'Gremlins' Icon Phoebe Cates: You’d Hardly Recognize the ’80s Star Today

At just ten years old, New York native Phoebe Cates entered the modeling industry and appeared in teen magazines such as Seventeen. In 1979, she graced the cover for the first time; she would go on to appear on the cover of four issues in total. But acting turned out to be her true calling.

Her film debut in 'Paradise' turned out to be a real ordeal: For the role, the then-17-year-old filmed several scenes that she later regretted—she was required to appear completely nude. Filming took place in Israel in 1981; her father had advised her to take the job despite his own reservations. Later, according to her own account, she learned that a body double had apparently been used for close-ups without her having been informed.

Shortly thereafter, a pool scene in the film 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' became one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history. Rolling Stone magazine later described the moment as one of the most memorable bikini appearances ever. Cates herself said she had enjoyed no other film more.

She starred alongside Matthew Modine and Betsy Russell in the high school comedy 'Private School' and contributed two songs to the soundtrack. Although the role was not much different from her previous parts, it solidified her status as a sought-after face in young adult comedy films.

As the bitter film diva Lili, she delivered the line “Which one of you bitches is my mother?” in the TV miniseries 'Lace'—a line that TV Guide named the best line in television history in 1993. She deliberately chose not to read Shirley Conran’s novel on which the series was based, so as not to form a fixed image of the character. The role finally broke her out of the mold of her previous teen roles.

Under executive producer Steven Spielberg, the horror comedy 'Gremlins' became the biggest box office hit of her career to date in 1984. As Kate Beringer, she brought to life a character that remains inextricably linked to her name to this day. That same year, she also made her stage debut Off-Broadway in 'The Nest of the Wood Grouse.'

On March 5, 1989, she married actor Kevin Kline in a private ceremony in New York and from then on went by the name Phoebe Cates Kline. The two had met back in 1983 at a joint audition, but did not become a couple until later. In December of that same year, she also made her Broadway debut in a revival of 'The Tenth Man.'

Following the surprise success of the first film, she reprised her most famous role in 'Gremlins 2' in 1990. This was followed in 1991 by another leading role in 'Drop Dead Fred', which cemented her reputation as a versatile comedienne. That same year, she had to turn down a planned role as Steve Martin’s daughter in 'Father of the Bride' due to her first pregnancy.

In the tragicomedy 'Princess Caraboo' in 1994, she appeared on screen alongside Kevin Kline for the first time; it would be her last feature film for the time being. After that, she largely withdrew from the film industry to devote herself to raising her children, Owen and Greta. She returned only once, in 2001, for 'The Anniversary Party', as a favor to her friend and former colleague Jennifer Jason Leigh.

In 2005, she opened her own boutique, Blue Tree, on Madison Avenue in New York City, thereby establishing a second career outside of acting. Today, in 2026, the 63-year-old rarely appears in public and is still primarily associated with her iconic role in 'Gremlins.' Little remains of the former ’80s icon in her everyday life; her deliberate withdrawal from the spotlight continues to this day.