Molly Ringwald Feb 18

Pretty in Pink Molly Ringwald

If ever there was an American Sweetheart, Molly Ringwald was it.  This screen and stage actress took the country by storm in her realistic and superb performances of teenage roles in the 1980’s.  Molly Ringwald garnered the top spot in Video Hits One’s (VH1) 100 Greatest Teen Stars.  She has blockbuster movies that she made in her teen years the most notable of which are Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and also Pretty in Pink.  Sixteen Candles launched her to the mainstream and The Breakfast Club solidified her reputation as a teenage movie star.

Young Molly Ringwald’s in Show Business

Molly Ringwald’s father is Robert Scott Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist.  Molly began her singing career by making appearances at his father’s jazz band performances and subsequently released her first album I Wanna be Loved by You, Molly Sings when she was six.  Her show business career started when she was five when she got the role of dormouse in a production of Alice in Wonderland and later became part of the New Mickey Mouse Club.  She also played a part in the stage production of Annie when she was ten.  When she was eleven, she landed the role of Molly Parker in the TV show The Facts of Life.

Molly Ringwald as Toast of Tinsel Town

Her TV break in The Facts of Life got Molly Ringwald enough recognition which subsequently led to roles in different movies like Tempest, Packin It In, and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.  These movies barely made a ripple in the industry but it got Molly Ringwald into the limelight.

Her big break came when she was casted as Samantha in the hit movie Sixteen Candles.  At that time, teenager roles in movies were limited to providing comic relief.  However, this movie gave her a chance to give a realistic portrayal of a teenager’s life.  Sixteen Candles was followed by an even bigger hit, The Breakfast Club where she played the role of a troubled and spoiled rich kid.  Pretty in Pink was her biggest hit ever.

Molly Ringwald’s Break from Hollywood

The late 1980s to 1990s was the beginning of the end for Molly Ringwald’s Hollywood career.  She allegedly turned down the role of the woman prostitute lead in the much acclaimed movie Pretty Woman as well as the female lead role co-starring with Patrick Swayze in another blockbuster, Ghost.  She did play the lead role in The Pick up Artist alongside Robert Downey, Jr but the movie unfortunately flopped.  Her other movies where she played more decidedly mature roles are Fresh Horses and For Keeps also flopped.  Her TV sitcom Townies was deemed worthy but it lacked the viewership to continue airing and so was canned after only nine episodes.

Molly Ringwald Today

Molly Ringwald is currently active in stage theater and Broadway productions, she divorced her French husband in 2002 and now has a child with her boyfriend.  Molly Ringwald made a cameo appearance in the movie Not Another Teen Movie.  The Molly Ringwald, Toast of Tinseltown, is now but a pleasant though lasting memory.