Whatever Happened to ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and ‘Gremlins’ Star Phoebe Cates?
What To Know
- Phoebe Cates became an iconic ’80s star through memorable roles in films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Gremlins.
- She continued acting throughout the ’80s and ’90s before marrying actor Kevin Kline in 1989.
- Cates eventually chose to step away from Hollywood at the height of her fame.
No brunette beauty better represents the ’80s than Phoebe Cates. Whether she’s climbing out of a swimming pool in slow motion, donning a red bikini to the sounds of “Moving in Stereo” by The Cars, or recounting the harrowing tale of discovering her father’s corpse dressed as Santa Claus, Cates left an indelible impression on a generation — one that’s lasted a lifetime.
But then she disappeared.
It’s been a long while since Cates has been in the public eye, having stepped away from acting several decades ago. But what led to that decision, and what is she doing now? Here’s a quick glimpse at the life and career of the woman who defined an era — and why she chose to walk away from Hollywood at the height of her fame.
Cate’s early career
Born July 16, 1963, Phoebe Belle Cates was the daughter of Lily and Joseph Cates, a Broadway producer and pioneering television figure who helped create The $64,000 Question. Her uncle, Gilbert Cates, was also a notable Hollywood figure, having produced multiple Academy Awards broadcasts. Showbiz was in her blood from the start.
Cates began her career as a teenage model but quickly grew to dislike the industry, despite achieving unprecedented success. “That didn’t teach me anything,” she told People. “It was just the same thing, over and over. After a while, I did it solely for the money.”
Phoebe Cates, 1982
She was then offered a role in the film Paradise, a Blue Lagoon knockoff that aimed to capitalize on the rising teensploitation market of the time. Though still a teenager at the time, the film required her to perform explicit scenes. “I asked my father, ‘Should I do this?’ ” she recalls. “He said, ‘How can you even question a lead in a feature film?’ I said, ‘Yeah, but what about the nudity?’ And he said, ‘What are you going to do, model for the rest of your life? What are you so hung up on nudity for?’ That’s all I needed. I took the part.”
Her big break
Paradise was a flop, but later that year, Cates starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982, a picture that immortalized her in cinema history. Only 18 years old, Cates played the “mature” Linda Barrett, a standout role with several pivotal scenes that turned the actress into a household name.
She talked openly about her infamous topless scene on a 1984 episode of Late Night with David Letterman, explaining that it was fun to shoot. “That scene actually was fun,” said the actress. “Fast Times it was very in character, and it was fun.”
Become a Hollywood star
After Fast Times, Cates starred in the 1983 comedy Private School, then was the star of the 1984 miniseries Lace, where she had the infamous line, “Incidentally, which one of you b*tches is my mother?,” which TV Guide once noted as one of the best lines in TV history.
In 1984, Cates starred in Joe Dante‘s horror comedy Gremlins, which became one of the highest-grossing films of her career. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, she played Kate Beringer, a morose bank worker who hates Christmas after finding the body of her father in a chimney after he attempted to surprise the family.
Cates continued acting throughout the ’80s and ’90s, with films like Date with an Angel, Bright Lights, Big City, Princess Caraboo, Shag, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and Bodies, Rest & Motion.
Her life with Kevin Kline
Cates and Kevin Kline met in 1982 during auditions for The Big Chill. Cates was only a teen at the time, while Kline was 34. Although she didn’t get the part (the role went to Meg Tilly), the two reconnected a couple of years later at New York’s Public Theater, where Kline was performing and Cates was studying acting.
Their romance began shortly after that reunion, and they quietly dated for several years. Despite their 16-year age difference, the relationship blossomed. They married in 1989.
Everett Collection
Retiring from acting
In interviews, Cates has explained that she wanted to raise her children, Owen and Greta, away from the chaos of the entertainment industry. While her Kline continued to work steadily in film and theater, Cates shifted her focus entirely to motherhood.
“That was one of the many things I loved about her,” said Kline in an interview. “She loved acting while she was doing it, but she was not driven by it, as I had been.”
Her final on-screen role was in 2001’s The Anniversary Party, a small indie film directed by her friend and Fast Times co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Family Live
After their marriage, Cates gradually stepped away from acting to focus on family life and later opened her Madison Avenue boutique, Blue Tree, in 2005. The couple still lives primarily in New York and has been together for over 35 years — one of Hollywood’s rare enduring love stories.
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