Gina Gershon (Bound, Rescue Me), screen icon and Golden Globe(R) Award-winner Raquel Welch (The Three Musketeers, Legally Blonde), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars, Just Shoot Me) and Colm Feore (The Chronicles of Riddick, Thor) stars in the Lifetime Original Movie House of Versace, chronicling Donatella Versace's (Gershon) inspiring triumph over tragedy by carrying on her brother's powerful legacy after his 1997 slaying. House of Versace will premiere on Saturday, October 5, at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
Based on Wall Street Journal reporter Deborah Ball's widely-read book House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival, the movie brings to light the story of Donatella, who, following the brazen murder of her brother, world-renowned designer Gianni Versace (Colantoni) at the height of his success, is suddenly thrust into the spotlight as head designer of his fashion empire. At first ridiculed by critics worldwide, Donatella falls victim to drug addiction and nearly bankrupts the company. With the help of her family, including daughter Allegra, Aunt Lucia (Welch) and brother Santo (Feore), she enters rehab to confront her demons and soon comes back stronger than ever to re-ignite the beloved Versace brand with her own vision and builds one of the most powerful and influential fashion houses ever known.
Following the movie's premiere, at 10:00pm ET/PT, Lifetime will air the hour-long documentary, Versace: Beyond the Headlines, providing an in-depth look at Gianni Versace's start in the fashion business, his incredible rise in such a competitive industry and ultimate creation of the multi-million dollar fashion empire that lives on after his death. The special will include interviews with people who knew Gianni, fashion designers, as well as a police detective and criminologist who explain their take on his tragic murder in front of his Miami mansion on July 15, 1997. Versace:
Beyond the Headlines is produced by
CBS EYE Productions.
Gershon is a film, television and stage actress, singer and author, best known for her roles in the films Killer Joe, Bound, Showgirls, Face/Off, The Insider and P.S. I Love You and supporting roles in television's Rescue Me on
FX and How to Make It in America for HBO. She has appeared on Broadway numerous times, including the role of Sally Bowles in the revival of Cabaret, in the revival of Boeing-Boeing and Bye Bye Birdie.
Welch has starred in numerous films, including Kansas City Bomber, Mother, Jugs, and Speed, Myra Breckinridge, The Four Musketeers and The Three Musketeers, for which she won a Golden Globe(R) Award for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy. The global icon has also received numerous accolades for her small screen performances in films such as The Legend of Walks Far Woman, Right to Die, for which she garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, the critically-acclaimed drama An American Family, CSI: Miami, and
Scandal in a Small Town. Welch also starred on Broadway in Woman of the Year and Victor/Victoria. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Imagen Awards Foundation.
Colantoni is one of the most versatile actors in television and film today. Viewers' first introduction to him was as womanizing fashion photographer "Elliot" on NBC's long-running hit Just Shoot Me!, followed by The CW's cult classic Veronica Mars and, most recently, the miniseries The Kennedys and the series Flashpoint. His big screen hits include A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Galaxy Quest, Contagion and Full Frontal.
A classically trained stage star, Feore has performed in more than 40 productions during 13 seasons with the prestigious Stratford Festival. In the late 1980s, he began adding film and television to his resume. His television credits include Revolution, Borgias, The Good Wife, 24,
Flashpoint and Slings and Arrows. Feore's feature films include Thor, The Chronicles of Riddick, Face/Off, Pearl Harbor, The Insider, Changeling, City of Angels and Chicago. He is currently filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
House of Versace is produced and co-financed by MarVista Entertainment. Fernando Szew (Lifetime's Sexting in Suburbia, Radio Rebel), Ronald Gilbert (Every Thing Will Be Fine) and Robyn Snyder (Fir Crazy, 16 Wishes) serve as executive producers. Ric Nish (Nicky Deuce, The Fountain) will produce. The film is directed by Sara Sugarman (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Vinyl) from a script by Rama Stagner (Blue Sky, American Dreams). Production services were provided by R&R Productions.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
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