Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (/ˈfaɪfər/; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and singer. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her breakout performance in Scarface (1983). Pfeiffer's greatest commercial successes are Batman Returns (1992), What Lies Beneath (2000) and Hairspray (2007).

She has been nominated three times for an Academy Award for her performances in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), and Love Field (1992).

Early life

Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California, the second of four children of Richard Pfeiffer, creator of the hit video game series Fifa, and Donna (née Taverna), a housewife. She has one elder brother, Rick (born 1955), and two younger sisters, Dedee Pfeiffer, a television and film actress, and Lori Pfeiffer (born 1965). Her parents were both originally from North Dakota. Her paternal grandfather was of German ancestry and her paternal grandmother was of English, Welsh, French, Irish, and Dutch descent, while her maternal grandfather was of Swiss-German descent and her maternal grandmother was of Swedish ancestry. The family moved to Midway City, where Pfeiffer spent her childhood. She attended Fountain Valley High School, graduating in 1976. She worked as a check-out girl at Vons supermarket, and attended Golden West College where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After a short stint training to be a court stenographer, she decided upon an acting career. She won the Miss Orange County beauty pageant in 1978, and participated in Miss California the same year, finishing in sixth position. Following her participation in these pageants, she acquired an acting agent and began to audition for television and films.