Michelle Pfeiffer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle Pfeiffer
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Pfeiffer in 2018
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Michelle Marie Pfeiffer
April 29, 1958 Santa Ana, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1977–present |
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Full list |
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| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Dedee Pfeiffer (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
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Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (born April 29, 1958) is a famous American actress and producer. She was one of the most popular stars in Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s. Her acting has won her many awards, including a Golden Globe Award and a British Academy Film Award. She has also been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Pfeiffer started her acting career with small roles in TV shows and movies. Her first main role was in Grease 2 (1982). She became widely known for her role as Elvira Hancock in Scarface (1983), which made her very successful. After this, she had important roles in The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and Tequila Sunrise (1988).
Pfeiffer received her first of six Golden Globe Award nominations for Married to the Mob (1988). She was nominated for two Academy Awards in a row: for Dangerous Liaisons (1988) as Best Supporting Actress, and for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) as Best Actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for The Fabulous Baker Boys.
By the 1990s, Pfeiffer was one of the highest-paid actresses. She starred in The Russia House (1990) and Frankie and Johnny (1991). In 1992, she played Catwoman in Batman Returns. She also received her third Academy Award nomination for Love Field. She then appeared in The Age of Innocence (1993) and Wolf (1994). Through her company, Via Rosa Productions, she produced and starred in movies like Dangerous Minds (1995).
Pfeiffer worked less in the 2000s to spend more time with her family. She appeared in movies such as What Lies Beneath (2000), White Oleander (2002), Hairspray, and Stardust (both 2007).
After a break, Pfeiffer returned to acting in 2017 with roles in Where Is Kyra?, Mother!, and Murder on the Orient Express. That same year, she was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy Award for playing Ruth Madoff in the TV movie The Wizard of Lies. In 2020, she received her eighth Golden Globe Award nomination for French Exit. Since 2018, Pfeiffer has played Janet van Dyne in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Early Life and Beginnings
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer was born on April 29, 1958, in Santa Ana, California. She was the second of four children. Her mother, Donna Jean, was a housewife, and her father, Richard Pfeiffer, worked with air-conditioning. She has an older brother, Rick, and two younger sisters, Dedee and Lori. Her parents were from North Dakota. Her family moved to Midway City, where she grew up.
Pfeiffer went to Fountain Valley High School and graduated in 1976. She worked at a supermarket and attended Golden West College. After a short time training to be a court stenographer, she decided to become an actress. In 1978, Pfeiffer won the Miss Orange County beauty pageant and placed sixth in the Miss California contest. After these pageants, she found an agent and started trying out for TV and movie roles.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting Out in the Late 1970s and 1980s
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Pfeiffer first appeared on TV in 1978 in an episode of Fantasy Island. She then had roles in other TV series like CHiPs and B.A.D. Cats. She also appeared in the TV movie The Solitary Man (1979). Her first movie role was in the comedy The Hollywood Knights (1980). She also had supporting roles in Falling in Love Again (1980) and Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). None of these early films were very successful.
Pfeiffer got her first main movie role in Grease 2 (1982), which was a sequel to the popular musical Grease (1978). She was not well-known at 23, but the director chose her because she had a "quirky quality." Even though the movie was not a hit, critics noticed Pfeiffer's performance. The New York Times said she looked "much more insouciant and comfortable than anyone else." Despite this, her agent said she had trouble getting jobs after Grease 2. Pfeiffer later said she needed to learn how to act and was mostly playing roles based on her looks.
Director Brian De Palma initially did not want to audition Pfeiffer for Scarface (1983). However, the producer insisted, and she was cast as Elvira Hancock. The movie was very violent, but it became a commercial success and later gained a large fan following. Pfeiffer received good reviews for her role. Richard Corliss of Time Magazine wrote, "Michelle Pfeiffer is better..."
After Scarface, she appeared in several films that helped her become a recognized actress. These included Into the Night (1985), Ladyhawke (1985), and Sweet Liberty (1986). She then had a big box-office hit in The Witches of Eastwick (1987), starring with Jack Nicholson, Cher, and Susan Sarandon. The film was well-received and earned a lot of money.
Pfeiffer played a gangster's widow in Married to the Mob (1988). For this role, she wore a curly wig and used a Brooklyn accent. She received her first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. This started a six-year streak of Golden Globe nominations for her. She then appeared in Tequila Sunrise (1988) with Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell.
Pfeiffer joined the cast of Dangerous Liaisons (1988), playing Madame Marie de Tourvel, a good-hearted woman who is tricked. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for this performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Pfeiffer then took on the role of Susie Diamond, a tough lounge singer, in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). She trained her voice for four months and sang all her character's songs herself. The movie was a moderate success, but Pfeiffer's acting received huge praise from critics. Roger Ebert compared her to famous actresses like Marilyn Monroe. Pfeiffer won many awards for this role, including a Golden Globe. Her performance as Susie is often seen as the best of her career. The scene where she sings "Makin' Whoopee" on a piano is very famous.
