Biography for
Michelle Pfeiffer More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

29 April 1958, Santa Ana, California, USA

Birth Name

Michelle Marie Pfeiffer

Height

5' 7½" (1.71 m)

Mini Biography

Michelle Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California to Dick and Donna Pfeiffer. She has an older brother and two younger sisters - Dedee Pfeiffer, and Lori Pfeiffer, who both dabbled in acting and modeling but decided against making it their lives' work. She graduated from Fountain Valley High School in 1976, and attended one year at the Golden West College, where she studied to become a court reporter. But it was while working as a supermarket checker at Vons, a large Southern California grocery chain, that she realized her true calling. She was married to actor/director Peter Horton ("Gary" of "thirtysomething" (1987)) in 1981. They were later divorced, and she then had a three year relationship with actor Fisher Stevens. When that didn't work out, Pfeiffer decided she didn't want to wait any longer before having her own family, and in March of 1993, she adopted a baby girl, Claudia Rose. On November 13th of the same year, she married lawyer-turned-writer/producer David E. Kelley, creator of "Picket Fences" (1992), "Chicago Hope" (1994), "The Practice" (1997), and "Boston Public" (2000). On August 5, 1994 their son, John Henry was born.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Natica Jackson

Spouse

David E. Kelley	(13 November 1993 - present) 2 children
Peter Horton	(5 October 1981 - 1 October 1988) (divorced)

Trivia

Used to work in a clothing store.

Ranked #39 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Born at 8:11am-PDT.

She thought about looking for a man to father a child with "no strings attached," but decided to adopt instead. She adopted a daughter, 'Claudia Rose'.

Won the Miss Orange County beauty pageant.

Was voted Best Dressed Female Movie Star. [1997]

Studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse.

Michelle's name was misspelled as 'Michele' in the credits of her film, Callie & Son (1981) (TV).

Dated Fisher Stevens

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#3). [1995]

Replaced Annette Bening as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992).

Does her own singing in Grease 2 (1982), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Hairspray (2007).

The character Catwoman/Selina Kyle, who she played in Batman Returns (1992), was voted #3 in Empire's "69 Sexiest Movie Characters of All Time". [2000]

Turned down the Sharon Stone role in Basic Instinct (1992).

While a teenage clerk at Vons Grocery Store in California, c. 1974, she learned to tie maraschino cherry stems in knots with her tongue.

Has an adopted daughter named Claudia Rose (born in 1993) and a son named John Henry (born in 1994) with husband David E. Kelley, named after David's father.

Accidentally cut Al Pacino with broken glass while auditioning for Scarface (1983).

Studied acting under Geraldine Page at workshop at LA's Ahmanson Theater.

Her first job as a performer was playing "Alice" from Alice in Wonderland (1951) at Disneyland in the Main Street Electrical Parade in the mid 1970s.

Measurements: 33 1/2B-24-34 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

There was a study done of the faces of beautiful women, quantifying the ratio of the width of the mouth to the width of the nose, attempting to find the perfect proportions for the perfect face of feminine beauty (the ratio turns out to be something like 1.7). The movie star with the most perfect proportions for feminine facial beauty, based on this measure, turns out to be Michelle Pfeiffer.

Attended Fountain Valley High School in Fountain Valley, California and graduated within 3 years.

Older sister of Lori Pfeiffer, and Dedee Pfeiffer.

Actor Val Kilmer wrote poetry for her.

Is of Dutch, German, Irish, Swedish and Swiss descent.

During an A&E "Biography" (1987), she said that her Catwoman costume from Batman Returns (1992) was vacuum-sealed once she was fitted into it for scenes, so she actually had only a short amount of time to perform before she would have to have it opened or she could become light-headed and pass out.

Was chosen to be on the cover of the first ever "People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue in 1990; appeared on the list a record 6 times (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999) and the first person to appear on the cover of the special issue twice (1990 and 1999).

Barbara Walters called her and Julia Roberts the most beautiful people she has ever interviewed.

Voted by Biography Magazine readers as the most beautiful woman of the 1990s.

Chosen by People Magazine as one of the most intriguing people of 1988 and 1989.

Turned down the role of the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005); she was the only major Hollywood star offered the role.

Sister-in-law of Jude Cole.

Was considered for the role of Eva Perón in Evita (1996), and when the film was to be directed by Oliver Stone, she even had taken a good few months voice training for the role.

In 1999, joined the 12 million dollar club alongside Meg Ryan and Jodie Foster.

In an Entertainment Weekly on-line poll, she placed second in the category of Best Modern Actress; beaten only by Meryl Streep [September 1999].

