Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (
IPA: ;
[See inogolo:pronunciation of Michelle Pfeiffer.] born April 29, 1958) is an American actor. Over the course of her film career, she has been the recipient of a
Golden Globe Award and a
BAFTA Award, for her performances in
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) respectively, as well as three
Academy Award nominations.
She is considered one of the most beautiful women in the cinema, having appeared on the cover of the first
People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People in the World' issue in 1990, and re-appearing a record six times during that decade, making the cover again in 1999.
She is married to television writer and producer,
David E. Kelley.
Early life
Pfeiffer was born in
Santa Ana,
California, the second of four children born to Richard Pfeiffer, a heating and air-conditioning contractor, and Donna (née Taverna), a homemaker; she has one elder brother, Rick, and two younger sisters,
Dedee Pfeiffer and
Lori Pfeiffer, both actresses. The family moved to
Midway City, California, where Pfeiffer spent her childhood.
She attended
Fountain Valley High School and worked as a check-out girl at
Vons supermarket. After a short stint training to be a court stenographer, she decided upon an acting career, and entered the Miss Orange County beauty pageant in 1978 (which she won), and the Miss Los Angeles contest later that year, after which she was signed by a Hollywood agent who appeared on the judging panel.
Moving to Los Angeles, she began to audition for commercials and bit parts in films.
