Michelle Pfeiffer

Birthday: 29 April 1958, Santa Ana, California, USA

Birth Name: Michelle Marie Pfeiffer

Height: 171 cm

Michelle Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California, to Donna Jean (Taverna) and Richard Pfeiffer, a heating and air-conditioning contractor. She has an older brother and two younger sisters - Dedee Pfeiffer and Lori Pfeiffer, who both dabbled in acting and modeling but decided against making it their life's work. Her parents were both originally from North Dakota. Her father had German and British Isles ancestry, and her mother was of half Swiss-German and half Swedish descent.Pfeiffer graduated from Fountain Valley High School in 1976, and attended one year at the Golden West College, where she studied to become a court reporter. But it was while working as a supermarket checker at Vons, a large Southern California grocery chain, that she realized her true calling. She was married to actor/director Peter Horton ("Gary" of Thirtysomething (1987)) in 1981. They were later divorced, and she then had a three year relationship with actor Fisher Stevens. When that did not work out, Pfeiffer decided she did not want to wait any longer before having her own family, and in March 1993, she adopted a baby girl, Claudia Rose. On November 13th of the same year, she married lawyer-turned-writer/producer David E. Kelley, creator of Picket Fences (1992), Chicago Hope (1994), The Practice (1997), and Boston Public (2000). On August 5, 1994, their son John Henry was born. Show less «

For me, getting comfortable with being famous was hard - that whole side of it, the loss of anonymit...Show more »

For me, getting comfortable with being famous was hard - that whole side of it, the loss of anonymity, the loss of privacy. Giving up that part of your life and not having control of it. Show less «

I still think I'm going to be fired in the first week of every new job I take. Always. In fact, befo...Show more »

I still think I'm going to be fired in the first week of every new job I take. Always. In fact, before I even start a movie I'll try to get myself fired or think of a reason I should quit. I guess it's fear of failure. Show less «

[on having to turn down the part of Evita which eventually went to Madonna)] It was a very hard deci...Show more »

[on having to turn down the part of Evita which eventually went to Madonna)] It was a very hard decision. I worked my ass off for that part. I was 6 months pregnant, doing Dangerous Minds (1995), taking voice lessons, and making demos on the weekend. Then, it got too expensive to keep the production in Los Angeles. Show less «

I didn't have any formal training. I didn't come from Juilliard. I was just getting by and learning ...Show more »

I didn't have any formal training. I didn't come from Juilliard. I was just getting by and learning in front of the world. So I've always had this feeling that one day they're going to find out that I'm really a fraud. Show less «

The loss of youth, the loss of beauty - it definitely plays havoc with your psyche. There's this tra...Show more »

The loss of youth, the loss of beauty - it definitely plays havoc with your psyche. There's this transition from, 'Wow, she looks really young for her age,' to, 'She looks great for her age.' There is certainly a mourning process to that. I used to think I would never have surgery but it's really hard to say never. Show less «

[on cosmetic surgery] "If that nose or those jowls bother you, do it! But this epidemic of people lo...Show more »

[on cosmetic surgery] "If that nose or those jowls bother you, do it! But this epidemic of people losing sight of what looks good, the distortion that has been going on is creepy." Show less «

[on Johnny Depp] -- Johnny is one of the most iconic actors in cinema history. He was always on my b...Show more »

[on Johnny Depp] -- Johnny is one of the most iconic actors in cinema history. He was always on my bucket list. Show less «

[on wearing her costume in Batman Returns (1992) for the first time]: "I thought to myself 'I can't ...Show more »

[on wearing her costume in Batman Returns (1992) for the first time]: "I thought to myself 'I can't move, I can't breathe, I can't think. I'm unhappy. I can't act'." Show less «

[on Married to the Mob (1988)] It's a good one, I think. I had a great time on that with Jonathan De...Show more »

[on Married to the Mob (1988)] It's a good one, I think. I had a great time on that with Jonathan Demme. Show less «

I act for free, but I demand a huge salary as compensation for all the annoyance of being a public p...Show more »

I act for free, but I demand a huge salary as compensation for all the annoyance of being a public personality. In that sense, I earn every dime I make. Show less «

There's always those performances which are so inspiring they are reminders of why you're in this bu...Show more »

