Phoebe Cates starred in many movies, such as “Gremlins” and “Drop Dead Fred,” but she is best known for her famous pool scene in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” from 1982.
However, Phoebe Cates left Hollywood more than 20 years ago. Nowadays, she has a regular job that she really enjoys.
Phoebe Belle Cates was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City. When she was a young girl, she went to private schools and studied ballet at Juilliard.
Acting was a big part of Phoebe’s family. Her father, Joe Cates, was a producer and director, her uncle was the president of the Director’s Guild, her brother used to be an actor, and her sister, Valerie, worked in theater.
Phoebe wanted to be a dancer when she was younger, but she had to stop after a knee injury.
At 14, Phoebe Cates started modeling and did pretty well. She was even on the cover of Seventeen magazine four times. But she didn’t really enjoy it and wanted to try something new.
“It was just the same thing, over and over. After a while, I did it solely for the money,” Phoebe said about her short modeling career.
One night, at a party at New York’s famous Studio 54, she met her film agent. After that, she trained with Robert Ravan, who founded The Actors’ Circle in New York.
“I just knew that I didn’t want to go to college. I thought if I could get a few movie roles, it would be a great way to avoid college. Seriously, it’s true,” Phoebe told The Daily Item in 1985.
Phoebe also trained with Alice Spivack at the H.B. Studios. She made her acting debut in 1982, playing Sarah in “Paradise.” Less than a year later, she starred in “Experienced” and then “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” which featured the famous swimming pool scene.
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” was a big hit with teenagers and became an important part of pop culture. It’s especially famous for one scene that Rolling Stone magazine called “the most memorable bikini-drop in cinema history.”
As a friend of mine said, that scene made a lot of teenage boys’ hearts beat faster than they should have!
In 1982, Phoebe shared her thoughts on acting. “In this business, if a girl wants a career, she has to be willing to strip. If you’ve got a good body, then why not show it?” she said.
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” had an impressive cast, including future stars like Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eric Stoltz, and Forest Whitaker.
Jennifer Jason Leigh reflected on the film, saying, “Well, it was a funny thing because we were all so young when we made it. Then it came out and was this big hit. You’d go to the theater, and people would say the lines along with it. People had obviously seen the movie over and over again,” she told The Daily News.
Later on, Phoebe continued working in theater and starred in “Private School” as Christine Ramsey in 1983. She also co-starred in Steven Spielberg’s “Gremlins” in 1984.
Phoebe met Kevin Kline, a well-known theater actor, while auditioning for the 1983 film “The Big Chill.” Although she didn’t get the role, she did meet her future husband.
Kevin was 16 years older than Phoebe, but they didn’t start dating until two years after they first met. Kevin hired Phoebe’s former assistant and asked for help to ask Phoebe out.
In 1989, Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline got married in New York City when she was 25 and he was 41. They had their first child, Owen Joseph, in 1991 and their daughter, Greta Simone, in 1994.
By 2017, the couple had been married for 27 years, and many people wondered how they stayed so happy together for so long. “We take care of the marriage,” Kline said.
Although Phoebe was successful, she decided to step away from acting after having their children. In the 1990s, she gradually left the entertainment industry.
In 1998, Phoebe told Playboy that she and her husband had agreed to alternate their acting jobs so that their children would always have one parent at home.
Kevin Kline mentioned that even when it was Phoebe Cates’ turn to work, she often chose to stay home with their children. Although she did some acting occasionally, she was more often seen with her husband at red-carpet events, as he continued acting regularly.
In 2005, Phoebe opened a store called Blue Tree near Carnegie Hall. The store sells fragrances, clothing, and gifts.
Phoebe dedicated herself to running the store full-time, often working there personally or searching for new products to sell. Today, you can visit her store at 1283 Madison Avenue in New York City, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where she also lives.
And just so you know, Phoebe still looks amazing!
What do you think of when you hear Phoebe Cates’ name? I always thought she was a pretty good actress, but the first things that come to mind are her shower scene in the cave in “Paradise” and the bikini scene in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
I Found a Strange Ornament on Our Christmas Tree – Then My FIL Smirked, ‘Now You Know the Truth’
When Eden decided to surprise her husband by decorating the Christmas tree, she uncovered a mysterious heart-shaped ornament bearing a strange detail. Her father-in-law’s sly grin deepened the chill as he uttered: “Now you know the truth, don’t you?”
It started earlier that evening. My husband Liam was working late and he had hung a few ornaments on the tree before darting out the door, promising to finish later.
“Just the usual holiday chaos with my friends,” he’d mumbled with a quick kiss on my forehead, leaving me surrounded with boxes of glittering decorations.
