 While modelling, Lange was discovered by Hollywood producer Dino De Laurentiis, who was looking to cast his next leading lady, an ingenue for his remake of the 1933 "King Kong".Lange made her film debut in the 1976 "King Kong", beating actresses Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn for the role of "damsel-in-distress".Despite being a box-office success – it became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1976 – and receiving an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, the film and her performance were widely panned.