Was offered the role of Clarice Starling, in the movie The Silence of the Lambs (1991), that eventually went to Jodie Foster.

Ex-sister-in-law of Gregory Fein.

Has been an an avid oil painter for most of her life.

Has worked with four live-action Batmans. First, she appeared in Batman Returns (1992), with Michael Keaton. She worked with Val Kilmer "ABC Afterschool Specials" (1972) {One Too Many (#13.7)} and The Prince of Egypt (1998). In One Fine Day (1996), she works with George Clooney, and in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), she works with Christian Bale.

Director Tim Burton originally wanted her to play "Vicki Vale" to replace Sean Young, the original choice, in Batman (1989), but that part eventually went to Kim Basinger. When Burton made Batman Returns (1992), he cast her as "Catwoman/Selina Kyle".

Was nominated for 6 consecutive golden globe awards from 1989-1994.

Has been very good friends with Cher since working together on The Witches of Eastwick (1987) in the 80s.

One of her favorite films is The Wizard of Oz (1939).

When she was in her twenties, strangers would come up to her thinking she was Deborah Harry from the band Blondie. Not surprisingly, Harry stated in an interview that if she could choose any actress to play her in a film, she would choose Pfeiffer.

Was voted by Empire Magazine as 13th Greatest actress of her time (out of 50 actresses) 2004.

Good friends with Ellen Barkin.

Empire Magazine voted her the 33rd sexiest December 2007.

She is close friends with Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw, Nicole Kidman, Jack Nicholson, Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Martin Scorsese and Cher.

Was considered for the lead role in Mamma Mia! (2008) that eventually went to Meryl Streep.

According to her interview in Premiere Magazine in 1999 she would really like to work with: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt.

Was considered for the role of 'Ginger McKenna' in Casino (1995) that eventually went to Sharon Stone.

In the mid-nineties, she was attached to star in a remake of The Innocents (1961) starring Deborah Kerr, based on the Henry James novel "The Turn of the Screw".

Was considered for the role in Bugsy (1991) that eventually went to Annette Bening.

Was considered for the role of Lynne Bracken in L.A. Confidential (1997) that eventually went to Kim Basinger.

Auditoned for the role in Urban Cowboy (1980) that eventually went to Debra Winger.

Was attached to star in two romantic comedies in 2004. One was "Taming Ben Taylor" (2004) with Kevin Costner and the other was She's Gone a romantic comedy about a couple whose marriage is at a crossroads. It was to be produced by Armyan Bernstein and Mark Johnson for Disney.

Said she wanted to star in a Grease remake with Jessica Simpson.

Was considered for a part in Working Girl (1988) along with Meryl Streep. The roles eventually went to Melanie Griffith (replacing Pfeiffer) and Sigourney Weaver (replacing Streep).

Was considered for one of the roles in Thelma & Louise (1991), along with Jodie Foster as her co-star. Holly Hunter and Frances McDormand were also considered for the roles, that eventually went to Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis.

Before the role in Chéri (2009) went to Pfeiffer, Jessica Lange was attached to play the lead, and was attached to the project for a number of years. She has credit as a producer on the film.

Turned down the role of the Angel of death in A Prairie Home Companion (2006). The role went to Virginia Madsen.

Auditioned for the role of Emmeline in The Blue Lagoon (1980), but she was dissatisfied with the character. The part went to Brooke Shields.

Was considered for the role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) that was played by Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Was considered for the role in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) that was played by Jennifer Grey.

Was offered the role of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), but she turned it down. Jodie Foster, who went on to win a Best Actress Oscar for her performance, was cast instead.

A potentially very interesting role that got away from Michelle was Mistress of the Seas, to be directed by Paul Verhoeven and produced by Jon Peters. It was to have centered around the true story of two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read who sailed the seas with 'Calico Jack' in the Caribbean during the 18th Century. Michelle and Geena Davis were to be involved, but Geena had already signed up to do her own pirate flick, Cutthroat Island and Michelle, after meetings with Verhoeven, withdrew from the project, stating that all the conversations 'were about how much skin I would show.'

In 1999 she was offered two roles but turned them down. The role In Double Jeopardy (1999) went to Ashley Judd. She was also offered Passion of Mind (2000) which went to Demi Moore.

Was offered a role in Lorenzo's Oil (1992) but backed out due to scheduling conflicts from Batman Returns (1992). The role ultimately went to Susan Sarandon.

Was offered the role in Disclosure (1994) alongside Michael Douglas but turned it down. The role went to Demi Moore.

She was offered the role of Slim Keith in Infamous (2006). She turned down the role and it was then given to Hope Davis.