A man walking away | Source: Midjourney
I decided to surprise him by finishing the tree myself. As I pulled out each ornament, memories spilled out like water from a cracked vase.
The star Liam and I bought the first year we were married. The garland I’d convinced him was perfect even though he teased that it looked like tinsel vomit. Just as I was about to hang the garland, I found something strange on our tree.
A small, shiny, heart-shaped ornament. Glittering symbols shimmered in the soft glow of the fairy lights. But what froze me were the initials scrawled across the front in a delicate flourish: L+N.
My stomach dropped.
I knew every ornament we owned. But this wasn’t one of them.
A heart-shaped ornament hung on a Christmas tree | Source: Midjourney
“If ‘L’ stands for Liam… what does ‘N’ stand for?” I whispered, my fingers tightening around the ornament. My mind raced, piecing together every late-night phone call and every text Liam had hidden under a casual tilt of his screen.
The sound of footsteps made me turn. My father-in-law, Richard, lingered in the doorway, his eyes sharp and amused. He’d been staying with us for weeks. He’s a bit… complicated and had grown increasingly smug and aloof lately.
His gaze flickered to the ornament, and his mouth curled into a smirk. “Ah,” he said, stepping closer. “So you’ve found it at last.”
“Found what?” My voice cracked, though I tried to keep it steady.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
Richard crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. “Now you know the truth, don’t you?”
“What truth?”
He chuckled softly, his eyes glinting. “Let’s just say she wanted you to see it. In your house. Where you live.”
“She?” My heart hammered.
He didn’t answer immediately, savoring the tension. “Ask Liam,” he said, shrugging. “Or don’t. Sometimes it’s better to walk away before you dig too deep.”
A senior man looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
My breath hitched. “Who IS she?”
He just gave me this smug grin and said, “Ah, c’mon, Eden. Don’t act dumb. SHE wanted it here. In this house. Where YOU live.”
“Who? Be clear.”
“NANCY!” he said with deliberate ease.
“Nancy?” I repeated, my voice a fragile whisper. “I need to know everything. Right now.”
A stunned woman | Source: Midjourney
“Some secrets are like poison, sweetheart. Once you taste them, they change everything.”
“Stop talking in riddles!” I shouted.
Richard’s smirk deepened, and before I could ask anything else, he walked to the hall closet, yanked out a suitcase, and began stuffing my clothes inside.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping you,” he said, not looking up. “You deserve better than this. Better than someone who’d betray you.”
I stood there frozen, gripping the ornament like a lifeline as Richard tossed my jeans and sweaters into the suitcase with almost gleeful precision.
Clothes in a suitcase | Source: Pexels
“Stop it!” I snapped, yanking the bag from his hands. “You don’t get to—”
He looked up, his eyes suddenly weary. “Liam never told you about his past, did he? Some people are experts at creating the perfect illusion.”
“What does that mean?” I demanded, the ornament still clutched in my trembling hand. “Speak plainly!”
“Some truths,” Richard said, “are better discovered than explained.”
Just as I was about to dig deeper, the sound of the front door creaked open, making us both freeze. Liam was home.
A man opening a door | Source: Midjourney
“Eden?” his voice called from the doorway, his footsteps growing louder. He appeared in the living room seconds later, his expression flipping from confusion to alarm as he took in the half-packed suitcase and my tear-streaked face.
“What’s going on?” His gaze darted to Richard.
I shoved the ornament toward him. “Tell me what THIS is.”
Liam frowned, taking it from my hands.
“It was on the tree,” I said, my voice trembling. “Your dad said it belonged to someone named Nancy. He said she wanted it here. In OUR house.” I pointed at Richard. “And now he’s packing my things and telling me to leave.”
A woman holding a Christmas ornament | Source: Midjourney
Liam’s face darkened as he turned to his father. “What did you do?”
Richard faltered. “I just thought she deserved the truth! You’ve been sneaking around—”
“I wasn’t sneaking,” Liam snapped.
“Then explain this!” I shouted, cutting him off. “Who’s Nancy?!”
Liam exhaled, his jaw tightening. “She’s… she’s not what you think.”
“Then tell me what to think!”
“Nancy’s a little girl,” Liam revealed. “She’s eight years old. I met her at the shelter.”
“WHAT?” I blinked, trying to process his words.
A frustrated man holding his head | Source: Midjourney
“I’ve been volunteering there,” he continued, his voice softening. “Helping with the kids. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me? How would this hurt me?”
Liam hesitated. “Because… because I know how much you wanted kids. And we can’t.” His voice cracked on the last word. “I didn’t want to make it worse.”
The room spun. “So you’ve been going behind my back to… to—”
“To feel like I could still do something good,” he said quickly.
