This page uses content from the Ally Sheedy biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy (born June 13, 1962) is an American screen and stage actress, possibly best known for her roles in the "Brat Pack" films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.

Early life

Sheedy was born in New York City to John Sheedy, a Manhattan-based advertising executive, and Charlotte Baum, a notable press agent who was involved in women's and civil rights movements. Sheedy's father was Catholic and her mother was Jewish; she was raised mostly Catholic, although she has since also identified as both Buddhist and Jewish. Her parents divorced in 1971 and Sheedy's mother came out as a lesbian in 1980. She has two siblings, Patrick and Meghan.

She attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City, graduating in 1980.

Sheedy started dancing with the American Ballet Theatre at the age of six, and at twelve years old wrote a children's book, She Was Nice to Mice; the book was published by McGraw-Hill and became a best-seller.

In 1975, her mother brought suit against the owners of Zabar's delicatessen for failing to protect her from an attempted sexual assault. The New York Times, Friday, Aug 1, 1975, The Week In Review, Page 58, by Morris Kaplan

Career

Sheedy started acting in local stage productions while in her teenage years. After appearing in several made-for-television films in 1981, as well as three episodes of the television series Hill Street Blues, she made her feature film debut in Bad Boys (1983), starring Sean Penn. The 1980s were her most active period, with roles in popular teen films like WarGames, The Breakfast Club, and Short Circuit.

Throughout most of the 1990s, Sheedy appeared in many television films. 1998's High Art, a well-reviewed independent film about a romance between two women, was an important film in her career. She identified with the character of photographer "Lucy Berliner" so much that she took a plane at her own expense to participate in an audition and has said that this character is the closest one she has played to herself.

In 1999, Sheedy took over the lead role in the off-Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She was the first female to play the part of the German transsexual "Hedwig". Her run was terminated early amid bad reviews. Ally Sheedy Inches Away from "Hedwig" (E! Online, December 17, 1999)

She was reunited with Breakfast Club co-star Anthony Michael Hall when she became a special guest star on his television show The Dead Zone, in the second-season episode "Playing God" (2003).

Personal life

In the 1990s, Sheedy was treated for sleeping pill addiction, an experience on which she drew for her role as a drug-addicted photographer in High Art. She has also battled with bulimia nervosa, which started after a visit to the Ford modeling agency at the dawn of her acting career, after owner Eileen Ford told her to lose 15 pounds if she wanted to be represented by the agency.

Sheedy is married to actor David Lansbury, the nephew of actress Angela Lansbury and son of Edgar Lansbury, the producer of the original production of Godspell. The couple have a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1994.

Sheedy had previously dated actor Eric Stoltz and guitarist Richie Sambora.

Selected filmography

Books

• She Was Nice to Mice, McGraw-Hill, 1975, ISBN 0-440-47844-8
• Yesterday I Saw the Sun: Poems, Summit Books, 1991, ISBN 0-671-73130-0

Awards

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (1998) for High Art
• Independent Spirit Award: Best Female Lead (1999) for High Art
• National Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Actress (1999) for High Art
• MTV Movie Awards: Silver Bucket of Excellence Award (2005) for The Breakfast Club (shared with Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall)

External links

Web sites

• Ally Sheedy Pages - Fan site with photographs and interviews.

Interviews

• Indian Television interview (January 14, 2003)
• Brant Publications interview (August, 1998)
• Salon Entertainment interview (June 25, 1998)
• New York Magazine interview (June 15, 1998)
• "Breakfast Club" cast interview at the Chicago Tribune (February 17, 1985)

Reference

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