While Pfeiffer was involved with her own production company Via Rose Productions, she had a few projects in development. They included a biopic of singer, Marianne Faithful, the artist, Georgia O'Keefe as well as a sci-fi/drama, a female basketball coach, a project where she'd play a tabloid journalist called "Privacy", also included in the mix are one about the Rosewood Education Center in South Central, L.A. where gang members help and work with handicap kids. Another script in development was where she would play an undercover drug agent in a project called, "The Ice Queen", based on the true story of DEA agent Heidi Landgraf who posed as a drug queen and ended up sending 200 dealers to jail.

Personal Quotes

I still think people will find out that I'm really not very talented. I'm really not very good. It's all just been a big sham.

[On playing her part of Claire Spencer in What Lies Beneath (2000)] "I thought about Drew Barrymore in the first Scream (1996/I) - I mean, ultimately that movie was more funny than scary, but the opening sequence was quite terrifying, and she portrayed terror in a way I'd never seen an actress do."

[On wearing her costume in Batman Returns (1992) for the first time]: "I thought to myself 'I can't move, I can't breathe, I can't think. I'm unhappy. I can't act'."

[on cosmetic surgery] "If that nose or those jowls bother you, do it! But this epidemic of people losing sight of what looks good, the distortion that has been going on is creepy."

I act for free, but I demand a huge salary as compensation for all the annoyance of being a public personality. In that sense, I earn every dime I make.

Ultimately, I believe the only secret to a happy marriage is choosing the right person. Life is a series of choices, right?

I was shocked at the prejudice, voiced in some quarters, over my decision to adopt a mixed-race baby. It's really surprising that people still put so much emphasis on it. None of us are pure anything. We're all a mixture. Claudia is a beautiful child, and some of the most beautiful people I've seen in the world have been of mixed race. As mother of both an adopted child and my own birth-child, there is absolutely no difference in the huge amount of love I feel for both my children. I always knew I wanted to adopt a child and also have one of my own. There is no difference at all.

I have to say this singing was harder than any I've done before. The melodies are so fast that you can barely get a breath in. But once I got past the 'Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into' phase, it was so much fun to sing again.

For me, getting comfortable with being famous was hard - that whole side of it, the loss of anonymity, the loss of privacy. Giving up that part of your life and not having control of it.

Acting's an odd profession for a young person; it's so extreme. You work, and the conditions are tough and the process is so immersive, and then it stops, and then there's nothing. So you have to find ways of making you feel productive when you're not actually producing anything. For a young person, that's really challenging.

[On her role as "Velma Von Tussle" in Hairspray (2007)] It's a lot of fun to play mean and sinister - but you certainly put yourself at risk for scenery chewing. And, every once in a while, Adam [Shankman, the director] would come over to me after a take and say, 'Hey, Michelle - is there a chair leg in your teeth?

(From Movieline magazine April 2002) People like Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep have paved the way and our window of opportunity expands incrementally year by year. Obviously, the kind of roles I'm offered are different than before, but I feel like the roles have only gotten more interesting. I want to grow up to be Judi Dench or Ellen Burstyn. The older we get, the less we work, but look at the work just those two women are doing. It gets deeper.

It's my profound fear of embarrassment that's kept me going. That's the key to my success

It seems that my leading men just keep getting younger the older I get. (from the Berlin Film Festival Promoting Cheri)

If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait till you hit 50 - and I was surprised at how liberating it was.

Interview with Movieline April 2002: (On being asked who do you find ravishing?) I find Cate Blanchett just so beautiful, so chameleon-like so good in such different things. Brad Pitt is great looking. He's pretty cute I'd like to work with him, too. There are people i love on screen that I would love to work with. I adore Goerge Clooney and i'd love to work with him again. I'd love to work with Ralph Fiennes. I'd love to work with Sean Penn again. I also find my husband very, very attractive.

(On having to turn down the part of Evita that eventually went to Madonna): It was a very hard decision. I worked my ass off for that part. I was 6 months pregnant, doing Dangerous Minds, taking voice lessons, and making demos on the weekend. Then it got too expensive to keep the production in Los Angeles.

I look over and I've cut Al Pacino. This is the guy who already hates me. So, well, there goes that, I guess! But I actually think it's when he began to like me. And we've been good friends ever since. I got the job. (July 2007 Inside the Actors studio)

(On George Clooney while on The Jonathan Ross show BBC 1 August 2007) He's just a great guy, great with kids. I bet him he would get married and he keeps inflating the bet - from 100 dollars to 100,000 dollars. I still think he will, he's a handsome devil.

Salary

What Lies Beneath (2000)	$10,500,000
Batman Returns (1992)	$3,000,000
Frankie and Johnny (1991)	$3,000,000

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