seymour) adventures always left us wanting more. But we can’t deny that her onscreen chemistry with her love interest Byron Sully (Joe Lando), made a lot of difference and always got us looking forward to fresh, new episodes.
Jane Seymour is known for starring in the James Bond movie “Live and Let Die.” She has also been cast in some critically acclaimed pieces, such as “Onassis: The Richest Man in the World” and the 1976 miniseries “Captains and the Kings,” the latter earning her an Emmy nomination and the former winning her an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Miniseries or a Special.
While her professional life has been a point of great success for Seymour, her personal life was filled with major upheavals. The star was already married three times when she got together with James Keach, an actor and filmmaker. Keach and Seymour had been married for 20 years before they split due to rumors of infidelity from Keach’s side in 2013. The couple split soon after.
Seymour, unfortunately, went through issues with an ex-husband in her past that left her in huge debt and homeless. However, she overcame every hardship thrown her way and eventually found love with none other than Lando before finding her current partner.
Jane Seymour opened up to the Daily Mail in October 2019 about what happened during her split, covering a wide range of other subjects such as how she maintains her youthful looks, how she manages her professional life, and how she navigates her role as a mother and grandmother.
Seymour confirmed that Keach had, in fact, been unfaithful to her by the end of the marriage, and she spoke about how this deeply impacted her.
Even in her 70s, Seymour was cast in a variety of movies and television series. One of her stints was on “The Komisky Method,” which also starred Michael Douglas, who has been Seymour’s friend for many decades, according to the Daily Mail.
Veteran actress Seymour lives in LA with her boyfriend of several years, David Green, in a star-studded neighborhood. Her neighbors include Simon Cowell and Cher.
Joe Lando, on the other hand, is happily married to his wife Kirsten Barlow, whom he wed in 1997. But did you know that the two stars didn’t get along while filming the “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” show for more than six years?
That’s right. While many of us were feeling giddy watching Dr. Mike and Byron’s scenes together, they weren’t actually on speaking terms while off-screen. But how exactly did Jane Seymour and Joe Lando start dating? Well, it was in the most unexpected of ways. Seymour revealed that it all started when she jumped out of a car into Lando’s truck after a flash flood hit the set of their show.
“There was a flash flood, on the set, a real one, in which my car was being swept backwards, and I couldn’t get out, because the guy who was driving it was an intern and did not want me out of the car,” Seymour said in an interview with Us Weekly in September 2019. “I wound down the window and jumped out of that car into his truck. That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship,” she added.
Apparently, Jane Seymour and Joe Lando’s post-breakup situation after filming the pilot for the show made it difficult for them to talk to each other as soon as the cameras stopped rolling in the succeeding episodes.
“We didn’t actually talk to each other, other than in dialogue or making out for about six or seven years,” Seymour said in the same interview. “We, obviously, clearly loved one another and realized we couldn’t be actually in real-life together. I think we just played it (off) as Michaela and Sully,” Seymour explained.Seymour also admitted that their issues off-cam somehow allowed them to have some “sexual tension, that we wouldn’t have had, if we’d been playing happy households or something.”
Despite their indifferences, Seymour and Lando reconciled years later and became the closest of friends. In fact, the “Wedding Crashers” star considers him as her “closest friend on the planet.”
And in 2022, fans were delighted as they were given something exciting during the holiday season. Seymour and Lando reunited for a Lifetime Christmas movie titled “A Christmas Spark.” The film followed the story of a woman named Molly, who was recently widowed. Molly was played by Seymour.
Although Seymour is in a good place now, she once found herself homeless with a $9 million debt. Seymour has been married and divorced four times. Her list of exes includes Michael Attenborough, Geoffrey Planer, David Flynn and James Keach. Seymour called the divorce process “painful,” “depressing” and “anger-making,” according to PEOPLE.
Express reported that her relationship with Flynn left her in debt. During a 2020 interview with ET Online, Seymour talked about her “lowest depths of despair” that ultimately led her to find work on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” The actress explained:
“The first thing I remember is that my ex-husband at that time had lost all our money, left me nine million in the red with lawsuits from every major bank. I was homeless, penniless and I called my agent and said I would do anything. He called the networks, and they said, how about a little movie of the week? But she has to sign for five years in case it becomes a series, she has to start tomorrow morning — less than 12 hours from now — and that was it.”
Seymour expressed her gratitude for the show and everyone involved with it.
“They saved my life. I got a roof over my head, I got some money so I could get back on my feet, and my kids could come out to the set and do their schoolwork in the trailer and they wrote the most beautiful material ever,” Seymour explained.
Seymour also admitted to falling “madly in love” with the leading man, Lando, before the pair called it quits and stayed friends. Seymour went on to marry Keach, who “had to direct” her kissing scenes with Lando.
While it has certainly been quite the road for Seymour, she appears content and confident with her current life.
What do you think about the challenges Jane Seymour has overcome? Were you surprised to learn about her different relationships? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.