Born on May 31, 1965, Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. She began her career as a child model and received praise from critics when she was 12 years old for her major role in Louis Malle's 1978 film Pretty Baby. She continued modeling until her late adolescent years and appeared in a number of plays in the 1980s, including Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981) and The Blue Lagoon (1980).
Shields put an end to her modeling career in 1983 to enroll at Princeton University, from which she later earned a bachelor's degree in Romance languages. Shields resumed acting in the 1990s and made cameo appearances in a few movies. She also appeared in the NBC comedies Lipstick Jungle (2008–2009) and Suddenly Susan (1996–2000), for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes. In the 19th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2017, Shields made a triumphant return to NBC. In the Adult Swim animated sitcom Mr. Pickles (2014–2019) and its sequel Momma Named Me Sheriff, Shields provided the voice of Beverly Goodman.
Childhood And Education
Shields, the daughter of actor and model Teri Shields (née Schmon) and businessman Francis Alexander Shields, was born in Manhattan, New York, on May 31, 1965. Her father had English, French, Irish, and Italian ancestry, while her mother was of English, German, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh lineage.
William Addams Reitwiesner's study indicates that Shields is descended from several noble families in Italy, including those from Genoa and Rome. These include the Gattilusi-Palaiologos-Savoy, Grimaldi, Imperiali, Carafa, Doria, Doria-Pamphili-Landi, Chigi-Albani, and Torlonia dynasties (in chronological order of descent from 1355 to 1965). Italian nobility Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, a descendant of an American socialite and an Italian nobleman, served as her paternal grandmother. Alessandro Torlonia, an Italian aristocrat and the spouse of Infanta Beatriz of Spain, was her great-uncle.
Francis's family gave Teri money to end the pregnancy after she revealed she was pregnant. Teri accepted the funds but broke the terms of the deal by giving birth to Brooke. Shields was only five months old when Francis and Teri decided to divorce. Three half-sisters and two stepbrothers make up her family. Shields' mother publicly declared her desire for her to be involved in the entertainment industry when she was just five days old, saying, "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career." Shields later took piano, ballet, and horseback riding classes as she grew up.
Shields was brought up as a Roman Catholic. At the age of 10, she chose the name Camille in honor of Camillus de Lellis for her confirmation. She lived in Haworth, New Jersey, where she was a high school student. Shields has claimed that her first interaction with paparazzi occurred when she was 12 years old in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria in New York. She claims that she "debuted at the Waldorf" and that she "stood like a statue wondering why they were all hired to photograph me."
Shields finished eighth grade at the New Lincoln School. In 1983, she received her diploma from the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey.
Princeton College
Shields earned a bachelor's degree in French literature in 1987 from Princeton University, an Ivy League institution in Princeton, New Jersey. She belonged to both the Cap and Gown Club and the Princeton Triangle Club. On Your Own, her autobiography, was released in 1985. Her senior thesis from 1987 was called "The Initiation: From Innocence to Experience: The Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Journey in the Films of Louis Malle, Pretty Baby, and Lacombe Lucien."
Her four-year transcript was made public shortly after Shields received her degree from college in the July 1987 issue of Life Magazine. That transcript served as the basis for a lighthearted opinion piece that The New York Times published to challenge the assertion that Princeton produced exceptional, well-rounded graduates. It was noted that Shields "got all As and Bs, and obviously paid attention to her school work," but it asserted that Shields "got cheated" by Princeton by not having to take any courses in classical studies, medieval, modern, or American history, mathematics, philosophy, economics, political science, world literature, or science that involved laboratory work. There is no longer any risk that our society will ever experience elitism in any form if it adds up to a liberal arts degree from a place like Princeton.
