Phoebe Cates facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phoebe Cates
Cates in 2009
Born	Phoebe Belle Cates (1963-07-16) July 16, 1963 (age 62) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Phoebe Cates Kline
Alma mater	Juilliard School
Occupation	Actress model businesswoman
Years active	1982–1994
Spouse(s)	Kevin Kline ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	Owen Kline Greta Kline
Relatives	Gilbert Cates (uncle) Gil Cates Jr. (cousin)

Phoebe Belle Cates Kline (born July 16, 1963) is an American businesswoman and a former actress and model. She is famous for her roles in popular movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Gremlins (1984). She also appeared in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Drop Dead Fred (1991), and Princess Caraboo (1994). After her acting career, she opened her own shop called Blue Tree in 2005.

Early Life and Learning

Phoebe Cates was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City. Her family was very involved in television and Broadway shows. Her father, Joseph Cates, was a well-known Broadway producer and helped create famous TV shows. Her uncle, Gilbert Cates, also produced many TV specials and even the Academy Awards shows.

Phoebe's background is a mix of different cultures. Her father was Jewish, and her mother was Catholic. Her mother was born in Shanghai, China, and had Chinese-Filipino heritage. Her father was Russian Jewish from Manhattan.

Phoebe went to the Professional Children's School and the Juilliard School. For a while, she wanted to be a dancer. She even received a special scholarship to the School of American Ballet. However, she had to stop dancing at age 14 because of a knee injury.

Acting and Modeling Career

Phoebe Cates started modeling when she was ten years old. She appeared in magazines like Seventeen and other magazines for teens. She had a successful but short career as a model. She later said she didn't really like modeling because it felt like doing the same thing over and over. She mostly did it for the money. She was on the cover of Seventeen magazine four times. Because she wasn't happy with modeling, Phoebe decided to try acting instead.

First Movie Roles

Phoebe got her first movie role in Paradise (1982) after an audition in New York. She was unsure about some parts of the role, but her father encouraged her to take the job. The movie was filmed in Israel in 1981. Phoebe also sang the movie's main song and recorded an album. She later said she regretted being in that film.

Later in 1982, Phoebe starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. She said filming this movie was "the most fun." The next year, she was in the comedy Private School (1983). In this movie, she sang two songs for the soundtrack.

Becoming a TV Star

In 1984, Phoebe starred in the TV mini-series Lace. This show was based on a book. She played a character named Lili. She wanted this role to try something different from her movie parts. She impressed the writer so much during her audition that he hired her right away. She also appeared in the sequel mini-series, Lace II.

Gremlins and Stage Work

In the summer of 1984, Phoebe Cates co-starred in the very popular movie Gremlins. This film was produced by Steven Spielberg and became the highest-earning movie of her career. She played her character, Kate Beringer, again in the sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

In June 1984, Phoebe also started acting on stage in an Off-Broadway play called The Nest of the Wood Grouse. She said that acting in plays made her feel a new kind of freedom and connection to acting. She appeared in another Off-Broadway play two years later. In December 1989, Phoebe made her first appearance on Broadway in a play called The Tenth Man.

In 1988, Phoebe mentioned that there weren't many good roles for women in movies. She felt that theater had many more great parts for actresses. She said she enjoyed theater the most.

Later Films and Stepping Back

Phoebe continued to appear in films through the early 1990s. These movies often had her in supporting roles or as part of a group of actors. Some of these films include Date with an Angel (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), Shag (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), Drop Dead Fred (1991), and Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993).

Phoebe was supposed to play Steve Martin's daughter in the comedy Father of the Bride (1991). However, she had to leave the movie because she was expecting her first child.

In 1994, Phoebe starred in the movie Princess Caraboo with her husband, Kevin Kline. This was Phoebe's last movie before she decided to focus on raising her children, Owen and Greta.

After Acting

In 2001, Phoebe briefly returned to acting for one movie called The Anniversary Party. She did this as a favor to her good friend and former co-star, Jennifer Jason Leigh, who directed the film.

In 2005, Phoebe started a new business. She opened a shop called Blue Tree on Madison Avenue in New York City.

Personal Life and Family

Cates and Kevin Kline at an after party for the 1989 Academy Awards

In the early 1980s, Phoebe lived in an apartment in Greenwich Village. She met actor Kevin Kline in 1983 during an audition. They started dating two years later.

Phoebe and Kevin Kline got married in a private ceremony in New York on March 5, 1989. After they married, she changed her name to Phoebe Cates Kline. They moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York. They raised their two children there: a son named Owen Joseph Kline (born in 1991) and a daughter named Greta Kline (born in 1994).

Owen and Greta appeared with their parents in the 2001 movie The Anniversary Party. Owen also acted in the 2005 film The Squid and the Whale. He later directed his own movie called Funny Pages. Greta is the lead singer of the band Frankie Cosmos.

Movies and TV Shows

Movies

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Phoebe Cates para niños