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"I think that acting involves doing your job so well that you are able to help the viewer identify with the character."

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While Ally Sheedy was most famous in the 1980s for her association with the "brat pack," and her roles in defining movies of the era like The Breakfast Club (1985), there's no point in feeling sorry for her, as the humble, quiet life of a "working actress" was always what she wanted, more than the stress and constant attention of stardom.

The Actress As A Young Author

Ally Sheedy was born Alexandra Eizabeth Sheedy in New York City on June 13, 1962, to parents Charlotte and John J. Sheedy Jr., a writer/activist and Manhattan advertising executive, respectively. From a young age, Ally took the arts, dancing in teh American Ballet Theatre at age six before shifting her focus to acting.

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While many celebrities go on to write memoirs and children's books, using their fame to secure a book deal, Ally Sheedy was actually a published author from a very young age, well before she became an actress. At just twelve years old Sheedy wrote She Was Nice to Mice (1974), which was published to best-seller status by McGraw-Hill Education. A year later she would get her first taste of the spotlight, featuring on the game show To Tell the Truth (1975).

Soon Sheedy would be making the rounds as a young actress, featuring in local stage productions and a number of made-for-TV movies in the late 70s and early 80s. She would land three episodes of the TV series Hill Street Blues (1981), and make her feature film debut alongside Sean Penn in Bad Boys (1983). Soon enough the phone was ringing off the hook, and she would star in movies like St. Elmo's Fire (1985), WarGames (1983) and Short Circuit (1986).

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Like any budding celebrity, Sheedy would of course have her high-profile romances, at one time dating Richie Sambora, guitarist for Bon Jovi, though the relationship lasted for less than a year.

Her biggest role around this time would be The Breakfast Club (1985), where she starred alongside an ensemble cast as Allison Reynolds. Exploring the challenges of high school society, the film employed a loose plot structure as it followed its five leads on a day of Saturday detention.

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Being largely a character study, the film would sink or swim on the quality of its lead performances, and not one member of the cast managed to disappoint. Over the course of a long day, the characters discover that they have more in common with one another than they think, despite each coming from a different clique within the school and being very different on the surface. 

From Movie Star To Working Actress

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Ally Sheedy has stayed busy since the 1980s. In 1998 she starred in the acclaimed independent film High Art (1998), exploring the relationships between women and how we relate to fine art. Though a relatively small film, High Art was a hit with critics, winning Sheedy an Independent Spirit Award, a National Society of Film Critics Award and a Boston Society of Film Critics Award. She has featured in a number of movies in supporting and leading parts, including playing the role of Scott Summers' teacher in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). She has also taken a number of roles in television, notably featuring in four episodes of procedural drama/comedy Psych (2009-2013). In the early 2000s, Sheedy reunited with Anthony Michael Hall, with whom she co-starred in The Breakfast Club, featuring on The Dead Zone (2003) in the episode "Playing God."

Sheedy enjoyed A-list status in the 1980s, and while the roles she has taken in recent years seem to lack the visibility of her iconic 80s films, this doesn't seem to bother the actress at all. "I have the desire to work as an actress, but I have no ambition to be a star."

Sheedy's career stands as proof that you needn't be a "movie star" to make a living in the entertainment industry. There are stars who can sell a movie to an international market on their name alone, and there are actress who simply want to hone their craft and find good, challenging parts. While Sheedy's time as an industry A-lister may be behind her, her best work might not be.

Ally Sheedy is currently on hiatus from the entertainment industry, and only time will tell if she decides to return to film and television and continue to pursue the bold, character-driven work on which she made her name.

"My experiences have taught me a lot and I'm happy with my learnings, if not with what I went through to learn."