When Liam said, “Nancy made this for me,” I couldn’t hold back anymore.
An emotional woman | Source: Midjourney
“You’ve been keeping this secret, volunteering at a shelter, connecting with a child, and you didn’t think I deserved to know?”
“Eden, please,” Liam pleaded, his hands reaching out. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then tell me exactly what it was like!” I screamed, my composure shattering. “How long have you been hiding this? How many times have you looked me in the eye and said nothing?”
Richard shifted uncomfortably, watching our exchange with a mix of guilt and anxiety.
An anxious senior man | Source: Midjourney
“I was protecting you,” Liam whispered, his voice raw with emotion. “Protecting us.”
“Protecting me?” I laughed. “From what? From hope? From the possibility of something beautiful?”
The silence stretched, heavy and raw.
“She made this for me,” Liam broke the silence, holding up the ornament. “She said I made her feel safe. She even asked me to adopt her. I just didn’t know how to bring it up to you.”
A little girl making a glittery Christmas ornament | Source: Midjourney
Richard’s laugh cut through the moment like a blade. “Oh, come on. Do you seriously believe this tale?”
Liam turned on him, his fists clenched. “You knew, didn’t you? You overheard me on the phone, and you twisted it to suit your sick agenda.”
“Agenda?” Richard sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “You mean exposing you for the liar you are? Someone had to do it. She deserves to know who she’s married to.”
A senior man yelling at someone | Source: Midjourney
“Liar?” I snapped, my voice trembling with rage. “The only liar here is you, Richard. You knew the truth, and you used it to try to break us apart. What kind of person does that to his own son?”
Richard’s expression hardened, his lips curling into a bitter sneer. “The kind of person who sees through the fairy tale you two think you’re living. Your perfect little life isn’t so perfect, is it?”
Liam took a step forward, his voice low and menacing. “You’ve always been a bitter old man, but this… this is low, even for you. You’re pathetic.”
An annoyed man | Source: Midjourney
Richard jabbed a finger in Liam’s direction. “Oh, don’t you dare talk to me like that! Her mother and I could’ve had a future if it weren’t for you and Eden tying yourselves together. Eden’s mother and I—”
“What are you even talking about?” I asked, my voice rising in disbelief. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re blaming your son and me for something that never existed in the first place?”
It all came spilling out then, the words dripping with years of resentment. Richard had been in love with my mother since high school. He spoke about her like she was some prize he had been cheated out of, his bitterness twisting each word into something almost unrecognizable.
When I married Liam, any hope he had of rekindling that old, unspoken dream vanished.
Grayscale shot of a newlywed couple | Source: Unsplash
Liam’s jaw tightened as he shook his head. “You really think that justifies what you’ve done? You tried to destroy my marriage because of some twisted fantasy? You don’t deserve her, and you sure as hell don’t deserve to be part of my family.”
“You’re pathetic,” I said, tears burning my eyes as I took a step closer. “I can’t even believe I let you stay in our home. You’ll never get to hurt us again.”
Liam’s voice was cold and final, his eyes locked on Richard. “Get out, Dad. And don’t come back.”
Richard looked between us, his face a storm of anger and humiliation. But he said nothing. He just grabbed his suitcase and dragged it out the door. He left that night, taking his bitterness with him and leaving us to pick up the pieces of his cruelty.
An upset senior man | Source: Midjourney
The days that followed were a blur of raw conversations and quiet rebuilding. Liam and I talked late into the night, untangling the knots of mistrust Richard had planted.
When we finally felt ready, we reached out to the shelter. Liam introduced me to Nancy, and my heart softened the moment I saw her. She was small for her age, with bright eyes and a warm smile that broke my heart in the best way.
“She’s been through a lot,” Liam murmured as Nancy shyly handed me a picture she’d drawn of the three of us. “But she’s still so hopeful.”
And just like that, I knew I had to follow my heart. We filed the paperwork to adopt her a month later. And soon, Nancy walked into our lives like a little miracle.
A cheerful little girl holding a unicorn plushie | Source: Midjourney
As I sat by the softly glowing Christmas tree, my eyes kept drifting to a new ornament nestled among the branches. It was small, glittery, and shaped like a heart. My fingers brushed against it more times than I could count, tracing the initials “L+N+E” in sparkly gold.
Liam. Nancy. Eden.
It wasn’t just an ornament… it was a reminder. Of the battles we’d faced. Of the lies that had tried to tear us apart. And of the love that had stitched us back together, stronger than I ever thought possible.
Love hadn’t been perfect, but that year, it was ours. And no one could take it away.
A cute glittery Christmas ornament on a tree | Source: Midjourney
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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