Kelly McGillis: that was a brief career.

Hello, Top Gun!!!

Didn't Whitney Houston show up on set of "the Accused" to kick Kelly's ass? Or was it Jodie's ass?

She wasn't traditionally attractive, too big and mannish.

She had drug problem

She was stunningly beautiful at one point.

that has always been the rumor but I don't know if it was ever confirmed who was with who and who cheated on the other.

Jodie was pretty paranoid back then. I doubt she'd be careless enough to get in a big lesbian drama like that.

She was pretty damn hot in Top Gun era, r3, she is just mannish now that she is old.

But some people were saying she was mannish even in her hot prime, she has mannish jaw.

Yeah. So ugly.

It is kind of odd. The Accused restarted Jodie's career but Kelly pretty much never had another good role.

I'd guess she hard a rough time with being closeted. She married a man for a while and while she was giving birth he was arrested for having sex with a hooker. (and she stayed with him for a while after that!_

What ever happened with that home invasion at her home a while back? Stalker fan or relationship drama? How did it all end up?

She was stunning in her first movie, Reuben, Reuben (1983). (Looks-wise not acting-wise.)

She was/is a lesbian and let herself grow into her natural being. She was very briefly the flavor of the month.

She's 61 now, 6 years older than her Top Gun star, Tommy.

She's quite pretty in an older, natural way. Aging very gracefully.

I saw her in Witness where she has a topless scene.

In Top Gun with Tammy.

I ate at her restaurant in Key West in the 90s. Food was nothing special, but it was a gorgeous warm night and the drinks were perfect.

She was very attractive in her younger days. I think she was very intense I don't think she could do humorous roles so that cost her, most big name actresses did romantic comedies.

Quite strong-looking (okay, mannish, if you will), but striking. She always seemed to be of another era--like Stanwyck and those other strong women of the 1930s-50s. Kathleen Turner was very much the same way. Even Deborah Winger, to an extent.

I don't think things have turned out too badly for Kelly. She's made her choices. She may have wanted more longevity in her career, but I seriously doubt she misses all the crap that went with it.

Pretty girls in the 80s were endlessly disposable and forgotten, regardless of talent, and here we are discussing her.

So, after her glamour days, did she have any successful movies? Was it just straight into the toilet after a few hits?

She supposedly turned down both Fatal Attraction and Madonna's role in Desperatly Seeking Susan. (oooops)

I'm skeptical about DSS which I'd heard was written specifically for, and even inspired by, Madonna. Which sure seemed the case, the role fit her like a glove.

Thanks, IMDB.com!

Owner of restaurant "Kelly's" in Key West, Florida.

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1984" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 36.

Wanted to play the role of "Kathryn Murphy", the district attorney in The Accused (1988), because she and her roommate were assaulted and raped by two men in their apartment in 1982.

Claimed that she was a lonely, overweight adolescent.

Studied at Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts and Juilliard.

Was fired from the film Bachelor Party (1984) allegedly because the producers thought she wasn't pretty or sexy enough.

Kelly McGillis actually had to return to employment waiting tables after having been a prominent character in an Oscar nominated film (her first movie, Reuben Reuben).

Auditioned for the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992).

In April, 2009 Kelly McGillis confirmed long-held rumors that she's a lesbian, according to an interview on the website shewired.

Is also a professional counselor, primarily concerning substance abuse.

The New York Times reported that on September 15, 2010, Kelly McGillis and Melanie Leis had a civil union performed in Collingswood, New Jersey, by Judge Robert T. Zane III. Melanie Leis is a sales executive.

Met former partner Melanie Leis in 2000, while McGillis was still married to her second husband Fred Tillman.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 32, a daughter Kelsey Lauren Tillman on May 24, 1990. Child's father is her 2nd husband, Fred Tillman.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 35, a daughter Sonora Ashley on April 10, 1993. Child's father is her 2nd husband, Fred Tillman.

Currently working in The Graduate as Mrs. Robinson on Broadway. [November 2004]

Performing on stage as "Mrs. Robinson" in the national touring company of the play "The Graduate." [March 2004]

She has English, Welsh, Scots-Irish (Northern Irish), and German ancestry.

As of June 2016, now lives in Henderson County, North Carolina.

She lost out on the role of Madame de Tourvel twice. The first time was in 1987 in the stage drama "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" with other American actors Glenn Close and Kevin Spacey, where they would have replaced the acclaimed English cast, but the show closed since producers feared soft box-office because of the cast change. (This was before Close and Spacey became household names.) The second time was in 1988 in the film Dangerous Liaisons (1988) when film critic Pauline Kael talked the film's director Stephen Frears into dropping McGillis in favor of Michelle Pfeiffer, who earned an Academy Award nomination, as did Close who was cast this time, because of her star-making performance in Fatal Attraction (1987).