Career
Earliest Work
In 1966, when Shields was just 11 months old, she started her modeling career. Her first assignment was for Ivory Soap, where Francesco Scavullo took her picture. With the help of model agent Eileen Ford, she continued to be a successful child model. According to her Lifetime biography, Ford developed her children's division specifically for Shields. Shields collaborated with filmmaker Woody Allen on the 1977 picture Annie Hall, but her contribution wasn't included in the final cut. When Shields was 12 years old, she appeared in the divisive movie Pretty Baby as a young prostitute. Brooke Shields is unusual and a professional child, according to Eileen Ford, the founder of the Ford Modeling Agency. "She looks like an adult and thinks like one," Ford said of Shields.
Shields, at 14 years old, held the record for being the youngest fashion model to ever grace a Vogue cover. Shields starred in contentious print and television advertisements for Calvin Klein jeans in that same year. The Brooke Shields advertising would aid in elevating Calvin Klein's career to super-designer level. The TV commercial featured her uttering the well-known tagline: "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
When dealing with models who are minors, a parent or legal guardian must sign such a release form while other agreements are open to negotiation. Shields, her mother, photographer Garry Gross, and Playboy Press were all parties to a legal dispute from 1981 to 1983 in the New York City Courts regarding the rights to photographs that her mother had signed away to Gross. With Teri Shields' OK, Gross took a contentious series of nude photos of Brooke Shields in 1975 when she was 10 years old for the Playboy Press magazine Sugar 'n' Spice. Shields is shown in the pictures standing and sitting in a bathtub while undressed, doused in oil, and wearing makeup. Due to an odd quirk in New York law, the courts decided in the photographer's favor. If Brooke Shields had been viewed as a young "performer" rather than a model, things could have turned out differently.
Shields' dual careers as a provocative fashion model and young actress by the age of 16 had made her one of the most famous faces in the country. Her day pay as a model was $10,000, according to the cover article of Time magazine's February 9, 1981 issue. Shields made an appearance on the covers of the September issues of Paris Vogue, American Vogue in October and November, and Italian Vogue in December of 1983. Shields started frequenting Studio 54 in New York City during that time. In Richard Prince's 2009 piece Spiritual America, an image of a 10-year-old Brooke Shields in her underwear caused controversy. Following a police warning, it was taken out of a Tate Modern exhibition.
Film
In Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (1978), in which there were multiple naked sequences, Shields played Violet, a young child who lives in a brothel. This was Shields's first significant acting role. When the movie was released, she was only 12 years old, and child pornography controversy ensued. A little less contentious and less well-known movie, Wanda Nevada (1979), came after this.
The Blue Lagoon (1980), which featured nude scenes between teenage lovers on a tropical island (Shields later testified before a U.S. Congressional inquiry that older body doubles were used in some of them), and Endless Love (1981) are still arguably her two most well-known films after two decades of motion pictures. Endless Love was first given an X rating by the MPAA. To obtain a R rating, the movie underwent reediting. From 1981 to 1984, she received the People's Choice Award four times in a row in the Favorite Young Performer category. She portrayed Lily, a lesbian, in The Misadventures of Margaret in 1998.
What Makes a Family, featuring Shields and Cherry Jones in a true account of a lesbian couple who battled Florida's adoption regulations, was broadcast on Lifetime in 2001.
Presences On Television
Shields started working on television at a young age. She performed with the Muppets in their own adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1980, making history as the show's youngest guest star. In 1981, she was the youngest host of ABC's Fridays, a sketch comedy program similar to Saturday Night Live. Shields appeared as Joey's stalker in one of the episodes of the acclaimed comedy show Friends. This part directly led to her being chosen for the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, in which she appeared from 1996 to 2000 and won two Golden Globe nominations in addition to the 1997 People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series.
She appeared in the USPHS PSA for the American Lung Association in the beginning of the 1980s as part of a campaign to encourage celebrities to quit smoking. By touring with Bob Hope in the middle of the 1980s, Brooke started her support of the USO.
