Molly Ringwald
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| Molly Ringwald | |
 Ringwald in 1986. |
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| Birth name | Molly K. Ringwald |
| Born | February 18, 1968 |
| Notable roles | Samantha Baker in Sixteen Candles Claire Standish in The Breakfast Club Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink |
Molly K. Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She became popular with teenage audiences in the 1980s, as a result of her starring roles in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Ringwald was born in Roseville, California, the daughter of blind jazz pianist Robert Scott Ringwald and Adele Edith, a housewife. Molly has two siblings, Elizabeth and Kelly. She started her acting career at age five, starring in a stage production of Alice in Wonderland as the dormouse. By the time she was six years old, she had recorded a music album of Dixieland jazz with her father; this album has become highly collectible. She also appeared on stage in the musical "Annie."
[edit] Acting career
At age eleven, Ringwald was cast in a role on the television series, The Facts of Life and sang one track on a 1980 Disney Christmas album.
Ringwald appeared in one episode of the television series Diff'rent Strokes in 1979. That year, she became a cast member of the spin-off The Facts of Life, but her character was written out after the first season. Turning toward motion pictures, she found her breakout role in Sixteen Candles (1984). Ringwald was a member of the so-called Brat Pack of 1980s teen actors. The term was first coined in 1985, after Ringwald's night out with a reporter for New York Magazine, who published a sensationalist article designating her and fellow actors Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, and Anthony Michael Hall.
Though she played a high school "princess" in her biggest hit, 1985's The Breakfast Club, Ringwald specialized in portrayals of moody, awkward, brainy, angst-filled characters. Her performances greatly influenced teen-oriented television and movies that would follow in the 1990s, as previous films with teenage subjects were mostly of the horror or exploitation comedy genres, and did not attempt to realistically portray teenage life.
Among Ringwald's movies are Fresh Horses, The Pick Up Artist and Pretty in Pink. During the mid and late 1980s period when Ringwald was Hollywood's top female teen, she appeared in countless covers of such publications as Tiger Beat, Teen and many others.
Ringwald reportedly turned down the leading role of Julia Roberts' part in the 1990 box office smash Pretty Woman and also Demi Moore's leading role in the film Ghost. Her career slowed down in the 1990s, as she appeared mainly in made-for-TV and direct-to-video B-horror films. In 1995, her nude appearance in the film Malicious[1] made some media waves due to her previous archetypical 'good girl' movie roles. Her 1996 return to television, starring on the ABC sitcom Townies, was critically praised, but low viewer ratings resulted in the show's cancellation after nine episodes.
During the 1990s, Ringwald lived in France for four years and appeared in French-language films. She performed on Broadway before moving to England to perform in stage plays in London.
Ringwald appeared in Not Another Teen Movie, a parody/tribute film of many teen films, including some that featured her. In late 2004, she starred in the play Modern Orthodox on Broadway, opposite Jason Biggs and Craig Bierko. In the fall of 2006, Ringwald, who has previously appeared in Cabaret and Enchanted April on stage, and as of September 2006 she is starring as Charity Hope Valentine in the national tour of the recent Broadway revival of the musical Sweet Charity which starred Christina Applegate.[2]
She also starred with Lara Flynn Boyle and Teri Hatcher in the 1998 made-for-television movie Since You've Been Gone.
She most recently appeared in an episode of the TV series Medium in the episode The Darkness is Light Enough, as a blind woman.
[edit] Personal life
Ringwald briefly dated actor Anthony Michael Hall during the time when they co-starred in Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. During the filming of Pretty in Pink, Ringwald was dating Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank Zappa. She was romantically linked with Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz in the mid '80s. They dated for about a year. At the time, rumours incorrectly hinted at their marriage.
Ringwald married her long time fiancé, Valery Lameignère, on July 28, 1999, but they have since filed for divorce. On October 22, 2003, she gave birth to her first child, daughter Mathilda Ereni, with boyfriend Panio Gianopoulos.
[edit] Current career
In 2006 Ringwald starred in the musical "Sweet Charity" in San Jose, California with American Musical Theatre. Ringwald's performances received mixed reviews.
[edit] In popular culture
- Ringwald was ranked #1 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Teen Stars."
- The Detroit rock group Sponge had a 1995 hit "Molly", that appeared to make several clear references to Ringwald and her film career ("Sixteen candles down the drain"), even though the song's title was not mentioned in its lyrics. The band denied that the song was about Molly Ringwald.
[edit] Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Tempest | Julie Winston | |
| 1983 | Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone | Niki the Twister | |
| 1984 | Sixteen Candles | Samantha Baker | |
| 1985 | The Breakfast Club | Claire Standish | |
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | Andie Walsh | |
| 1987 | The Pick-up Artist | Randy Jensen | |
| 1988 | For Keeps? | Darcy Elliot Bobrucz | |
| 1989 | Fresh Horses | Jewel | |
| 1990 | Strike it Rich | Cary | |
| 1990 | Betsy's Wedding | Betsy Hopper | |
| 1994 | The Stand | Frannie Goldsmith | |
| 1999 | Teaching Mrs. Tingle | Miss Banks | |
| 2001 | Not Another Teen Movie | Flight Attendant (cameo) | |
| 2006 | Molly: An American Girl on the Homefront | Helen McIntire |
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.celebritymoviearchive.com/tour/movie.php/1853
- ^ AP. "Molly Ringwald to take 'Sweet Charity' on the road this fall", USA Today, 27 February 2006.
[edit] External links
[edit] Interviews
- New York Magazine interview (December 6, 2004)
- Broadway.com interview (October 8, 2001)
- Interview by Katie Holmes (September 1999)
- Collection of older interviews
- ocregister.com interview (November 19, 2006)
Categories: American film actors | American television actors | American stage actors | American musical theatre actors | American actor-singers | American child actors | Brat Pack actors | MTV Movie Award winners | American female singers | American dancers | People from Sacramento, California | 1968 births | Living people
