Ally Sheedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ally Sheedy
|
|
---|---|
![]() Sheedy in 2011
|
|
Born |
Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy
June 13, 1962 New York City, New York, U.S.
|
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1975–present |
Spouse(s) |
David Lansbury
(m. 1992; div. 2009) |
Children | 1 |
Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy (born June 13, 1962), known as Ally Sheedy, is an American actress. She first appeared in a movie called Bad Boys in 1983. She became very well known as a member of the "Brat Pack" group of young actors. Some of her famous movies from that time include The Breakfast Club (1985) and St. Elmo's Fire (1985).
Ally Sheedy was nominated for three Saturn Awards for her roles in WarGames (1983), Fear (1990), and Man's Best Friend (1993). She also won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her acting in High Art (1998). She has also starred in films like Short Circuit (1986) and appeared in TV shows such as Psych.
Contents
Early Life
Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy was born in New York City on June 13, 1962. She has one brother and one sister. Her mother, Charlotte, was a writer and worked to support women's rights and civil rights. Her father, John J. Sheedy Jr., worked in advertising. Her parents divorced in 1971.
Ally went to the Bank Street School for Children and then to Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York City, graduating in 1980. She started dancing ballet with the American Ballet Theatre when she was only six years old. She even thought about becoming a full-time dancer. However, she decided to focus on acting instead and began studying with acting teacher Harold Guskin.
When she was 12, Ally wrote a book called She Was Nice to Mice. It was published by McGraw-Hill Education and became a best-seller! The story was also released as a spoken word album in 1976. She even appeared on the game show To Tell the Truth in 1975.
At 18, Ally moved to Los Angeles, California. She joined the drama program at the University of Southern California. While studying, she also started her acting career.
Acting Career
Ally Sheedy began acting in local plays when she was a teenager. After appearing in several TV movies in 1981 and a few episodes of the TV show Hill Street Blues, she made her first big movie appearance. This was in Bad Boys (1983), where she acted alongside Sean Penn.
During the 1980s, Ally became a well-known member of the "Brat Pack." This was a group of young actors who often appeared in popular teen movies. Her roles in these films made her famous. Some of her popular movies from this time include WarGames (1983), The Breakfast Club (1985), St. Elmo's Fire (1986), and Short Circuit (1986).
In the 1990s, Ally Sheedy continued to act in movies like Fear (1990) and Man's Best Friend (1993). She received more Saturn Awards nominations for these roles. In 1998, she starred with Radha Mitchell in the independent film High Art. Her acting in High Art earned her awards from the Independent Spirit Awards and other film critic groups.
In 1999, Ally took on a lead role in the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch off-Broadway. She was the first woman to play the main character, Hedwig. That same year, she was a lead actress in Sugar Town, an independent film with many actors and musicians.
Ally reunited with her Breakfast Club co-star Anthony Michael Hall in 2003. She was a special guest star on his TV show The Dead Zone. She also appeared in an episode of C.S.I. in 2007. From 2009 to 2013, she played the character Mr. Yang on the USA Network TV show Psych in several episodes.
Since 2021, Ally Sheedy has been a professor in the theater department at the City College of New York. She teaches acting to students there.
Personal Life
Ally Sheedy became a vegetarian when she was 12 years old.
She was married to actor David Lansbury from 1992 to 2009. They have one son, Beckett, who was born in 1994.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | Bad Boys | J.C. Walenski | |
WarGames | Jennifer Mack | ||
1984 | Oxford Blues | Rona | |
1985 | The Breakfast Club | Allison Reynolds | |
St. Elmo's Fire | Leslie Hunter | ||
Twice in a Lifetime | Helen Mackenzie | ||
1986 | Blue City | Annie Rayford | |
Short Circuit | Stephanie Speck | ||
1987 | Maid to Order | Jessie Montgomery | |
1988 | She's Having a Baby | Herself | Uncredited Cameo |
1988 | Short Circuit 2 | Stephanie Speck | Voice cameo (uncredited) |
1989 | Heart of Dixie | Maggie DeLoach | |
