Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was born in
Roseville, California. She starred in mostly television roles as a child before she went
on to star in Tempest which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She later went on to appear
in the successful John Hughes films Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in
Pink, which went on to all become classics and have all been called the most influential
teen movies of all time. These roles led Ringwald to be a part of the "Brat Pack". She gained
more success with her role in For Keeps, which has since gained a cult following.
Ringwald starred in many films in 1990s which all varied in success, and starred in many
television roles during this time period. She has also played Anne Juergens in the ABC
Family show The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She has wrote novels and launched
her music career when she released a jazz album in 2013 which was critically successful.
Ringwald was established as a teen icon and has been credited as the most influential
teen of all time. Ringwald was ranked number 1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Early life Molly Kathleen Ringwald was born in Roseville,
California, just outside of Sacramento, the daughter of Adele Edith, a housewife and chef,
and Robert Scott "Bob" Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist. Ringwald has two siblings, Elizabeth
and Kelly, and an older brother who died before she was born. She started her acting career
at age five, starring in a stage production of Alice in Wonderland as the Dormouse. The
next year, she recorded "I Wanna Be Loved by You," a music album of Dixieland jazz with
her father and his group, the Fulton Street Jazz Band.
Life and career 1978-83: Career beginnings and early success
In 1978, at the age of 10, Ringwald was chosen to play Kate in the West Coast production
of Annie, performing in Los Angeles. She appeared in one episode of The New Mickey Mouse Club
as herself before she went on to appear in the TV series Diff'rent Strokes in 1979, and
was selected to become part of a very large cast of the spin-off Facts of Life. She played
"Molly Parker," a perky, feminist student at Eastland Girls School. One entire episode,
"Molly's Holiday" revolved around her character dealing with the effects of her parents' divorce.
At the beginning of the second season, the show underwent a major revamp and most of
the cast, including Ringwald, were fired. Ringwald later said that Nancy McKeon replaced
her to play a new character named Jo. In 1980, Ringwald performed as a lead vocalist
on two Disney albums. On the patriotic album Yankee Doodle Mickey, Ringwald sang "This
Is My Country", "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America". She later performed
one track on a Disney Christmas album. Turning toward motion pictures, she was nominated
for a Golden Globe award for her role in the 1982 film Tempest.
1984-86: Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty In Pink
Ringwald rose to prominence with her breakout role in Sixteen Candles. Following Sixteen
Candles Ringwald became a member of the so-called Brat Pack of 1980s teen actors. Ringwald was
later cast in another John Hughes film called The Breakfast Club which was a commercial
and critical success. The following year she was in another Hughes film called Pretty In
Pink which was another success. Ringwald was offered a role in another John Hughes film
called Some Kind of Wonderful but she turned down the role as she felt it was to similar
to her other films she made with John. Her films with John Hughes all became modern classics
establishing her as a teen icon. Her acting was praised by critics. On May 26, 1986 Ringwald
appeared on the cover of Time. Ringwald was set to star in another John Hughes film called,
Oil and Vinegar however John was told to rewrite the script and he didn't want to rewrite so
the film was cancelled. After Oil and Vinegar was scrapped, Ringwald and Hughes never worked
together on film again, ending their successful partnership.
1987-90: For Keeps and continued success Following her roles with John Hughes she planned
to star in more mature roles. In 1987 she starred in The Pick-up Artist which was commercially
successful but received rather mixed reviews. The Pick-up Artist is considered one of Ringwald's
more mature roles.The following year Ringwald starred in the film For Keeps which was another
commercial success and received mixed to positive reviews. Many critics cited this film as her
final teen movie and praised her mature performance. Ringwald's next role was in Fresh Horses which
was a moderate commercial success and received generally mixed reviews. She later starred
in Strike It Rich which was a critical and commercial failure. In the early 1990s, Ringwald
reportedly turned down the female lead roles in Pretty Woman and Ghost which went on to
become huge successes. 1991-99: Commercial decline
In the 1990s, Ringwald's success began to decline. Ringwald's first role in the 1990s
was in the film Betsy's Wedding, it was met with generally mixed reviews but was commercially
successful. Following Betsy's Wedding, Molly was nominated for Razzie Award for Worst Actress.
