DADADEL
Phoebe Cates, known for roles in films like Gremlins and Drop Dead Fred, will always be remembered for her iconic topless pool scene in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
However, over 20 years ago, the former actress stepped away from Hollywood and now works a regular 9-to-5 job doing something she loves.
Born Phoebe Belle Cates on July 16, 1963, in New York City, she attended private schools and studied ballet at Juilliard as a young girl.
With a family deeply rooted in the entertainment industry, Phoebe’s father, Joe Cates, was a producer-director, and her uncle held a prominent position as the president of the Directors Guild. Her siblings also worked in the industry.
Although Phoebe originally pursued a dance career, a knee injury in her younger years forced her to give it up.
At the age of 14, she transitioned to modeling, finding success quickly. She appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine four times but soon realized she wasn’t passionate about modeling and began looking for other opportunities.
“It became repetitive. After a while, I was only doing it for the money,” Phoebe said, reflecting on her brief modeling career.
Her career took a turn when she met her future film agent at a party at New York’s famed Studio 54, which led her to train with Robert Ravan, founder of The Actors’ Circle in New York.
“I just knew I didn’t want to go to college. Acting seemed like a great way out if I could land a few movies,” she shared in an interview with The Daily Item in 1985.
Cates also studied with Alice Spivack at H.B. Studios and made her acting debut in 1982, starring as Sarah in Paradise. Soon after, she appeared in Experienced and, most famously, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The movie became a cult classic, largely remembered for Cates’ pool scene, which Rolling Stone magazine labeled “the most memorable bikini-drop in cinema history.”
As one of her friends remarked, that scene left an indelible mark on the hearts of many teenage boys.
In 1982, Phoebe gave her take on the moment. “In this business, if a girl wants a career, she has to be willing to strip. If you’ve got a good body, why not show it?”
The cast of Fast Times at Ridgemont High was impressive, featuring future stars like Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eric Stoltz, and Forest Whitaker.
“We were all so young, and it became a big hit. People would quote the lines while watching in theaters,” Jennifer Jason Leigh told The Daily News.
Phoebe continued her career in both film and theater, starring in Private School as Christine Ramsey in 1983 and co-starring in Steven Spielberg’s Gremlins in 1984. While auditioning for The Big Chill, she met critically acclaimed actor Kevin Kline, though she did not get the role.
Despite the 16-year age gap, Cates and Kline started dating two years after they met. Kline asked his former assistant, who had become Cates’ employee, to help him win her over.
In 1989, Phoebe and Kevin tied the knot in New York City, with Cates being 25 and Kline 41. The couple welcomed their first child, Owen Joseph, in 1991, and their daughter, Greta Simone, followed in 1994.
By 2017, the couple celebrated 27 years of marriage, prompting curiosity about their secret to longevity. “We take care of the marriage,” Kline said.
Though Cates’ career was thriving, she chose to step back from acting to focus on raising their children. In the 1990s, she slowly retreated from the spotlight.
In a 1998 interview with Playboy, Cates explained that she and Kline agreed to alternate acting jobs so their children would always have one parent at home.
Kline mentioned that even when it was her turn to work, Cates opted to stay home with the kids. While she occasionally took small acting roles, she was more often seen accompanying Kline to red-carpet events.
In 2005, Phoebe opened her boutique, Blue Tree, near Carnegie Hall. The shop offers a variety of items, from fragrances to clothing and gifts.
Phoebe has since dedicated herself to being a full-time shopkeeper, often working hands-on at the store and curating new products. You can visit Blue Tree at 1283 Madison Avenue in New York City, on the Upper East Side where she also resides.