Shields appeared as a guest on That '70s Show a few times. She portrayed Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mother, Pam Burkhart, who later had a brief romance with Donna's (Laura Prepon) father, Don Stark. When Shields' character was eliminated from That '70s Show, she left the show. Glen Roven's The Runaway Bunny, a concerto for violin, orchestra, and reader, was recorded by Shields for the Sony/BMG label. Ittai Shapira and the Royal Philharmonic performed it.
She had a cameo appearance in the 1993 episode "The Front" of Season 4 of The Simpsons.
Shields made appearances as a guest star on series including Two and a Half Men and Nip/Tuck on FX in the late 2000s. Shields had an appearance in the 2005 episode "Blue Balls Lagoon" of HBO's Entourage. She had a cameo appearance on Disney's Hannah Montana in 2007, portraying Susan Stewart, the mother of the show's lead character Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), who passed away in 2004. She made a comeback in the high-profile drama Lipstick Jungle in 2008. A year later, the series was over.
She began making cameo appearances on The Middle in 2010 as the antagonist of Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton) and the mother of a bunch of terrifying kids. She also made an appearance as a featured celebrity in Who Do You Think You Are?, an NBC reality series about genealogy.She was discovered to be King Louis XIV of France's distant cousin (many generations removed) through her father's heritage, making her a descendant of both Saint Louis and Henry IV of France.
Shields has occasionally appeared as a guest co-host on NBC's Today in the 9:00 hour since 2013. Additionally, she made an appearance in Season Nineteen of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Sheila Porter, the maternal grandmother of Noah Porter, who was adopted by Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay).
The 2023 documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, which was also directed by Lana Wilson for the Taylor Swift film Miss Americana, features Shields as its subject. The two-part documentary series, which premieres on Hulu on April 3, 2023, is titled "A look at actor, model, and icon Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power."
Theater
Shields has made appearances in a number of Broadway musical musicals. In the 1994 revival of Grease, she portrayed Rizzo. She performed the role of Sally Bowles in the enduring 1998 revival of Cabaret for four months starting in July 2001. Before the 2003 revival of Wonderful Town came to an end four months later, Shields took over Donna Murphy's role as Ruth Sherwood. Her performance received high appreciation. Shields performed Roxie Hart in a long-running production of Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End in April 2005. Ben Brantley of The New York Times commended the "goofy sweetness" she brought to her version of the part, but said that she fell short of Donna Murphy's "perfection." Later that year, from September 9 to October 30 in the Broadway revival, she performed the part once more. Her appearance in Chicago, Cabaret, and Grease on Broadway, three long-running revivals known for "stunt casting" of famous people outside the musical theatre community, makes her the first performer to have done so. On June 28, 2011, she assumed the part of Morticia Addams in the Broadway production of The Addams Family.
Various Media
Shields released There Was a Little Girl in 2015 and penned Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression in 2006 about her relationship with her mother. She started a podcast called Now What? in 2022. concentrating on how individuals react to hardship.
Private life
She grew up in the Upper East Side with her mother.
Shields advocated for physical fitness in the 1990s, contending that femininity and athletics go hand in hand.
Even though Shields spoke out against the fur trade in 1989, she later designed her own mink fur coat at Kopenhagen Fur.
Shields has had two marriages. She was wed to tennis player Andre Agassi from 1997 until 1999; they had been dating since 1993. She married television writer Chris Henchy in 2001 after her divorce from Agassi; the two had first met in 1999 through mutual friends. They are 63 and reside in New York City's Greenwich Village with their two daughters.
Postpartum anxiety
Shields spoke with publications (such as Guideposts) and made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show between April and May 2005 to discuss her struggle with postpartum depression. This experience included depression, suicidal thoughts, an inability to respond to her baby's needs, and a delay in maternal bonding. Her memoir, Down Came the Rain, details her experience and raises awareness of postpartum depression among readers.
