Molly
Kathleen Ringwald was born February 18, 1968 in Roseville , California . She is
the daughter of Bob Ringwald ( website www.ringwald.com ), a Jazz Pianist
and Banjo player .Her parents owned a cafeteria in Downtown Los Angeles . She
has older sister, Beth and older brother, Kelly .She Is fluent in French, having
attended the Lycee Francaise School in Los Angeles and having lived and worked
in France for a few years, has made movies in French .
The Early
Years
Molly started acting at the the age of 5 as Dormouse in "Alice
Through the
Looking Glass" in a community theater production . At the age of
6, she had recorded ' I Wanna Be Loved by You ' ( go to
www.ringwald.com/recordings.htm ) , a music album of Dixieland jazz with her
father and his group, the Fulton Street Jazz Band .
She had a guest
appearance on the 1970s revival of the Micky Mouse Club . In 1978
In 1978,
at the age of 10, she played Kate in the touring company of the musical Annie.
She appeared in one episode of Diff'rent Strokes and was selected to become a
cast member of the spin-off The Facts of Life .
In 1980, Ringwald performed
as a lead vocalist on two Disney albums 'Yankee Doodle Mickey ' singing "This Is
My Country" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Films
Tempest 1982
Ringwald plays Miranda Dimitrius, daughter of a New York architect who
has a mid life crisis and moves to Greece.
Based on the William Shakespeare
play, The Tempest . Molly was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1983 for this
movie .
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone 1983
Now a scifi
cult favorite , Molly plays Niki , an orphan girl who helps the bounty hunter
hero in this 80s scifi 3D movie .
Sixteen Candles 1984
Her break out
role in the coming of age John Hughes movie, also starring Anthony Michael Hall.
Plays Samantha Baker whose"sweet sixteenth" birthday becomes anything but
special . Molly won the Best Young Artist Award in 1985 for this film
.
The Breakfast Club 1985
Plays high school princess Claire Standish
in this cult classic John Hughes film .
Other proposed titles were "The Lunch
Bunch" and "Library Revolution".
Pretty in Pink 1986
Movie about
teenage love and social cliques in 1980s . In one interview
she considered it
her favorite film and the on screen kiss with Andrew McCarthy
her favorite
screen kiss. Breakout movie for James Spader .
The Pick-up Artist
1987
Plays Randy Jensen, a tour guide who playing sassy tour guide whose
alcoholic father ( Dennis Hopper ) is in trouble with the Mob, beats womanizer
Jack Jericho (Robert Downey Jr. ) at his own game.
Also starring Harvey
Keitel .
For Keeps 1988
Plays high school student Darcy who becomes
pregnant in her last "teen" movie, and is cited as one of her best performances
for the realistic portrayal of teenage parents.
Original title considered:
"Maybe Baby".
Fresh Horses 1988
Andrew McCarthy plays a college
student that falls in love with a less educated and less cultured young girl
Kentucky girl, Jewel .Title comes from Ben Stiller who plays Andrew McCarthy
friend and advises him to get a 'fresh horse ' ( new girlfriend ) This haunting
independent movie may have thrown her fans who were expecting Pretty in Pink 2
.
Strike It Rich 1990
Plays Cary Porter an American in 1950s London in
this romantic comedy .
Women and Men: Stories of Seduction 1990
Plays
the flapper Kit in "Dusk Before Fireworks" one of three stories in the movie
.
Betsy's Wedding 1990
A romantic comedy directed and starring Alan
Alda . Plays Betsy Hopper .A film about two different families, one struggling,
and the other one rich, whose children are going to marry .
Fatal Love
- Something to
Live for: The Alison Gertz Story 1992
Lead role in the real life story of
AIDS victim/activist Alison Gertz .
A well acted tv movie .
Face the
Music 1993
The Stand 1994
a 1994 television miniseries based on the
novel The Stand by Stephen King. Plays Frannie Goldsmith
Malicious
1995
Plays Melissa Nelson a woman who stalks an ex-lover
Townies
1996
Comedy tv series about friends stuck in a small New england fishing
town working in a diner .
10 episodes aired .
Enfants de Saleud
1996
Bastard Brood US
French comedy, Moly plays Susan .
3 women
and one man, Sylvette , Sophie, Susan and Sandro don?t know who and where their
father is. One day they all see him in the newspaper, he is a murderer
.
Office Killer 1997
Twice Upon a Time 1998
Plays Beth sager,
who is unhappy with her life, makes a wish for a different life and finds
herself a parallel world . Molly's father also appears in the film .
The
Outer Limits 2000
Molly returns to scifi in the Judgment Day episode
about an alternate history .
The Translator 2000
Plays Julie
Newman in this short thriller
Cowboy Up 2001
Plays Connie in the
western romance with Kiefer Sutherland and Daryl Hannah . Ringwald gives a great
performance in a supporting role
The $treet 2000
As
Devyn Alden in episode ' Propheting on Losses '
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
2008 ABC TV show
Plays mother of Amy (Shailene Woodley) who doesn't suspect she is pregnant, at least for the first few months anyway .
Movies in the works
Guest of
Cindy Sherman 2008
Movie roles turned down
Turned down the Julia
Roberts role in Pretty Woman , the Demi Moore role in Ghost . According to some
reports, her mother hid the offer for Laura Dern's role in Blue Velvet because
she found it upsetting .
She Made the cover of Time magazine in the May
26 , 1986 issue
Recent Interviews
On the off-Broadway musical tick, tick.BOOM!