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Michelle Pfeiffer

ACTOR · BORN 1958

Michelle Pfeiffer

Born
29 April 1958, Santa Ana, California, USA
Known for
Jurassic Park (1993), Scarface (1983), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

48 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Michelle Pfeiffer (born 29 April 1958) is an actor best known for Jurassic Park, Scarface and Dangerous Liaisons.

Michelle Pfeiffer over the years

Michelle Pfeiffer in 1985 (age 27)
1985 · age 27Towpilot, CC BY-SA 3.0
Michelle Pfeiffer in 1994 (age 36)
1994 · age 36Alan Light, CC BY 2.0
Michelle Pfeiffer in 2007 (age 49)
2007 · age 49Jeremiah Christopher, CC BY 2.0

48 Interesting Facts About Michelle Pfeiffer

Interesting Facts (10)

  1. #001

    In her twenties, Michelle Pfeiffer was often mistaken for Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry, with strangers coming up to her thinking she was Harry. The likeness was so striking that Harry herself said in an interview that if a film were ever made about her life, she'd pick Pfeiffer to play her.

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  2. #002

    Michelle Pfeiffer says she never watches her finished films, a habit that reflects how critical, even perfectionist, she is about her own work and how seriously she takes it.

    Michelle Pfeiffer — Janet Van Dyne / Wasp and Bombshell
    Michelle Pfeiffer: Janet Van Dyne / Wasp and BombshellImage: Wikimedia Commons · joyparris, CC BY 3.0

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  3. #003

    Michelle Pfeiffer's first performing job was playing Alice in Wonderland in the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland in the mid-1970s, her first step into show business and the spark for her interest in acting.

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  4. #004

    While working as a cashier at a Vons supermarket in Southern California as a young woman, Michelle Pfeiffer learned to tie maraschino cherry stems in knots with her tongue, a modest beginning that later became one of her favorite stories to tell.

    Michelle Pfeiffer — Bombshell
    Michelle Pfeiffer: BombshellImage: Wikimedia Commons · Alan Light, CC BY 2.0

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  5. #005

    Michelle Pfeiffer met her future husband, David E. Kelley, on a blind date at Chez Jay, a restaurant and bar in Santa Monica, which years later turned up in Kelley's TV series Goliath (2016).

    Michelle Pfeiffer — a scene
    Michelle Pfeiffer: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · photo by Alan Light, edited by anetode, CC BY 2.0

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  6. #006

    In March 2004, Michelle Pfeiffer agreed to play Christine Vole, Marlene Dietrich's role, in a remake of Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution (1957), with her husband David E. Kelley adapting the script and Agatha Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard calling her perfect for the part. It never got made.

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  7. #007

    In an Entertainment Weekly online poll in September 1999, Michelle Pfeiffer came second as Best Modern Female Actor, behind only Meryl Streep, a measure of how respected and loved she still was at the end of the '90s.

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  8. #008

    In the mid-1990s, Michelle Pfeiffer signed on to star in a remake of The Innocents, the 1961 Deborah Kerr film adapted from Henry James's classic horror novella 'The Turn of the Screw,' but the project never came together and the film was never made.

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  9. #009

    In December 2007, Empire magazine put Michelle Pfeiffer 33rd on its list of the sexiest movie stars, still making such lists in her late forties.

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  10. #010

    Michelle Pfeiffer turned down the Angel of Death in A Prairie Home Companion (2006), Robert Altman's last film, adapted from Garrison Keillor's radio show; the part went to Virginia Madsen.

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Production Story (1)

  1. #011

    In 2004, Michelle Pfeiffer signed on for two romantic comedies, Taming Ben Taylor (2004), opposite Kevin Costner, and She's Gone (2004), about a marriage at a crossroads, to be produced for Disney by Armyan Bernstein and Mark Johnson. Neither got made.

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Behind the Scenes (9)

  1. #012

    Throughout her career, Michelle Pfeiffer has sung her own songs in many films. Among the productions where she displayed this talent are the 1982 film Grease 2, the 1989 film The Fabulous Baker Boys, the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt and the 2007 film Hairspray. In particular, her rendition of 'My Funny Valentine' in The Fabulous Baker Boys is remembered as an unforgettable performance that laid bare her musical ability. Her vocal performances in these films proved her talent not only for acting but also for singing.

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  2. #013

    Besides acting, Michelle Pfeiffer is a serious oil painter. She has pursued this art for much of her life and turned painting into a passion. For her, painting has been a way to express herself in the time left over from intense film shoots. This side of her shows her multifaceted interest in art and her creativity.