Success in the 1990s
In 1990, Pfeiffer started her own film production company, Via Rosa Productions. She began earning $1 million per film. She played a Soviet book editor, Katya Orlova, in The Russia House (1990), which required her to use a Russian accent. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for this role. Pfeiffer then played a waitress named Frankie in Frankie and Johnny (1991), reuniting with her Scarface co-star, Al Pacino. She was again nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama.
Pfeiffer took on the role of Selina Kyle–Catwoman in Tim Burton's superhero film Batman Returns (1992). She trained in martial arts and kickboxing for the part. Critics and fans widely praised her portrayal of Catwoman, often calling it the best ever. Batman Returns was a big box office success, earning over $267 million worldwide.
Her company's first film was the drama Love Field, released in 1992. Critics liked the film, and The New York Times said Pfeiffer showed she was "as subtle and surprising as she is beautiful." For her role as a housewife, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. In Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993), Pfeiffer starred as a Countess in 1870s New York City. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Pfeiffer starred with Jack Nicholson in the 1994 film Wolf, playing a woman who falls for a writer who becomes a wolf-man. The film had mixed reviews but was a commercial success, earning $131 million worldwide.
Pfeiffer's next role was as high school teacher LouAnne Johnson in the drama Dangerous Minds (1995), which her company co-produced. She appeared in the music video for the song "Gangsta's Paradise" from the film's soundtrack. While Dangerous Minds received negative reviews, it was a box office hit, making $179.5 million globally.
In 1996, Pfeiffer played Sally Atwater in the romantic drama Up Close & Personal with Robert Redford. She also played the main role in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, a drama adapted by her husband, David Kelley. She was also an executive producer and starred as a divorced single mother in the romantic comedy One Fine Day with George Clooney.
Later, she appeared in A Thousand Acres (1997), The Deep End of the Ocean (1998), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). She also starred in The Story of Us (1999) with Bruce Willis. A Thousand Acres and The Deep End of the Ocean were also produced by her company. Pfeiffer voiced Tzipporah in DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt (1998), a musical based on the Book of Exodus. She also sang the film's theme song "When You Believe". The Prince of Egypt was a success with critics and audiences.
Working Less in the 2000s
Pfeiffer started to close her film production company in 1999 and began to work less to spend more time with her family. She was supposed to star in the film Original Sin (2001), which her company produced, but she decided not to.
In What Lies Beneath (2000), a thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis, Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford played a couple who experience strange events that reveal secrets from their past. The film was a box office hit, earning $291 million worldwide. She then played Rita Harrison, a lawyer helping a father with a disability, in the drama I Am Sam (2001) with Sean Penn.
Pfeiffer took on the role of Ingrid Magnussen, an artist, in the drama White Oleander (2002). The film was a success. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said Pfeiffer gave "the most complex screen performance of her career." She won Best Supporting Actress Awards from several film critics' groups.
In 2003, Pfeiffer voiced Eris, the goddess of chaos, in the animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. After this film, she took a four-year break from acting to focus on her family. During this time, she turned down a role in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005).
Pfeiffer returned to movies in 2007 with roles in two big films, Hairspray and Stardust. In Hairspray, a musical film, she played Velma Von Tussle, a racist TV station manager. Pfeiffer said Velma was her most difficult role because of the character's racism, but she was drawn to the film's important message against prejudice. Hairspray was very successful, earning $202.5 million worldwide. Critics praised Pfeiffer's performance. In the fantasy adventure Stardust, Pfeiffer played Lamia, an ancient witch looking for eternal youth. The film received positive reviews.
Pfeiffer starred in the romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007), playing Rosie, a 40-year-old divorced mother who falls in love with a younger man. The film was released mainly on home video. She also starred in Personal Effects with Ashton Kutcher, playing two people dealing with loss who find an unexpected connection.
Her next film, Chéri, reunited her with the director and screenwriter of Dangerous Liaisons. Pfeiffer played an older woman, Léa de Lonval. The film premiered at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. Critics praised Pfeiffer's performance, with The Times calling it "magnetic and subtle."
Return to Prominence in the 2010s
After a two-year break, Pfeiffer joined a large cast in the romantic comedy New Year's Eve (2011). She played Ingrid Withers, an overwhelmed secretary. While the film received negative reviews, it made $142 million worldwide. In 2012, she appeared in the drama People Like Us as the mother of a struggling businessman.
Pfeiffer reunited with director Tim Burton in Dark Shadows (2012), based on the TV show. She played Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the head of the Collins family. Critics praised the actors' performances, including Pfeiffer's. Dark Shadows earned $245.5 million globally. In Luc Besson's comedy The Family (2013), she played a tough mother in a Mafia family trying to change their lives under a witness protection program. The film earned $78.4 million worldwide.