There's always those performances which are so inspiring they are reminders of why you're in this business, and what you strive for and they continue to raise the bar for everyone. Like seeing Daniel Day-Lewis in just about anything that he does. He continues to inspire me. Show less «

Interview with Movieline April 2002: (On being asked who do you find ravishing?) I find Cate Blanche...Show more »

Interview with Movieline April 2002: (On being asked who do you find ravishing?) I find Cate Blanchett just so beautiful, so chameleon-like, so good in such different things. Brad Pitt is great looking. He's pretty cute and I'd like to work with him, too. There are people I love on- screen that I would love to work with. I adore George Clooney and I'd love to work with him again. I'd love to work with Ralph Fiennes. I'd love to work with Sean Penn again. I also find my husband very, very attractive. Show less «

[In 1990, recalling her early days in Hollywood] I remember that I used to get on the phone with Ell...Show more »

[In 1990, recalling her early days in Hollywood] I remember that I used to get on the phone with Ellen Barkin. We were both unemployed. Nobody would hire us. Every part that we wanted, Debra Winger would steal. We could not get a job and we'd be hysterical for hours on the phone, bitching and moaning and kvetching. Show less «

(On Grease 2 (1982)) "That film was a good experience for me. It taught me a valuable lesson. Before...Show more »

(On Grease 2 (1982)) "That film was a good experience for me. It taught me a valuable lesson. Before it even came out the hype had started. Maxwell and I were being thrust down the public's throat in huge full page advertisements. There was no way we could live up to any of that and we didn't. So the crash was very loud. But it did teach me not to have expectations." Show less «

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd like to do an action movie. Yeah (I have done some action), ...Show more »

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd like to do an action movie. Yeah (I have done some action), but, I want to be like the Kiefer Sutherland character in 24. Jack Bauer? I want to be like him! I want to kick butt. Show less «

[on her role as "Velma Von Tussle" in Hairspray (2007)] It's a lot of fun to play mean and sinister ...Show more »

[on her role as "Velma Von Tussle" in Hairspray (2007)] It's a lot of fun to play mean and sinister - but you certainly put yourself at risk for scenery chewing. And, every once in a while, Adam [Adam Shankman, the director] would come over to me after a take and say, "Hey, Michelle - is there a chair leg in your teeth?" Show less «

I still think people will find out that I'm really not very talented. I'm really not very good. It's...Show more »

I still think people will find out that I'm really not very talented. I'm really not very good. It's all just been a big sham. Show less «

I look over and I've cut Al Pacino. This is the guy who already hates me. So, well, there goes that,...Show more »

I look over and I've cut Al Pacino. This is the guy who already hates me. So, well, there goes that, I guess! But I actually think it's when he began to like me. And we've been good friends ever since. I got the job. (July 2007 Inside the Actors Studio (1994)). Show less «

[on The Witches of Eastwick (1987)] We were a great team. There were no personality clashes whatsoev...Show more »

[on The Witches of Eastwick (1987)] We were a great team. There were no personality clashes whatsoever among the actors. We became very close. It was a difficult shoot, but not because we didn't get along. We started with an unfinished script, and then you get a lot of cooks in the kitchen and everyone's doing rewrites and it just became really stressful. But if anything, it made us stick together. It was like all the actors were in the trenches together. Working without a script doesn't work very well. We had a finished script but it wasn't one everyone was satisfied with. There were constant changes and there was a lot of drama. It's very rarely a positive to start without a solid foundation. It works sometimes. Show less «

It's my profound fear of embarrassment that's kept me going. That's the key to my success.

Acting's an odd profession for a young person; it's so extreme. You work, and the conditions are tou...Show more »

Acting's an odd profession for a young person; it's so extreme. You work, and the conditions are tough and the process is so immersive, and then it stops, and then there's nothing. So you have to find ways of making you feel productive when you're not actually producing anything. For a young person, that's really challenging. Show less «

I love Robert Zemeckis. I would do the yellow pages if he was directing [October 2000 while promotin...Show more »

I love Robert Zemeckis. I would do the yellow pages if he was directing [October 2000 while promoting What Lies Beneath (2000)]. Show less «

I have to say this singing was harder than any I've done before. The melodies are so fast that you c...Show more »

I have to say this singing was harder than any I've done before. The melodies are so fast that you can barely get a breath in. But once I got past the 'Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into' phase, it was so much fun to sing again. Show less «

