Jane Seymour doesn't really do "predictable." Most people know her as the quintessential English rose, the tarot-reading Solitaire from Live and Let Die, or the frontier doctor with the perfect hair in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. But there is this other side of her career that people still Google late at night: her history with Playboy.
It wasn’t a one-time thing. Jane Seymour Playboy photos actually span three different decades, which is kind of wild when you think about how much the world changed between 1973 and 2018.
She first appeared in the magazine the same year she became a Bond girl. Then she came back in the late 80s. Finally, at age 67, she did it again, becoming the oldest woman at the time to pose for the publication. Honestly, the story behind these shoots is less about "scandal" and much more about a woman reclaiming her own image after a really dark experience in Hollywood.
The 1973 Debut: A Bond Girl in Print
Back in 1973, Jane was basically the "it" girl. She was 22. She had just filmed Live and Let Die with Roger Moore. Playboy was at its cultural peak, and it was almost expected for a Bond girl to show up in those pages.
But here’s what most people get wrong: she wasn’t actually nude in that first shoot. It was a pictorial that leaned heavily into her role as Solitaire. It was meant to be "mysterious" and "ethereal."
Looking back, Jane has been pretty candid about how she felt at the time. She told People magazine later that she felt a massive amount of pressure to be "sexy" without actually knowing what that meant. "I was like, 'Oh gosh, I'm supposed to be sexy. What is that?!'" she recalled. She was young, slightly overwhelmed, and just trying to navigate a massive career explosion.
That January 1987 Pictorial
Fast forward fourteen years. By 1987, Jane was a household name. She was doing miniseries like East of Eden and was becoming the "Queen of the Miniseries."
She appeared in the January 1987 issue, which featured her alongside names like Don Johnson. This shoot happened around the time she was filming Lassiter with Tom Selleck. Again, the photos weren't about "shock value." They were shot at her home—a massive, beautiful castle in England called St. Catherine’s Court.
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It was classy. Very British. It felt more like a high-fashion editorial than a traditional men's magazine spread. Even though she was in her mid-30s, she was already fighting the idea that an actress has an "expiration date."
The 2018 Shoot: Breaking the Record at 67
This is the one that really set the internet on fire. In February 2018, at age 67, Jane Seymour posed for Playboy for the third time. She officially became the oldest woman to have a pictorial in the magazine up to that point.
Why did she do it?
Basically, she wanted to prove that aging isn't a "disappearing act." She told the magazine, "I feel much sexier now than I ever did when I was younger."
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The photos were shot at her home by photographer Aris Jerome. She’s wearing a pink slip, a giant fluffy coat, and looks... well, she looks like Jane Seymour. She hasn't had the heavy "work" that a lot of her peers have had. She’s been vocal about skipping Botox and fillers because she wants her face to actually move when she acts.
"I’m comfortable in my own skin," she told Playboy. "I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone."
The #MeToo Connection
What made the 2018 spread actually important—not just "celebrity news" important, but real important—was the interview that went with it. Jane used the platform to talk about a traumatic event from 1972.
She detailed an encounter with a "most powerful" Hollywood producer who had called her to his house for a screen test. After showing her the footage, he allegedly told her it was "her turn to do her bit" and put his hand on her leg. When she rejected him, he threatened to end her career.
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She was so terrified she actually quit acting for a while and moved back to England.
Coming back to Playboy at 67 was a way of closing that circle. In 1973, she was a girl who had been harassed and was scared of her own sexuality. In 2018, she was an icon standing her ground. It wasn't about the male gaze; it was about her gaze.
What to Take Away From the Jane Seymour "Legacy"
If you’re looking for the Jane Seymour Playboy photos because you’re a fan of vintage Hollywood or just curious about how she stays looking the way she does, there are a few practical "life lessons" we can actually pull from her approach to aging and the public eye:
- Authenticity over "Fixing": Jane is a huge advocate for aging naturally. She credits her look to water, sleep, and good genes, but also to a refusal to paralyze her face with injections.
- Control the Narrative: She didn't let the 1972 incident define her. She waited until she was ready to tell the story on her own terms, in a magazine that usually objectifies women, effectively flipping the script.
- Confidence is Cyclical: You don't have to be "at your peak" in your 20s. For Jane, the 60s were actually the time she felt most empowered.
If you're curious about the specific issues for your own collection, you'll want to look for the January 1987 issue or the March 2018 digital/print features. They are vastly different snapshots of a woman who managed to stay relevant in a town that usually tries to replace you the second you turn thirty.
To dive deeper into how she maintains her health at 70+, you should look into her "Open Hearts" philosophy, which she often credits for her mental longevity and "inner glow." It’s basically about staying open to life's challenges rather than letting them make you bitter. That, and probably a really good skincare routine.