Shields received both personal and professional criticism from actor Tom Cruise, a Scientologist whose beliefs oppose psychiatry, in May 2005 for using and advocating for the antidepressant medication Paxil. Shields reacted by calling Cruise's comments about antidepressants "irresponsible" and "dangerous" as he remarked, "Here is a woman and I care about Brooke Shields, because I think she is an incredibly talented woman, you look at [and think], where has her career gone." She also argued that he should "stick to fighting aliens" (a reference to Cruise's role in War of the Worlds as well as some of the more esoteric aspects of Scientology doctrine and teachings), "and let mothers decide the best way to treat postpartum depression." Shields responded to a further attack by Cruise with an op-ed titled "War of Words", published in The New York Times on July 1, 2005, in which she made an individual case for the medication and stated: "In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable. With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication but, without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today." On August 31, 2006, according to USA Today, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for the incident; she accepted the apology, saying it was "heartfelt". She and her spouse went to Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding that November.
A connection to Michael Jackson
Shields spoke at the Michael Jackson memorial service on July 7, 2009. In that speech, she said that Jackson was the first person she met when she was 13 years old, and the two of them hit it off right away. Added Shields
A caption of some type would always be present anytime we were out together, and it would typically say something like "an odd couple" or "an unlikely pair," but to us, it was the most natural and simple of friendships. I think back to when we first met and the several occasions when we spent time together. Michael always knew he could count on me to be there for him or to be his date, and that no matter where we were, we would have a good time. We were close... We had to become grownups very quickly, but while we were together, we still behaved like two amused little children.
She related memories in her eulogy, such as the time she was his date to one of Elizabeth Taylor's weddings and they broke into her room to see her dress before anybody else, only to find Taylor dozing off in bed. Jackson and Shields shared many memories, and during her emotional address, Shields made a quick jest about his infamous sequin glove. She also alluded to Jackson's preferred song, "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin, which Jermaine Jackson later sang during the memorial service.
Jackson acknowledged dating Shields at the time in an Oprah Winfrey interview from 1993. Jackson repeatedly requested Shields to be his wife and to adopt a kid with him, according to Shields.
Jackson mentioned Shields to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in a conversation that took place in 2001.
One of my great passions in life was that. You know, I believe that she loved me just as much as I loved her. We went on numerous dates. We did a lot of traveling. My mirror, wall, and everything else were covered in her images. And I attended the Academy Awards with Diana Ross when this girl introduces herself as Brooke Shields and asks me if I'm going to the after-party.I reply, "Yes," and then think, "Oh my God, does she know she's all over my room? Good, I'll see you at the party."We then proceed to the after-party. Will you dance with me? she asks as she approaches me.I replied, "Yes. We swapped numbers, and I stayed up all night singing and dancing around my room because I was so pleased. I will dance with you. It excelled.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1976 | Alice, Sweet Alice | Karen Spages | |
1978 | Pretty Baby | Violet | |
1978 | King of the Gypsies | Tita | |
1979 | Tilt | Tilt | |
