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"I've been called the Women's Auxiliary of the Brat Pack." There is no performer more representative of their era than Molly Ringwald is of the 1980s. Molly Ringwald began her acting career in the late 70s, but she wouldn't hit her peak until 1984 when a man by the name of John Hughes came calling. Starting with Sixteen Candles (1984) and culminating with Pretty in Pink (1986), Ringwald would have one of the most iconic three-year periods of any performer, well, ever.

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Despite Ringwald's concentrated fame in the late 80s, she has continued to carve out a role for herself in the world of entertainment. Ringwald is still actively performing on television, and she has even spread her wings into other forays. Ringwald is a notable writer for an online publication known as The Guardian. Ringwald has also continued to put out professional music, most recently recording her debut album, Except Sometimes (2013).

For all that you know about Molly Ringwald, we'd wager that you don't really know her at all. Let's turn back the clock in order to get to know one of the most famous faces of the 1980s.

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Living the life of a Performer

Molly Ringwald was born on February 18, 1968, in the town of Roseville, CA. Ringwald is the daughter of Adele Edith, a chef, and Robert Scott Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist. Ringwald has a pair of sisters, Beth and Kelly, as well as an older brother who tragically passed away before she was born.

Growing up, Ringwald fell in love with performing for her family. Brought on in part by her unique childhood, having a jazz pianist for a father, Ringwald would start acting by the age of five. Ringwald's first performance was in a local rendition of Alice in Wonderland where she played the Dormouse. While in love with theater, Ringwald was also fascinated by her father's work as a musician. At the age of six, Ringwald would collaborate with her father on a jazz album produced by his band, the Fulton Street Jazz Band.

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Ringwald didn't have a traditional childhood. Instead of playing in the yard with her friends, she was auditioning and traveling for projects. Ringwald pivoted to a full-time acting career when she was only ten-years-old. Ringwald was one of the few child stars that appeared to get better with age. 

From Mickey Mouse to Molly Ringwald

As a promising young talent, Molly Ringwald got her start in the acting industry in the same way that many other children do. Ringwald would break into the industry after getting hired by Disney. She would begin appearing on The New Mickey Mouse Club (1977) as a child, appearing in several episodes. Shortly thereafter, Ringwald would find herself auditioning for the most important project of her young life, The Facts of Life (1979). Ringwald would crush her audition and receive the role of Molly Parker. Ringwald would appear in 14 episodes over a two-year span while simultaneously establishing herself as a promising young talent.

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Destined to be more than a television star, Ringwald would make her film debut in the Shakespearean drama, Tempest (1983). Ringwald would end up stealing the show en route to her first Golden Globe nomination. Ringwald's performance in the drama, across from John Cassavetes, would help to put Ringwald onto John Hughes' radar. In a couple of short years, the legendary director would come calling and Ringwald would be ready. However, before Ringwald would appear in her first Hughes-project, she would record a pair of Disney albums, one about American patriotism and the other about Christmas.

In 1984, John Hughes reached out to Molly Ringwald in order to cast her in the role of Samantha Baker for his film Sixteen Candles.  Ringwald instantly made a name for herself with the character, gaining critical acclaim and commercial attention. Critics were particularly effusive in their praise of her acting style, calling it 'engaging'. Ringwald's alluring acting style combined with Hughe's renowned writing would end up being a recipe that just worked. 

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Ringwald would soon find herself in a group known as the Brat Pack, a club of legendary actors from the 80s. The Brat Pack included Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy. They were known for their coming-of-age films and their hard-partying ways, of which Ringwald was not known to partake. Still, being a part of such an esteemed group helped to cement Ringwald's name in the era.

Following her iconic turn in Sixteen Candles, Ringwald would return for another John Hughes film. This time, Ringwald would star in The Breakfast Club (1985). Since it was first released, The Breakfast Club has captivated audiences and critics alike. As the spoiled rich kid of the Breakfast Club, Ringwald managed to pull in rave reviews. She would complete her trifecta of Hughes films by getting cast in Pretty in Pink (1986). Ringwald initially had wanted to pass on the project, but she agreed to take the part in order to help the production team out. The film released to predictably great reviews and commercial acclaim. Many Ringwald fans tout this project as being her most iconic performance.

 After making a name for herself as a coming-of-age star, Ringwald wanted to pursue a different type of work. In 1987, Ringwald would star opposite of a young Robert Donwey Jr. in The Pick-up Artist. The film was met with tepid reviews but it made money after its commercial run was over with. 

Making her way into the 90s, Ringwald was poised for continued success. However, her decision to turn down the leading female roles in Pretty Woman and Ghost would come back to haunt her, no pun intended.  Ringwald would sign off on a few more middling films before striking gold in the 1994 miniseries, The Stand. Ringwald played one of the leading roles, Frannie Goldsmith, and she used the commercial success of the project in order to cultivate a television career. Ringwald would appear in Townies before joining on the critically acclaimed show, Remember WENN.  Ringwald would take a detour from the film industry in order to work on stage alongside Jason Biggs in the play, Modern Orthodox. 

Most recently, Molly Ringwald has been maintaining her quietly prosperous career. She released her debut jazz album in 2013, titled Except Sometimes. A year later, Ringwald would begin writing an advice column for The Guardian wherein she talked about family, life, love and everything else in between.  Ringwald's latest high profile role was the part of Mary Andrews on the hit The CW program, Riverdale (2017).

Outside of her acting career, Molly Ringwald is married to a writer by the name of Panio Gianopoulos. Molly and Panio had their first daughter in 203 before having boy-girl twins in 2009. Molly and her growing family live in Hastings-on-Hudson in New York.