After she had been educated at a French high school in Los Angeles called Lycée Français
de Los Angeles and was fluent in French, she moved to Paris and starred in several French
movies. She returned home to the US intermittently to appear in US movies and television which
all varied in success. In 1994, she starred in the TV adaptation
of Stephen King's The Stand, it was met with generally positive reviews. In 1996, she played
a leading role in the film Malicious as Melissa Nelson, a disturbed woman who has an affair
with a college star baseball player. It was met with generally mixed to negative reviews.
In 1996 saw her return to television, starring on the ABC sitcom Townies. Townies was eventually
cancelled shortly after airing. She also made one appearance as a blind woman on the critically
acclaimed cable series Remember WENN. She starred with Lara Flynn Boyle and Teri Hatcher
in the 1998 made for television film Since You've Been Gone. In 1999, she played the
starring role of "Li'l Bit" in Paula Vogel's play How I Learned to Drive at the Mark Taper
Forum in Los Angeles. In 2000, she appeared in an episode of Showtime's The Outer Limits.
2000-12: Television roles
In 2000, Ringwald appeared in the ensemble restaurant-themed film, In the Weeds; in 2001,
she had a cameo in Not Another Teen Movie. In late 2004, she starred in the play Modern
Orthodox on Broadway, opposite Jason Biggs and Craig Bierko. In 2006, she starred in
the television film The Wives He Forgot. Ringwald has appeared in Cabaret; Tick, tick...
BOOM!; and Enchanted April on Broadway, and in the fall and winter of 2006, she starred
as Charity Hope Valentine in the national tour of the Broadway revival of the musical
Sweet Charity. Ringwald starred in the ABC Family network's
series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which debuted on July 1, 2008, playing the
title teenager's mother. Ringwald read the audiobook edition of the
2012 novel The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg. 2013-present: Except Sometimes and future
roles In early 2013, Ringwald released her debut
album Except Sometimes. The album is a jazz record. It follows a tradition in jazz for
the Ringwald family set by her father. “I grew up in a home filled with music and had
an early appreciation of jazz since my dad was a jazz musician [pianist Bob Ringwald].
Beginning at around age three I started singing with his band and jazz music has continued
to be one of my three passions along with acting and writing. I like to say jazz music
is my musical equivalent of comfort food. It’s always where I go back to when I want
to feel grounded,” Ringwald said in a statement. It has been confirmed that Ringwald is set
to have a role in the upcoming movie Jem and the Holograms and in another film called Wishin'
and Hopin'. Bibliography
Ringwald has written two books: Molly Ringwald. Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship,
Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick. It Books. ISBN 0-06-180944-6. , a "memoir
and girlfriend-y guide to girlfriend-y things — style, food, relationships, motherhood."
Molly Ringwald. When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories. It Books. ISBN 0-06-180946-2. ,
"a novel told in stories centered around Phillip and Greta, a couple whose marriage is floundering."
Personal life Ringwald was dating Dweezil Zappa in 1986.
She was married to Valéry Lameignère, a French writer, in Bordeaux, France, on July
28, 1999; they divorced in 2002. She married Panio Gianopoulos, a Greek-American writer
and book editor, in 2007. They have a daughter, Mathilda, and twins, Adele and Roman. Her
pregnancy was written into the storyline of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Legacy Molly has been called the greatest teen star
of all time. The three films she made with John Hughes became critical and commercial
successes and became modern classics, they have influenced many modern teen movies. Ringwald's
roles in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty In Pink have been praised by critics
and audiences a like. It has been said that she will always be an influence on teens because
of these roles. She has influenced many people including, Ariana Grande, Debby Ryan, and
Shailene Woodley. Following her roles in the John Hughes films, Ringwald gained a large
fan base and at one point had a group of girls, mimic her looks and dress during the early
success in her career. Ringwald was ranked number 4 on Time's Top 10 Teen Idols.
Filmography Discography
Except Sometimes References
External links Molly Ringwald at the Internet Movie Database
Molly Ringwald at AllMovie Broadway.com interview