Phoebe Cates Biography

Actor

Name at birth: Phoebe Katz

Phoebe Cates made a splash as poolside dreamgirl Linda Barrett in the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Known for her dark and vaguely Asian good looks, she had a series of ingenue roles in 1980s movies like Gremlins (1984) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988). She married the actor Kevin Kline in 1989. After playing the title role in Princess Caraboo (1994) she went on a hiatus, taking no more feature roles throughout the 1990s.

Extra credit: Cates's uncle Gil Cates is a longtime producer of the annual Academy Awards telecast... her father, Joseph Cates, was a director known (according to CNN's obituary) for casting Art Carney opposite Jackie Gleason in TV's The Honeymooners.