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"Don't waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window, or break down a door." Brooke Shields started her career as a child model before becoming a critical darling for her work in Pretty Baby (1978) at just 12-years-old. Since then, Shields has done pretty much everything. From graduating with her Bachelor's from Princeton University to scoring a pair of Golden Globe nominations in Suddenly Susan, Shields has had one heck of a career.

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While Shields has been in the industry since she was just a child, she continues to put out great work to this day. With 100 credits to her name and a full slate of projects in development, it doesn't look like Shields is planning on going anywhere, anytime soon.

A Famous Childhood

Brooke Christa Shields was born on May 31, 1965, in Manhattan, New York. Her mother was Teri Shields (1933 – 2012) and her father was Frank Shields (1941 – 2003). Her mother, Teri, was a famous model and actress with several notable credits to her name, including Backstreet Dreams and Sahara. Brooke's father worked as a businessman. From her parents, Shields has Welsh, Scotch-Irish, German, and English ancestry. Her father has a rich lineage that spans English, Irish, French, and Italian roots.

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When Teri first announced that she was pregnant with Brooke, she was paid by Frank's family in order to end the pregnancy. Teri took the money and gave birth to Shields instead, getting married to Frank in the process. While the gesture was certainly romantic, the marriage lasted all of five months. Brooke would go on to have a pair of stepbrothers and a trio of half-sisters. When Shields was only five days old, her mother declared that her child would become a star.

Shields was raised in a Roman Catholic house. She was confirmed at ten-years-old where she took on the name, Camille. Shields attended high school while living in Haworth, New Jersey. Due to the fact that she was a famous child star, Shields would have her first run-in with the paparazzi while she was just 12-years-old.  Despite her active career, Shields didn't slow down with her education. She attended New Lincoln High School before graduating from Dwight-Englewood School in 1983. From there, Shields would go on to attend Princeton University where she would graduate in 1987 with her Bachelor's Degree in French Literature. Shield's collegiate transcript would later leak, showing that she was a nearly perfect student.

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Fame From Adolescence

True to her mother's word, Shields began to work in the entertainment industry almost as soon as she was able. Shields would begin working as a model in 1966 when she was just 11 months old. She would appear in a variety of different commercials thanks to her agent, Eileen Ford.  Ford had created a child's division at her agency solely so that she could represent Shields.  Shields would pay her faith off by becoming a star.

Shields would transition into acting with a role in the 1977 cult-classic by Woodie Allen, Annie Hall. Despite securing a role in the film, Allen would cut her part out of the final film. From there, Shields would land a starring role in Pretty Baby at just 12-years-old. While the film was beyond controversial, Shields managed to win some critical acclaim for her work.

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At just 14 years old, Shields would become the youngest model to ever grace the cover of Vogue. She would also secure an advertising campaign from Calvin Klein which included the famous line, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." These marketing deals would end up catapulting Shields to another level of fame. By the time Shields was ready to graduate from high school, she would be known as one of the most famous young faces in the country. Shields would become one of the youngest performers to ever appear on The Muppet Show which would naturally lead to her being one of the youngest people to ever host Fridays, an ABC knock-off of Saturday Night Live.

Shields would perform in a number of films early on in her career with The Blue Lagoon (1980) being her most notable. She also showed up in Cannonball Fever (1989), Friends (1996) and her hit show, Suddenly Susan (1996). Shields would star in Suddenly Susan for four years, spanning 93 episodes, on her way to a pair of Golden Globe nominations.  Shields would grow comfortable on television with a recurring role on That 70s Show (2004) as Pamela Burkhart and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2017). 

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Off-camera, Shields has built up a reputation for being a talented performer on Broadway. She would play Rizzo in the 1994 rendition of Grease. She would also play Sally Bowles in Cabaret (1998). Shields was perhaps most critically acclaimed for her interpretation of Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (2003).  Other notable stage productions include Chicago (2005) and The Addams Family (2011).

Brooke Shields has had quite a diverse career, and that has crept into her personal life, as well. Shields has become well-known for her work as an animal rights activist. She has railed against the fur industry while working with animal rights groups like PETA. Shields has also challenged traditional femineity by embracing physical fitness. She also had a notable public spat with Tom Cruise who had attacked her for her use of medication in her combat with postpartum depression. Shields fiercely replied to Cruise's criticism by publishing an essay titled 'War of the Worlds' through The New York Times. Shields and Cruise would makeup and Shields would later attend Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes. Shields was also tied to Michael Jackson through a friendship that they had cultivated while she was a child actor.

As far as her romantic life goes, Shields likes to keep things relatively quiet. She was briefly married to tennis star Andre Agassi from 1997 to 1999. Shields and writer Chris Henchy have been together since they first met in 1999. The couple would marry in 2000, and they would go on to have two daughters together. The family lives in Manhattan where Henchy works on the Creative Council for Represent Us, an anti-corruption organization. Shields continues to work as a prominent actress and she has most recently starred in the shows, Jane the Virgin (2018) and Creative Galaxy (2014).