As a man who is as well known for his perpetually tanned skin as he is for his lengthy acting career, George Hamilton is a formidable authority on the art of the suntan. What started as a calculated way for Hamilton to pick up girls in his teens has since become a part of the 75-year-old's legacy, and now he's sharing some of his own tanning advice with "Oprah: Where Are They Now -- Extra."
First and foremost, Hamilton clarifies that his need to tan is more than skin-deep. "It's not the spray tan that I'm after," he says in the above video. "It's the actual 'plug-in' to the sun that I feel when I'm in it."
While science clearly outlines the risks of too much UV exposure, Hamilton believes that getting at least a little bit of sun has its benefits.
"It's always been a kind of health thing -- and I know there are a lot of conflicting views about that," he says. "I think there's a lot of people who have Vitamin D deficiency now... I think you need 15 minutes in the sun every day. Everyone. Maybe not the direct sun, but everyone needs it."
Hamilton has spent his fair share of time sunning himself in cities around the world, but only one place stands out as his favorite for getting beautifully bronzed skin that really lasts -- and it's not Hawaii. "By the time you get back on the plane from Hawaii, you're already faded! It doesn't last. I peeled once and underneath it I had an old tan from 1959," he jokes.
Instead, Hamilton points to a California city as offering a much better "investment."
"I would say the best place to get a tan, for me, is Palm Springs," he says. "It's the best tan. It stays."
Some of Hamilton's companions have enjoyed tanning almost as much as he does, including the late Elizabeth Taylor. ("She could actually out-suntan me," he says.) In the same "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" interview, Hamilton recalls what happened when a paparazzi snapped topless tanning photos of Taylor while the couple dated back in the 80s.
"Oprah: Where Are They Now -- Extra" is a digital series from the OWN show "Oprah: Where Are They Now?"
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