1990 | Betsy's Wedding | Connie Hopper | |
Fear | Cayce Bridges | ||
1991 | Only the Lonely | Theresa Luna | |
1992 | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | Pam Block - Ticket Agent (New York) | Cameo |
1993 | The Pickle | Molly-Girl/Herself | |
Man's Best Friend | Lori Tanner | ||
1994 | Red Shoe Diaries 4: Auto ... | Karen | Video; segment: "The Fling" |
1997 | Amnesia | Martha Keller | |
The Definite Maybe | Joanne | ||
Macon County Jail | Susan Reed | ||
Highball | Ally Sheedy | ||
1998 | High Art | Lucy Berliner | |
1999 | Sugar Town | Liz | |
The Autumn Heart | Deborah | ||
I'll Take You There | Bernice | ||
Advice from a Caterpillar | Jan | ||
2002 | Just a Dream | Maureen Sturbuck | |
Happy Here and Now | Lois | ||
2003 | A Good Night to Die | Marie | |
Shelter Island | Louise 'Lou' Delamere | ||
2004 | Noise | Charlotte Bancroft | |
2005 | Shooting Livien | Brea Epling | |
2007 | Day Zero | Dr. Reynolds | |
The Junior Defenders | Jill Fields | Video | |
Steam | Laurie | ||
2008 | Harold | Maureen Reynolds | |
2009 | Perestroika | Helen | |
Life During Wartime | Helen Jordan | ||
2010 | Welcome to the Rileys | Harriet | |
Ten Stories Tall | Jackie | ||
2014 | Sins of Our Youth | Vicki | |
Fugly! | Stoddard | ||
2016 | Little Sister | Joani Lunsford | |
X-Men: Apocalypse | Scott Summers' teacher | Cameo | |
2024 | Brats | Self |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | CBS Afternoon Playhouse | Cathy | Episode: "I Think I'm Having a Baby" |
The Best Little Girl in the World | 1st Girl | Movie | |
The Violation of Sarah McDavid | Tracy Barnes | ||
Homeroom | Karen Chase | TV short | |
The Day the Loving Stopped | Debbie Danner | Movie | |
Splendor in the Grass | Hazel | ||
1982 | Chicago Story | Episode: "Bright Lights, Big City" | |
St. Elsewhere | Diane | Episode: "Samuels and the Kid" | |
1983 | Hill Street Blues | Kristen | 3 episodes |
Deadly Lessons | Marita Armstrong | Movie | |
1990 | The Lost Capone | Kathleen Hart | |
1992 | Red Shoe Diaries | Karen | Episode: "Accidents Happen" |
Tattle Tale | Laura Perot | Movie | |
1993 | Lethal Exposure | Chris Cassidy | |
The Hidden Room | Julia | Episode: "Hungry Girls" | |
Chantilly Lace | Elizabeth | Movie | |
1994 | Ultimate Betrayal | Adult Mary Rodgers | |
Parallel Lives | Louise | ||
The Haunting of Seacliff Inn | Susan Enright | ||
1995 | The Tin Soldier | Billy's Mom | |
1996 | The Outer Limits | Carter Jones | Episode: "I Hear You Calling" |
Hijacked: Flight 285 | Deni Patton | Movie | |
1997 | Country Justice | Angie Baker | |
Buried Alive II | Laura Riskin | ||
1998 | The Fury Within | Joanna Hanlon | |
1999 | Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge | Det. Kelly Brooks | |
2001 | Oz | Lisa Logan | Episode: "Medium Rare" |
The Warden | Helen Hewitt | Movie | |
Strange Frequency | Lee Bonner | Episode: "Daydream Believer" | |
2002 | Once and Again | Miriam Rose Miller | Episode: "Aaron's List of Dreams" |
The Interrogation of Michael Crowe | Cheryl Crowe | Movie | |
2003 | Life on the Line | ||
The Dead Zone | Kate Moore | Episode: "Playing God" | |
2006 | The Veteran | Sara Reid | Movie |
2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Shannon Turner | Episode: "Leapin' Lizards" |
2008–2009 | Kyle XY | Sarah | 4 episodes |
2009 | Citizen Jane | Jane Alexander | Movie |
2009–2011/13 | Psych | Yang | 4 episodes |
2014 | Not with My Daughter ) | Melissa Eco | Movie |
2022–2023 | Single ... Female | Carol | Main role |
Awards and Nominations

Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | Saturn Award | Best Actress | WarGames | Nominated |
Young Artist Award | Best Young Motion Picture Actress in a Feature Film | Nominated | ||
1990 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress | Fear | Nominated |
1993 | Man's Best Friend | Nominated | ||
1999 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | High Art | Won |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Actress (tie) | Won | ||
National Society of Film Critics | Won | |||
Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Actress (2nd place) | Nominated | ||
Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
2005 | MTV Movie Awards | Silver Bucket of Excellence Award (shared with other main cast members) |
The Breakfast Club | Won |
2010 | Gotham Independent Film Awards | Best Ensemble Performance | Life During Wartime | Nominated |
Books
- She Was Nice to Mice, McGraw-Hill, 1975, ISBN: 0-440-47844-8
- Yesterday I Saw the Sun: Poems, Summit Books, 1991, ISBN: 0-671-73130-0
See Also
In Spanish: Ally Sheedy para niños