1979 | Wanda Nevada | Wanda Nevada | |
1979 | Just You and Me, Kid | Kate | |
1980 | The Blue Lagoon | Emmeline Lestrange | |
1981 | Endless Love | Jade Butterfield | |
1983 | Sahara | Dale | |
1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Customer | |
1989 | Speed Zone | Stewardess | |
1989 | Brenda Starr | Brenda Starr | |
1990 | Backstreet Dreams | Stevie | |
1993 | Freaked | Skye Daley | |
1994 | An American Love | Greta Berling | |
1994 | The Postgraduate | Fantasy Wife | |
1994 | The Seventh Floor | Kate Fletcher | |
1995 | Running Wild | Christine Shaye | |
1996 | Freeway | Mimi Wolverton | |
1998 | The Misadventures of Margaret | Lily | |
1999 | The Weekend | Nina | |
1999 | Black and White | Sam Donager | |
1999 | The Bachelor | Buckley Hale-Windsor | |
1999 | The Disenchanted Forest | Herself | |
2000 | After Sex | Kate | |
2004 | Our Italian Husband | Charlene Taylor | |
2004 | The Easter Egg Adventure | Horrible Harriet Hare | Voice |
2005 | Bob the Butler | Anne Jamieson | |
2007 | National Lampoon's Bag Boy | Mrs. Hart | |
2008 | Justice League: The New Frontier | Carol Ferris | Voice; Direct-to-DVD release |
2008 | The Midnight Meat Train | Susan Hoff | |
2008 | Unstable Fables: Goldilocks & 3 Bears Show | Ruby Bear | Voice |
2009 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Susan Stewart | Uncredited |
2010 | Furry Vengeance | Tammy Sanders | |
2010 | The Other Guys | Herself | |
2011 | Chalet Girl | Caroline | |
2011 | The Greening of Whitney Brown | Joan Brown | |
2013 | The Hot Flashes | Beth Humphrey | |
2013 | A Monsterous Holiday | Betsy | Voice |
2014 | Under Wraps | Jean | Voice |
2014 | Adventure Planet | Voice | |
2017 | Daisy Winters | Sandy Winters | |
2020 | My Boyfriend's Meds | Alicia | |
2021 | A Castle for Christmas | Sophie Brown | Netflix release |
2022 | Holiday Harmony | Van | HBO Max release |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1974 | After the Fall | Quentin's daughter | Television film |
1977 | The Prince of Central Park | Kristin | Television film |
1980 | The Muppet Show | Herself | Episode: "Brooke Shields" |
1982 | The Doctors | Elizabeth Harrington | Unknown episodes |
1984 | Wet Gold | Laura | Television film |
1984 | Blondes vs. Brunettes | Herself | Television special |
1988 | The Diamond Trap | Tara Holden | Television film |
1992 | Quantum Leap | Vanessa Foster | Episode: "Leaping of the Shrew" |
1993 | I Can Make You Love Me | Laura Black | Television film |
1993 | The Simpsons | Herself (voice) | Episode: "The Front" |
1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Norma | Episode: "Came the Dawn" |
1994 | An American Love | Greta | Television film |
1995 | Nothing Lasts Forever | Dr. Beth Taft | Miniseries |
1996 | Friends | Erika Ford | Episode: "The One After the Superbowl: Part 1" |
1996–2000 | Suddenly Susan | Susan Keane | 93 episodes, producer |
1998 | The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery | Cyndee Lafrance | Television film |
2001 | What Makes a Family | Janine Nielssen | Television film |
2001 | Just Shoot Me! | Erlene Noodleman | Episode: "Erlene and Boo" |
2002 | Widows | Shirley Heller | Miniseries |
2003 | Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids | Miss Spider (voice) | Television film |
2003 | Gary the Rat | Cassandra Harrison (voice) | Episode: "Future Ex-Wife" |
2004 | Gone, But Not Forgotten | Betsy Tannenbaum | Television film |
2004 | I'm with Her | Ivy Tyler | Episode: "Poison Ivy" |
2004 | That '70s Show | Pamela Burkhart | 7 episodes |
2005 | New Car Smell | April | Television film |
2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Kelly Sloane-Raines | Episode: "Siren Call" |
2006 | Nip/Tuck | Faith Wolper | 3 episodes |
2007 | Two and a Half Men | Danielle Stewert | Episode: "That's Summer Sausage, Not Salami" |
2007 | The Batman | Julie (voice) | Episode: "Riddler's Revenge" |
2007–2009 | Hannah Montana | Susan Stewart | 3 episodes |
2008–2009 | Lipstick Jungle | Wendy Healy | 20 episodes |
