The once shy school girl with sparkling blue eyes and platinum blond hair blossomed into a beauty. Basinger participated in the Athens Junior Miss contest and went on to win the Junior Miss Georgia title. This saw her compete in the national Junior Miss pageant. Ford Modeling Agency spotted her and offered her a contract immediately. From then on there was no turning back. She became a top model earning $1000 per day. She adorned magazine covers and appeared in innumerable ads. Basinger took acting lessons and with great confidence she moved to Los Angeles in 1976. There she had major roles in television series such as Charlie’s Angels (1976). She shot to prominence in 1980 in the Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Her biggest success was in Batman, a blockbuster hit. It took her career to a new high.

Basinger’s achievements are many. She has 12 wins and 19 nominations to her credit. In 1998 she won an Academy Award Oscar for Best Actress in a supporting role for her part in L.A. Confidential as a high-class prostitute. In the same year she won the Golden Globe Award for the same movie. In 2004 she found herself in second place for the BSFC Award as the Best Actress in The Door in the Floor. At the Kudzu Film Festival in 1999 she was honored with the Athena Award for her achievements in the cinematic arts. In 1991, she won the Golden Apple Award. Nine ½ Weeks won her the Jupiter Award for Best actress in 1988.

Basinger married Ron Snyder in 1980 and they divorced in 1989. Her marriage to Ron Snyder crumbled when rumors of her steamy relationship with the handsome Richard Gere hit headlines. According to Snyder, Basinger hated Gere. She was so wound up and tense from working with Gere that she had sex every afternoon as a way to relieve the tension. In 1986 Snyder followed her after one of her late night shoots and saw her making out with Gere in his limo. However her relationship with Gere was fleeting. She then had a brief relationship with Prince the pop music icon. 

On the sets of The Marrying Man, she fell in love with Alec Baldwin whom she married in 1993. The couple filed for divorce in 2002. The marriage fell apart as Basinger claims Baldwin was emotionally and physically abusive. In retort, the Baldwin family called her a nutcase. She has a daughter, Ireland Eliesse, with him. Basinger took time off from her busy schedule to devote time to her daughter. Their divorce caused a long and complicated legal battle as each of them sought custody of their then 8-year-old daughter. 

At the age of 61 years, the once-upon-a-time sexy siren is single. Basinger is an enthusiastic animal rights supporter.