Remember her? She was so pretty.
Early Fame
Phoebe Cates rose to fame as a teen icon after roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Gremlins,
where she played Kate Beringer. Born in 1963 in New York,
she appeared in 16 films over 12 years before leaving Hollywood in the mid-1990s.
Career Highlights
Her early films included Paradise and Fast Times, which she compared by saying,
“I was barely 17 when I filmed my nude sequences in Paradise.”
She later starred in Gremlins, Drop Dead Fred, and Princess Caraboo.
Despite mixed reviews, Fast Times became culturally significant.
Love for Theater
Cates preferred stage work, explaining, “I think of theater as what I prefer to do best.”
She felt film roles for women were limited compared to theater.
Life After Hollywood
She left acting to focus on family with husband Kevin Kline.
Later, she opened a New York boutique and made rare appearances,
proving she chose balance over fame.