2010, 2012, | The Middle | Rita Glossner | 6 episodes |
2010 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Herself | Episode: "Brooke Shields" |
2010 | The Boy Who Cried Werewolf | Madame Varcolac | Television film |
2013 | Army Wives | Col. Kat Young | 5 episodes |
2013 | Super Fun Night | Alison Lockridge | Episode: "Go with Glorg" |
2014–2016 | Creative Galaxy | Seraphina (voice) | 8 episodes |
2014 | The Michael J. Fox Show | Deborah | 2 episodes |
2014–2019 | Mr. Pickles | Mrs. Goodman (voice) | 19 episodes |
2016 | Flower Shop Mystery: Mum's The Word | Abby Knight | Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) |
2016 | Flower Shop Mystery: Snipped in the Bud | Abby Knight | Television film |
2016 | Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted | Abby Knight | Television film |
2016 | Scream Queens | Dr. Scarlett Lovin | Episode: "Lovin the D" |
2016 | When Calls the Heart | Charlotte Thornton | 2 Episodes |
2017 | Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special | Herself | Variety special |
2017 | Nightcap | Herself | Episode: "What Would Staci Do?" |
2017–2018 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sheila Porter | 5 episodes |
2018–2019 | Jane the Virgin | River Fields | 14 episodes (seasons 4–5) |
2018 | Murphy Brown | Holly Mackin Lynne | Episode: "The Coma and the Oxford Comma" |
2019–present | Momma Named Me Sheriff | Mrs. Goodman (voice) | 8 episodes |
2020 | 9-1-1 | Dr. Kara Sandford | Episode: "What's Next?" |
2021 | Martha Gets Down and Dirty | Herself | Episode: "Martha Vegs Out" |
2022 | Would I Lie to You? (US) | Herself | Episode: "Babysitting Lemurs" |
2023 | Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields | Herself | Documentary |
Awards and nominations
Award | Year | Category | Work / Nominee | Result |
GLAAD Media Awards | 2002 | Golden Gate Award | Brooke Shields | Won |
Golden Globe Awards | 1997 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Suddenly Susan | Nominated |
1998 | Nominated | |||
Jupiter Awards | 1980 | Best International Actress | The Blue Lagoon | Won |
1981 | Endless Love | Won | ||
People's Choice Awards | 1981 | Favorite Young Performer in Motion Pictures | Brooke Shields | Won |
1982 | Won | |||
1983 | Won | |||
1984 | Won | |||
1997 | Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series | Won | ||
Razzie Awards | 1981 | Worst Actress | The Blue Lagoon | Won |
1982 | Endless Love | Nominated | ||
1985 | Sahara | Nominated | ||
Worst Supporting Actor | Won | |||
1990 | Worst Actress of the Decade | Brooke Shields | Nominated | |
Worst Supporting Actress | Speed Zone | Won | ||
2000 | Worst Actress of the Century | Brooke Shields | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards | 1998 | Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Suddenly Susan | Nominated |
1999 | Nominated |
Quick bio
Gender | Female |
Age | 57 years old (in 2023) |
Date of Birth | May 31, 1965 |
Full Name | Brooke Christa Shields |
Profession | Actress, Model |
Nationality | American |
Birthplace | Manhattan, New York, United States |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
Qualification | Princeton University |
School | Dwight-Englewood School |
Profession | Actress, Model |
Net Worth | USD $25 million Approx |
Height, Weight & Physical Stats
Body Measurements | 36-27-35 inches |
Body type | Athletic |
Height | 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) |
Weight | 68 kg (150 lbs) |
Waist | 27 inches |
Hair Color | Brown Light |
Eye Color | Blue |
Shoe Size | 10 (US) |
Dress Size | 4 (US) |
Family & Relatives
Father | Francis Alexander Shields |
Mother | Teri Shields |
Brother | None |
Sister | Christina Shields, Marina Shields, Olympia Shields |
Marital Status | Married |
Husband | Andre Agassi (m. 1997; div. 1999) Chris Henchy (m. 2001) |
No. of Children | 2 |
Son | None |
Daughter | Grier Hammond Henchy, Rowan Francis Henchy |
Facts
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