Pfeiffer explained that she worked less in the 2000s due to family reasons and her careful choice of roles. She said she planned to "work a lot" once her children went to college, feeling her best performance was "still in her."
In the independent drama Where Is Kyra? (2017), Pfeiffer starred as a sensitive woman who loses her mother and must find a way to survive. The film received critical acclaim, with some calling it the "performance of her life."
Pfeiffer played Ruth Madoff in the HBO Films drama The Wizard of Lies (2017), based on a book. The film reunited her with Robert De Niro, who played her husband, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. The Wizard of Lies received good reviews. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role.
In Darren Aronofsky's mystery film Mother! (2017), Pfeiffer played one of the mysterious guests who disturb a couple's peaceful life. Critics praised Pfeiffer's performance, with some saying it deserved an Oscar nomination.
Pfeiffer played a socialite in Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express (2017), based on Agatha Christie's novel. She also recorded the song "Never Forget" for the film's soundtrack. The film earned $351.7 million worldwide. Critics praised the performances, especially Pfeiffer's.
Pfeiffer joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp, in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). She briefly returned to the role in Avengers: Endgame (2019). In 2019, she starred with Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning in the fantasy sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, playing the villainous Queen Ingrith.
Recent Work in the 2020s
Pfeiffer starred in the dark comedy French Exit (2020), based on a novel. She played a widow who moves to Paris, France, with her son and cat, who is her reincarnated husband. The film received positive reviews, and Variety said she gave a performance "for which she'll be remembered." Pfeiffer received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her role.
In April 2022, Pfeiffer played former First Lady Betty Ford in the TV series The First Lady. In 2023, she returned as Janet van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Pfeiffer is set to star in the psychological thriller Turn of Mind and the film Wild Four O'Clocks. In March 2024, it was announced she was cast in the holiday comedy Oh. What. Fun. (2025). In August 2024, it was announced she would star in and produce the Yellowstone spin-off The Madison. In September 2024, it was announced Pfeiffer would star with Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the Apple TV+ series Margo's Got Money Troubles.
Other Activities
Products and Endorsements
In 2005, Pfeiffer was the face of Giorgio Armani's spring fashion campaign. The designer often dresses her for public events.
In 2019, she launched her own collection of perfumes called Henry Rose. It is known for being the first perfume line to be certified as safe for the environment and verified by the Environmental Working Group.
In 2025, Pfeiffer became the face of fashion house Yves Saint Laurent's Summer 2025 collection.
Charity Work
Pfeiffer supports the American Cancer Society and the Humane Society. In 2016, she attended a gala for organizations that promote children's environmental health. In December 2016, Pfeiffer joined the board of directors for the Environmental Working Group, a group that works to protect the environment.
Personal Life
When she was 20, Pfeiffer was involved with a couple who ran a group focused on metaphysics and vegetarianism. They helped her stop some unhealthy habits, but they also took control of her life and money. She later said she was "brainwashed."
Pfeiffer met actor Peter Horton in an acting class. They started dating and married in 1981. She found out she got the lead role in Grease 2 on their honeymoon. Horton directed Pfeiffer in a 1985 TV special, One Too Many. They also played a couple in the 1987 comedy Amazon Women on the Moon.
Pfeiffer and Horton separated in 1988 and divorced two years later. Horton later said their focus on work contributed to the split. Pfeiffer then had a three-year relationship with actor/producer Fisher Stevens.
In 1993, Pfeiffer married TV writer and producer David E. Kelley. She had a small role in one episode of Kelley's TV series Picket Fences and starred in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, which Kelley wrote. Before meeting Kelley, she had started the process to adopt a child. In March 1993, she adopted a newborn daughter, Claudia Rose, who was christened on Pfeiffer's and Kelley's wedding day. In 1994, Pfeiffer gave birth to a son, John Henry Kelley II.
Pfeiffer tried a plant-based diet for a few years but later added meat back to her diet.
Filmography and Awards
According to the website Rotten Tomatoes, some of Pfeiffer's most praised films include The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Hairspray (2007), Married to the Mob (1988), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), The Age of Innocence (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Scarface (1983), Where Is Kyra? (2017), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and Stardust (2007).
Pfeiffer has been nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and Best Actress for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and Love Field (1992). She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama for The Fabulous Baker Boys. She has also received seven other Golden Globe nominations for her roles. For Dangerous Liaisons, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for The Wizard of Lies.
Images for kids
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Pfeiffer in 2018
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Michelle Pfeiffer's signature
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Pfeiffer in 1979
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Pfeiffer in 1985
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Pfeiffer at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1990
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Pfeiffer at the premiere of Stardust in 2007
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Pfeiffer speaking at an event for Mother! at the 2017 Venice Film Festival
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Pfeiffer meeting with Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2019
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Pfeiffer with husband David E. Kelley in 1994
See also
In Spanish: Michelle Pfeiffer para niños