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  3. #014

    Between 1990 and 2000, Michelle Pfeiffer founded her own production company, Via Rosa Productions, and began developing numerous projects. Among these projects were biographical films about singer Marianne Faithfull and artist Georgia O'Keeffe, a sci-fi/alien abduction drama, the story of a women's basketball coach, and a production titled 'Privacy' in which she would play a tabloid journalist. A film was also planned about the Rosewood Education Center, which tells the story of a gang that helps disabled children in Los Angeles.

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  4. #015

    Throughout her career, Michelle Pfeiffer worked with many famous names and had close relationships with some of them. One of these was the actor Val Kilmer. Kilmer wrote poems for Pfeiffer. This romantic gesture shows the special bond between them. Pfeiffer's beauty and talent made her a source of inspiration for many people.

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  5. #016

    Michelle Pfeiffer turned down two important roles that Sharon Stone played. She rejected the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992) because it involved nudity. She did not accept the role of Ginger McKenna in Casino (1995) because she had played a similar character in Scarface. These decisions point to her acting principles and her selectivity in shaping her career.

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  6. #017

    Michelle Pfeiffer 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 to whom the offer was extended for this role. Pfeiffer's refusal shows her distant approach to the fantasy genre and big-budget blockbusters. Tilda Swinton ultimately took on the role and won great acclaim for her performance.

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  7. #018

    Michelle Pfeiffer was already in the process of adopting a child when she met her future husband, David E. Kelley. The couple adopted Claudia Rose just two months after they got together. This event reveals the shared values that formed the foundation of their relationship.

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  8. #019

    Michelle Pfeiffer turned down the lead role in Still Alice (2014). Julianne Moore, who took on the role, portrayed a professor with Alzheimer's disease and won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Pfeiffer's refusal is seen as an important decision in her career; however, Moore's success proved how powerful the role was.

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  9. #020

    Michelle Pfeiffer received her acting training from the famous actress Geraldine Page at a workshop held at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Page was a respected figure in the worlds of theatre and cinema, and she taught Pfeiffer the finer points of acting.

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Characters & Cast (9)

  1. #021

    During Michelle Pfeiffer's audition for Scarface (1983), a piece of broken glass injured the film's star, Al Pacino. The mishap raised the tension in the room but didn't throw her off, and she won the part, which became one of the turning points of her career.

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  2. #022

    On A&E's Biography, Michelle Pfeiffer described what it was like to wear the iconic Catwoman suit in Batman Returns (1992): once she was in it, it was vacuum-sealed, which limited her movement, so she had to get her scenes done quickly or risk getting dizzy and fainting.

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  3. #023

    Michelle Pfeiffer was offered Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman (1990) but turned it down because she didn't like the script's 'tone.' The part made Julia Roberts a star, and Pfeiffer's choice shows how carefully she picked her scripts.

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  4. #024

    Michelle Pfeiffer was considered for Eva Perón in Evita (1996) when Oliver Stone was set to direct, and she even took several months of voice lessons for it, but the project changed shape after Stone left and the role went to Madonna.

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  5. #025

    Michelle Pfeiffer was set to star in 'Mistress of the Seas,' to be directed by Paul Verhoeven and produced by Jon Peters, the true story of Anne Bonney and Mary Read, two female pirates who sailed the Caribbean in the 18th century with Calico Jack. She and Geena Davis were to share the leads, but it fell apart when Davis signed on for her own pirate movie, Cutthroat Island (1995); Pfeiffer pulled out after meeting Verhoeven, and the film was never made.

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  6. #026

    Michelle Pfeiffer was considered for Vicki Vale in Batman (1989), but she was dating Michael Keaton at the time and he felt it wouldn't be right for them to work together, so she passed; she later played Catwoman in the sequel, Batman Returns (1992).

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  7. #027

    Michelle Pfeiffer auditioned for Jade Butterfield in Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981) but was turned down in favor of the much younger Brooke Shields, a decision Zeffirelli later regretted.

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  8. #028

    Jessica Lange had been attached to Chéri (2009) for years before Michelle Pfeiffer took the lead, and Lange kept a producer credit on the film, which became one of the notable films of Pfeiffer's later career.

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  9. #029

    Passion of Mind began development as a vehicle for Michelle Pfeiffer in the late 1980s, but by the time it was ready to shoot a decade later her schedule was full, so it was made with Demi Moore instead, a reminder of how long and unpredictable development can be in Hollywood.

