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Rebecca De Mornay
Rebecca De Mornay in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986).jpg
De Mornay in 1986
Born
Rebecca Jane Pearch

1958/1959 (age 64–65)
Other names Rebecca George
Occupation Actress
Years active 1975, 1981–present
Spouse(s)
Bruce Wagner
(m. 1986; div. 1990)
Children 2
Parent(s) Wally George (father)
Relatives Eugenia Clinchard (grandmother)

Rebecca De Mornay (born Rebecca Jane Pearch; August 29, c. 1958/1959) is an American actress. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she starred as Lana in Risky Business. De Mornay is also known for her roles in The Slugger's Wife (1985), Runaway Train (1985), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), Backdraft (1991), and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992).

Her other film credits include The Three Musketeers (1993), Never Talk to Strangers (1995), Identity (2003), Lords of Dogtown, Wedding Crashers (both 2005), and Mother's Day (2010). On television, she starred as Wendy Torrance in the miniseries adaptation of The Shining (1997), and as Dorothy Walker on Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015–19).

Early life

De Mornay was born Rebecca Jane Pearch in Santa Rosa, California, the daughter of Julie and Wally George ( George Walter Pearch), a disc jockey and later television host. According to the Associated Press, De Mornay's age is the subject of dispute, though it was announced in Santa Rosa's Press Democrat that her parents had a daughter born on August 29, 1959 at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Her paternal grandmother was vaudeville performer and child film actress Eugenia Clinchard.

Her parents divorced in 1960, and she took the surname of her stepfather, Richard De Mornay, after her mother married him in 1961. She spent her early years in Pasadena, California, until her stepfather died of a stroke on March 2, 1962, aged 48. After his death, De Mornay and her stepbrother were raised by her mother, who relocated the family to Europe, where they lived in several different locations. She attended the independent Summerhill School in Leiston, Suffolk, England before completing her studies at a private high school in Germany.

Career

Rebecca De Mornay (1987)
De Mornay in 1987

By the time she was 16, De Mornay had an agent who was selling her songs to German rock & roll musicians, and she had written the theme song for a kung fu movie called Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death (1975). In 1980, De Mornay returned to the United States and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Institute to study acting. She made her film debut with a small part in Francis Ford Coppola's 1981 film One from the Heart, which starred her real-life partner at the time, Harry Dean Stanton. ..... In 1985, she played the title role in The Slugger's Wife opposite Michael O'Keefe, and co-starred in The Trip to Bountiful and Runaway Train, both of which were nominated for several Academy Awards. That same year, she appeared with Starship's Mickey Thomas in the music video for the song "Sara". The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1986.

She also appeared in Roger Vadim's provocative 1988 remake of And God Created Woman, and as the wife of Kurt Russell's character in Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991). In 1990 she enacted the role of a USAF Captain pilot in HBO's successful Cold War film By the Dawn's Early Light. One of De Mornay's most commercially successful films was the thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, released in 1992. She starred as a defense lawyer in Sidney Lumet's murder drama Guilty as Sin (1993) with Don Johnson. Then she appeared in the 1995 drama film Never Talk to Strangers opposite Antonio Banderas, for which she was also the executive producer.

In 2003, she guest-starred as primary antagonist in the first two episodes of season 2 of Boomtown. In 2004, she guest-starred as attorney Hannah Rose for the last few episodes of The Practice and the following year, had a brief role alongside Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers. De Mornay also starred in the 2007 drama American Venus.

In June 2007, she appeared in the HBO series John from Cincinnati with a starring role as matriarch of a troubled Imperial Beach, California, surfing family and the grandmother/guardian of a teen surfer on the brink of greatness. She appeared in Darren Lynn Bousman's Mother's Day (2010).

In 2012, De Mornay played the role of Finch's mom in the movie American Reunion where she portrayed an attractive older woman and a love interest of Stifler. From 2015 to 2019, she appeared in Jessica Jones as Trish Walker's abusive mother.

