Famous for her string of box office hits in various genres throughout the 80s and 90s, the talented Michelle Pfeiffer has appeared in over forty films throughout her career. Born April 29, 1958 in Santa Ana, California, Michelle began acting after winning the Miss Orange County pageant at nineteen. After a bumpy start with Grease II, she went on to star in classics such as Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Witches of Eastwick.
In the brilliant, dark Batman Returns by Tim Burton, Michelle stars as the sad-sack assistant murdered by her boss then turned into the sassy Catwoman. She actually did some of her own stunts and looked fabulous as she blew up buildings with a “meow”.
Michelle also appeared in a number of literary adaptations: in The Age of Innocence, she was directed by Martin Scorsese and played the beautiful, scandalous Countess Olenska, who tempts the straight-laced Newland Archer, played by Daniel Day Lewis. The beautiful costuming and cinematography captured the Gilded Age of New York, the film was based on the novel by Edith Wharton. She also worked with Stephen Frears in Chéri, where Michelle portrayed an aging, French courtesan from the novel by Colette. Most recently Michelle joined the ensemble starring in Murder on the Orient Express. She played Caroline Hubbard, the American who stayed in the compartment next to the murdered man and may be lying about what she saw. This is an update of the classic by Agatha Christie.
Described as hardworking, gracious, and “luminous”, she has been nominated for Oscars, won Golden Globes and also numerous critics’ awards. At the height of her acting career in the 1990s, Michelle adopted a child, remarried, and then gave birth to another child; she decided to take time off to both enjoy her family and take a break from the public eye. With both kids now in college, she’s jumping back into films so expect to see more of this accomplished actor!