(From Movieline magazine April 2002) People like Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep have paved the way ...Show more »

(From Movieline magazine April 2002) People like Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep have paved the way and our window of opportunity expands incrementally year by year. Obviously, the kind of roles I'm offered are different than before, but I feel like the roles have only gotten more interesting. I want to grow up to be Judi Dench or Ellen Burstyn. The older we get, the less we work, but look at the work just those two women are doing. It gets deeper. Show less «

[on Anne Hathaway] Oh, I think she's great. I'm actually very much looking forward to seeing her in ...Show more »

[on Anne Hathaway] Oh, I think she's great. I'm actually very much looking forward to seeing her in the role (Catwoman). I'm a big fan of hers and I think she has everything you need for that role. She has the humor, she can go to dark places, shes obviously very talented. I think she's going to be really good. Show less «

I really thought One Fine Day (1996) was a good movie. I know why it did badly. It was released at a...Show more »

I really thought One Fine Day (1996) was a good movie. I know why it did badly. It was released at a bad time. Perhaps if it had been released at a better time it would have done better. But there are so many variables. It's just all a big crapshoot. Show less «

[on Shaquille O'Neal] He was so sweet to my son [John Henry, 14] at a game a few years ago. We have ...Show more »

[on Shaquille O'Neal] He was so sweet to my son [John Henry, 14] at a game a few years ago. We have this great photo of him sitting by Shaq's feet, and I swear my son and his feet are the same size. Show less «

It seems that my leading men just keep getting younger the older I get. [at the Berlin Film Festival...Show more »

It seems that my leading men just keep getting younger the older I get. [at the Berlin Film Festival whilst promoting Chéri (2009)] Show less «

I can't see myself ever retiring. Ever. I started working part-time when I was 14 and still at schoo...Show more »

I can't see myself ever retiring. Ever. I started working part-time when I was 14 and still at school. And I've never stopped. From the moment I started, I loved it, and I feel like I always need to be productive in some way. But who knows? I may not always be acting; I hope I am. [2012] Show less «

I'm very willful, you know. I'm a survivor. It's in my nature. I don't look so tough, but I am.

[on George Clooney while on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2001) BBC, 1 August 2007] He's just a g...Show more »

[on George Clooney while on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2001) BBC, 1 August 2007] He's just a great guy, great with kids. I bet him he would get married and he keeps inflating the bet - from 100 dollars to 100,000 dollars. I still think he will, he's a handsome devil. Show less «

If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait till you hit 50 - and I was surprised at how liberating ...Show more »

If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait till you hit 50 - and I was surprised at how liberating it was. The anticipation of something is always much worse than the reality. Show less «

I was shocked at the prejudice, voiced in some quarters, over my decision to adopt a mixed-race baby...Show more »

I was shocked at the prejudice, voiced in some quarters, over my decision to adopt a mixed-race baby. It's really surprising that people still put so much emphasis on it. None of us are pure anything. We're all a mixture. Claudia is a beautiful child, and some of the most beautiful people I've seen in the world have been of mixed race. As mother of both an adopted child and my own birth-child, there is absolutely no difference in the huge amount of love I feel for both my children. I always knew I wanted to adopt a child and also have one of my own. There is no difference at all. Show less «

[on playing her part of Claire Spencer in What Lies Beneath (2000)] "I thought about Drew Barrymore ...Show more »

[on playing her part of Claire Spencer in What Lies Beneath (2000)] "I thought about Drew Barrymore in the first Scream (1996) - I mean, ultimately that movie was more funny than scary, but the opening sequence was quite terrifying, and she portrayed terror in a way I'd never seen an actress do." Show less «

Ultimately, I believe the only secret to a happy marriage is choosing the right person. Life is a se...Show more »

Ultimately, I believe the only secret to a happy marriage is choosing the right person. Life is a series of choices, right? Show less «

I remember that I used to get on the phone with Ellen Barkin. We were both unemployed. Nobody would ...Show more »

I remember that I used to get on the phone with Ellen Barkin. We were both unemployed. Nobody would hire us. For every part that we wanted, Debra Winger would steal. We could not get a job and we'd be hysterical for hours on the phone, bitching and moaning and kvetching. [Interview in Esquire, 1990]. Show less «

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer's FILMOGRAPHY

Michelle Pfeiffer'S roles

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