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"When you start out, you have to make compromises, which include doing films of lower quality." Phoebe Cates was basically born into fame, thanks to her family which was filled with Broadway professionals and industry insiders. While Cates would never take to Broadway like her family, she would land a role in a few of the most entertaining films of the '80s, Gremlins (1984) and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982).

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Cates has enjoyed a lucrative career both in Hollywood and outside of it. As a former teen star, Cates now spends her time working on her own entrepreneurial projects. Cates hasn't appeared in a film since 2001, and she is currently focused on her variety store named Blue Tree.

Born on Broadway

Phoebe Cates was born in New York City, NY, on July 16, 1963. Cates parents were Lily and Joseph Cates. Joseph was a Broadway producer as well as a prominent figure in the television world. Joseph was instrumental in creating The 64,000 Question. Cates uncle was Gilbert Cates, a producer for television and specialty shows like the Academy Awards. Cates has Russian-Jewish and Chinese-Filipino heritages. Her mother, Lily, was born in Shanghai, China.

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As a kid, Cates would attend the Hewitt School. Hewitt School was a part of the Professional Children's School which allowed for young entertainers to balance their work with their career. Cates would also go on to attend the prestigious Juilliard School. During this period of her life, Cates wanted to be a model, and she would appear in several major publications, including Seventeen. 

After a few years at school, Cates decided that she wanted to become a professional dancer. Her skills would help to land her a scholarship at the School of American Ballet. Unfortunately for Cates, she would endure a serious injury to her knee at the age of 15. Cates would have to give up dancing forever. Eventually, almost as if it were predetermined, Cates would begin to pursue work as an actor.

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Fast Times and Gremlins

By this point in time, Cates knew that she couldn't work as a dancer, and she was already sick of modeling. With a family history in the arts, Cates knew that she could pursue the career with some level of professional guidance. Unfortunately, her father wasn't enthusiastic about Cates's deciding to go into acting. Still, Cates pushed forward with her decision, and she would land a role in Paradise (1981). Cates would sing the theme song for the film, and she would also record an album of the same name.

At the beginning of her career, Cates would struggle due to the tendencies that she developed as a model. Cates had to learn how to avoid the camera while acting naturally, which ended up being difficult for her, at first.  Cates hated how Paradise turned out and has since disavowed it completely by saying, "What I learned was never to do a movie like that again." Cates has since refused to do any sort of promotion relating to the film.

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Phoebe Cates would get back on track in 1982 when she would land a starring role in the cult-classic, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The film would feature Cates in a stunning scene that would make Rolling Stone history. If you've seen the film, you know what we are talking about. As a polar opposite to Paradise, Cates spoke often of how much fun she had working on the film. Cates would follow up the success of that project with an appearance in the comedy, Private School (1983). Cates would also sing a pair of songs for the soundtrack, 'How Do I Let You Know' and 'Just One Touch'.

After finding reasonable amounts of success as a beginner, Cates would land her most famous role in the 1984 horror-comedy, Gremlins as Kate. The film followed a new type of monster, the Gremlins, as well as the cute hero, Mogwai. The film ended up being a smash hit with children and it would go on to perform well at the box office before spawning a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). Cates would continue to enjoy her career's momentum by appearing in the TV movie Lace (1984) and the follow-up, Lace II (1985).  In that same year, Cates would go on to star in Rich Relations, an off-Broadway play based on the writings of David Henry Hwang. 

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In 1994, Cates would retire from acting after appearing in Drop Dead Fred (1991), Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993) and Princess Caraboo (1994). Cates had made the decision to retire so that she could spend more time with her children. Cates would meet Kevin Kline during an audition for the film, The Big Chill (1983). While Cates would not win the part, she would become romantically involved with Kevin Kline. The two would move into an apartment in New York City together after getting married in 1989. Cates and Kline are still together today, and they have two children together. Cates is now solely focused on her family and her boutique variety shop, Blue Tree, located on Madison Avenue in New York.