Phoebe Cates, 62, Is Still Stunning 42 Years After ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’
Phoebe Cates has been a memorable figure in Hollywood for over four decades. She began modeling at age ten, appearing in teen magazines like Seventeen. Cates admitted she didn’t enjoy modeling: “It was just the same thing, over and over. After a while, I did it solely for the money.” Despite her success on magazine covers, she decided to leave modeling behind and try acting.
Her first movie role came with the film Paradise (1982), which was shot in Israel when Cates was 17. The role included nudity, which made her hesitant at first, but her father encouraged her to take the part.
She later said she regretted the film: “What I learned was never to do a movie like that again.” Her co-star Willie Aames added, “She will have nothing to do with the film. She’s really upset about it. She won’t do any promotion with me.”
Later in 1982, Cates gained fame in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Rolling Stone called her scene with the bikini “the most memorable bikini-drop in cinema history.” She described the filming as fun and enjoyable. The following year, she starred in Private School (1983), singing two songs for the soundtrack.
Cates moved into television in 1984 with the mini-series Lace, based on Shirley Conran’s novel. She played Lili, a bitter movie star, and wanted the audience to still sympathize with her character. Her line “Which one of you b**** is my mother?” was later named the greatest line in television history by TV Guide. She returned for Lace II and also starred in the hit film Gremlins the same year. She reprised her role in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which remains one of her most successful films.
Cates also explored theater, making her Off-Broadway debut in The Nest of the Wood Grouse in 1984 and returning in Rich Relations in 1986. She made her Broadway debut in 1989 with The Tenth Man. She once said, “There are simply not that many good parts in film,” adding that theater offered more strong roles for women.
Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cates appeared in films like Date with an Angel (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), Shag (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), and Drop Dead Fred (1991). She was set to appear in Father of the Bride (1991) but had to drop out due to pregnancy. Her last major film before stepping away from acting was Princess Caraboo (1994), starring alongside her husband Kevin Kline.
Cates briefly returned to acting in 2001 for The Anniversary Party, directed by her friend Jennifer Jason Leigh. She later opened a boutique, Blue Tree, on Madison Avenue in 2005, focusing on business and family.
Cates married Kevin Kline in 1989, and they raised two children, Owen and Greta, in Manhattan. Both children have worked in film and music; Greta fronts the band Frankie Cosmos. Cates has largely stayed out of the spotlight, focusing on her family and business ventures, but her impact on Hollywood and pop culture remains enduring.
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