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Career & Awards (13)

  1. #030

    Michelle Pfeiffer was a serious contender for 'Maria' in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), and Brian De Palma, who had directed her in Scarface, wanted to work with her again, but she chose another literary adaptation, The Russia House. Melanie Griffith took the part and got a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress, while Pfeiffer earned a Golden Globe nomination for The Russia House.

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  2. #031

    Soon after arriving in Hollywood, Michelle Pfeiffer got involved with a breatharian cult, which holds that people can live on air and sunlight alone, without food or water. Her first husband, Peter Horton, helped her see through it: he was making a documentary about Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, and she recognized in former Moon members' accounts of psychological manipulation the same thing she'd experienced, so she walked away.

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  3. #032

    Michelle Pfeiffer has worked with four live-action Batmen: Michael Keaton in Batman Returns (1992), Val Kilmer in One Too Many (1985) and The Prince of Egypt (1998), George Clooney in One Fine Day (1996) and Christian Bale in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999).

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  4. #033

    Michelle Pfeiffer was offered a role in Lorenzo's Oil (1992) but turned it down because of a clash with Batman Returns (1992); Susan Sarandon took it and earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

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  5. #034

    Michelle Pfeiffer turned down iconic films like Pretty Woman (1990) and Thelma & Louise (1991), which brought Oscar nominations to the actresses who took the parts: Julia Roberts for Pretty Woman, and Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon for Thelma & Louise.

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  6. #035

    Michelle Pfeiffer was considered to star opposite Meryl Streep in Working Girl (1988), but the roles went to Melanie Griffith (in Pfeiffer's place) and Sigourney Weaver (in Streep's), and Griffith won the Best Actress Oscar.

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  7. #036

    People magazine put Michelle Pfeiffer on its 'Most Intriguing People' list in 1988 and 1989, years when both her career and private life kept her in the spotlight.

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  8. #037

    Before she started acting, Michelle Pfeiffer worked in a clothing store to make ends meet, then decided to train as an actress and succeeded in no time.

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  9. #038

    The credits of the 1981 TV movie Callie & Son misspelled her name as 'Michele,' a small mishap right at the start of her career; she is known to have made sure her name was spelled correctly in later productions.

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  10. #039

    Michelle Pfeiffer was one of the top three contenders, with Madonna and Kim Basinger, for Breathless Mahoney in the 1990 comic book adaptation Dick Tracy, but Madonna won the part after nearly a year of intense lobbying, a sign of how fierce the competition for big roles can be.

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  11. #040

    Michelle Pfeiffer was considered for two films that were key to Nicole Kidman's career: the 1990 action film Days of Thunder, where the female lead opposite Tom Cruise helped launch Kidman in Hollywood, and the 1995 black comedy To Die For, which gave Kidman a serious acting showcase.

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  12. #041

    Michelle Pfeiffer reportedly turned down starring opposite Pierce Brosnan in the romantic comedy Some Kind of Beautiful (2014), in keeping with a career in which she has passed on many big projects and stuck to work that suited her.

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  13. #042

    Michelle Pfeiffer, a big Meryl Streep fan, twice missed the chance to work with her: first on Working Girl (1988), which fell through, and then on A Prairie Home Companion (2006), which she left to make I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007).

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Life & Family (6)

  1. #043

    One of Michelle Pfeiffer's favorite films is the classic The Wizard of Oz (1939), which she has loved since childhood and whose magic and fairy-tale storytelling, she says, have always moved her.

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  2. #044

    Michelle Pfeiffer's surname is pronounced 'Fye-fur' and means 'Piper' in German, a nod to her German roots, and she has often had to correct people who mispronounce it.

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  3. #045

    Michelle Pfeiffer is the older sister of Lori and Dedee Pfeiffer, who also went into acting, though neither reached Michelle's level of fame.

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  4. #046

    In The Age of Innocence (1993), Michelle Pfeiffer played the granddaughter of Miriam Margolyes's character, though in real life she was only 17 years younger than Margolyes.

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  5. #047

    Michelle Pfeiffer took karate lessons from Mike Stone for the TV series B.A.D. Cats (1980), and in a 2020 interview Stone revealed that the two had a romance that lasted several months.

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  6. #048

    In a 2013 interview, Michelle Pfeiffer said she missed her grown children after they moved out but enjoyed the freedom of being able to walk around the house naked, adding that she loved this new phase of her life.

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Related pages

  • Dark Shadows — Michelle Pfeiffer comes up in the facts on that page
  • What Dreams May Come — Michelle Pfeiffer comes up in the facts on that page
  • Footloose — Michelle Pfeiffer comes up in the facts on that page

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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