The Enigma of Angelyne: How the most famous pin-up in the world shrouded herself in the ultimate mystery
Long before Paris Hilton, the Kardashian-Jenner clan and the Hadids headlined tabloids and reigned the Hollywood scene, there was Angelyne. A bombshell as some would call her, she claimed her fame from being famous, parading around in a lush pink Corvette down the streets of Hollywood. Simply put, she was a real sensation, who made it big in the 80s by being featured on billboards across the city. She was a self-made pop culture icon in her own right.
Her billboard advertisements also earned her a nickname calling her the 'Hollywood pinup'.
NBC Universal's new streaming service 'Peacock' will shine a light on the life of this L. A billboard diva, in its upcoming limited series titled 'Angelyne'. It is based on an investigative feature penned by The Hollywood Reporter and senior writer, Gary Baum. The series stars Emmy Rossum ('Shameless' 2011) as the evergreen Angelyne and has been directed by her husband, Sam Esmail who is known for 'Mr Robot', the 2015 TV show.
Angelyne's true identity was shrouded in mystery for the longest time until Baum published his exposé and revealed her to be Renée Tami Goldberg (originally, Ronia Tamar Goldberg). Not much was known about her, prior to Baum's report. Her identity was largely unknown. Angelyne was a star influencer of her time -who'd gone viral for her appearance on a series of billboards and stunned the world with her impassive and provocative poses. She also enjoyed a short-lived career as a singer and actress.
Goldberg, the daughter of Polish Holocaust survivors, was born in Poland in October 1950. Her family moved to New York in 1959, and she lost her mother to cancer in 1965. Her father remarried another Holocaust survivor, soon after. The family relocated to San Francisco where she joined high-school. She went on to marry a Beverly Hills executive, Michael Strauss and lived with him in Hollywood. They had a brief married and divorced in 1969. These are last of the known Renée Goldberg details, as her paper trail ends here.
Goldberg, years later resurfaced with a new enigmatic persona and decided to call herself Angelyne. In 1984, her face was plastered all over the city. She'd managed to drop jaws and enchant Hollywood with mere superficiality. Angelyne pioneered the classic American saga of the platinum blonde bombshell, the 'Elle Woods' of the 80s in her hot pink ensemble and matching pink corvette.
In an interview with Baum, Goldberg divulged on how Angelyne came to be. "I lost my parents at a young age," she said, "and because of that, I sought the attention of the world through my tricks. I said Well, I'm going to get the love of the world." Angelyne had a difficult childhood, the one inundated with trauma and complexity. Her father was controlling, harsh and parochial, causing her to run away from home while still young.
In 2016, Goldberg petitioned to change her name legally to Angelyne Lyne. "This is my stage name that I use and have used since 1978", she said justifying her actions to Baum.
Angelyne was never able to take her new persona to great heights. She'd reinvented herself and created an unimaginably, unique character but hadn't been able to sell it effectively.
Just like many dreamers that lost themselves in the city of Angels brimming with aspirations, Angelyne had managed to carve a flashy lifestyle for herself in L.A but not in the way she may have envisioned. Either way, she had managed to gain recognition, find her place in the world and change the face of Hollywood acutely.
Angelyne's story is coming to the small screen via Peacock and Sam Esmail and the series is eponymously titled 'Angelyne'. Rossum plays the iconic diva, decked from top to bottom in pink driving around in her iconic pink corvette.
The scripted series is among the first to grace the new NBCU streaming platform, along with a new take of the cult drama 'Battlestar Galactica' (also under Esmail's belt).