Personal life

Rebecca-de-Mornay
De Mornay in 2006

De Mornay dated actor Harry Dean Stanton in the early 1980s. They met in 1981 on the set of One from the Heart and dated until De Mornay and Tom Cruise began an affair while filming Risky Business in 1982. De Mornay and Cruise broke up in 1985.

De Mornay married writer Bruce Wagner on December 16, 1986; they divorced in 1990.

De Mornay subsequently dated and was briefly engaged to singer Leonard Cohen. She co-produced Cohen's 1992 album The Future, which is also dedicated to her.

De Mornay was in a relationship with actor turned sportcaster Patrick O'Neal. They have two daughters together.

Filmography

Film

Rebecca De Mornay film work
Year Title Role Notes
1982 One from the Heart Understudy Credited as Rebecca de Mornay
1983 Risky Business Lana
1983 Testament Cathy Pitkin
1985 The Slugger's Wife Debby Palmer
1985 Runaway Train Sara
1985 The Trip to Bountiful Thelma
1987 Beauty and the Beast Beauty
1988 Feds Elizabeth "Ellie" DeWitt
1988 And God Created Woman Robin Shea Moran
1989 Dealers Anna Schuman
1990 By Dawn's Early Light Captain Moreau, USAF
1991 Backdraft Helen McCaffrey
1992 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Mrs. Mott / Peyton Flanders MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
1993 Guilty as Sin Jennifer Haines
1993 The Three Musketeers Milady de Winter
1995 Never Talk to Strangers Dr. Sarah Taylor Executive producer
1996 The Winner Louise Credited as Rebecca DeMornay
1999 Thick as Thieves Det. Louise Petrone
1999 A Table for One Ruth Draper
2000 The Right Temptation Derian McCall
2003 Identity Caroline Suzanne Credited as Rebecca DeMornay
2004 Raise Your Voice Aunt Nina
2005 Lords of Dogtown Philaine
2005 Wedding Crashers Mrs. Kroeger
2007 American Venus Celia Lane
2007 Music Within Mrs. Pimental
2010 Flipped Patsy Loski
2010 Mother's Day Natalie "Mother" Koffin
2011 A Fonder Heart Dr. Bach
2011 Apartment 1303 3D Maddie Slate
2012 American Reunion Rachel Finch
2015 Collar Mayor Ramona 'Nomi' Billingsley
2016 I Am Wrath Vivian Hill
2018 Periphery Vi Warner
2020 She Ball Aggie
TBA Peter Five Eight Brenda

Television

Rebecca De Mornay television work
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Tall Tales & Legends Slew Foot Sue Episode: "Pecos Bill"
1986 The Murders in the Rue Morgue Claire Dupin Television film
1990 By Dawn's Early Light Captain Moreau Television film
1991 Inconvenient Woman, AnAn Inconvenient Woman Flo March Television film
1993 Blind Side Linda Kaines Television film
1994 Getting Out Arlene Holsclaw Television film
1995 Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits Woman Episode: "The Conversion".
Also directed the episode.
1997 Shining, TheThe Shining Wendy Torrance Miniseries
1998 The Con Barbara Beaton / Nancy Thoroughgood Television film
1999 Night Ride Home Nora Mahler Television film
1999 ER Elaine Nichols 5 episodes
2000 Range of Motion Lainey Berman Television film
2001 Girl Thing, AA Girl Thing Kim McCormack Television film
2002 Salem Witch Trials Elizabeth Parris Television film
2003 No Place Like Home Liz Television pilot
2003 Boomtown Sabrina Fithian / Jill Foster 2 episodes
2004 Practice, TheThe Practice Hannah Rose 4 episodes
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tessa McKellen Episode: "Manipulated"
2007 John from Cincinnati Cissy Yost 5 episodes
2013 Hatfields & McCoys Mary Hatfield Unaired pilot
2013 Hawaii Five-0 Barbara Cotchin Episode: "A ia la aku"
2015–2019 Jessica Jones Dorothy Walker 13 episodes
2016, 2021 Lucifer Penelope Decker 3 episodes

Music videos

Rebecca De Mornay music video work
Year Artist Song Role
1985 Starship "Sara" Sara

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Rebecca De Mornay para niños

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