No r23. Madonna's was nobody when that film was written. People weren't writing films for her. They considered lots of actresses (Lori Singer of Footloose almost got it.)

(the director showed the film at my college and took questions)

[quote] Pauline Kael talked the film's director Stephen Frears into dropping McGillis in favor of Michelle Pfeiffer,

BITCH!!

Wow. She was too buttoned down to play Susan. And I can't picture anyone but G as Alex.

But that's not actually true, r25. Madonna was a nobody to the world, but she's started becoming known in NYC, where the movie's set. She's playing herself, which is why it's one of her few credible performances.

they may have let her be herself once they started filming but it wasnt written for her/

the character was actually just a lighter version of the character in smithereens

Her private life seems to have been very messy from the early 90s onwards which would explain why her career took a nosedive.

How did she get the role over much more established actresses then? Madonna was known, she was a young, vivacious women with her own unique style. That's what they wanted.

SSS was not written for Madonna. The studio did kit even want her,

Jodie Foster really got around, didn't she? She was known for bedding quite a few women at Yale. (A Yalie told me this once.)

There's this, which I am sure didn't help her addiction issues.

[quote]On June 28, McGillis told ABC’s Nightline the attack was particularly terrifying because when McGillis was studying acting in New York, she was brutally raped at knifepoint by two men who broke into her apartment. She was only 24. Police apprehended both men. One was convicted, the other was not. McGillis told People magazine that the attack damaged her deeply and made it hard for her to function. She developed an alcohol problem which she entered rehab to quit. But the trauma of that violent assault never left her.

Correct style is “Why did Kelly McGillis’ career go straight down the shitter?”

Learn for next time, OP.

I can live without the "straight down the shitter" thing. It's just not funny.

She did fine - she left Hollywood and her restaurant in the Keys was pretty popular.

Long standing rumor about a big blow up on the set of the Accused - lesbian fight among Kelly, Jodi and someone else - I want to say Whitney, but that would be too much of an 80's lesbian trifecta.

She married a man - and now married to a woman. There were always huge rumors about her being a lesbian in the 80's. Once again, those strong whispers turned out to be true - just like 90% of the other whispered rumors at that time (Rosie O'Donnell, George Michael, Jodi Foster, Whitney Houston, Ricky Martin, etc.).

I would think the horrifying rape moment would be a huge piece of where all her decision making must reside. She went through anyone's worst nightmare. And was an acting student at Juilliard at the time this happened. I would think this would taint NYC to a degree for her, as well as that whole young time in her life, which was the beginning of her career.

Also, not everyone who becomes a star finds that lifestyle and that hyper-crazy focus on career works for them. It always seems to the public that the career left them, when sometimes people leave their careers. Because we are such a fame and celebrity obsessed culture we never imagine someone could or would walk away from stardom of any sort. I think she honestly did. I can't believe there weren't or aren't projects she could work on. I don't think she wants that life is all.

And she looks good now. Her face isn't botched or frozen. And she can eat as much key lime pie as she wants.

I loved her in pretty much all her roles. She was brilliant in Witness. Not a lot of actresses could have pulled of the subtlety she gave the role.

R34 How horrible. I didn't know about that.

Saw her do "Much Ado" in DC. I believe she was Beatrice. She loves Shakespeare.

I will always respect her and Debra Winger for the same reasons.

They both left the biz of their own accord. They've both aged gracefully without hacking up their faces.

Neither of them seems thirsty, and I really like that about them.

She was great in the horror movie Stakeland from a few years ago. She played a nun, and some of that still quality she had in Witness was evident even now.

Kelly McGillis and Paul Reiser were originally cast in “Bachelor Party”, but were replaced by Tawny Kitaen and Tom Hanks. She was also cast in the original version of “The Two Jakes” before it fell apart. When it started over, she and Cathy Moriarty’s roles were recast with Meg Tilly and Madeleine Stowe.

This was an interesting read. Despite its impressive pedigree, “Peccadillo” never made it to Broadway with Plummer, McGillis and Johns.

R40 Kelly gave an interview in People magazine years ago in which she stated that men of color (guess which color) broke into her apartment, yelled racial slurs at her, and manhandled and raped her. A traumatic experience.

r31 you seem determined to argue the fact that Madonna was known and it was written for her.

As I said the director spoke at my college not that long ago and described the casting process and stated she almost cast Lori Singer.

Madonna was "known" in that she had had a few hits and hit videos on MTV. But she wasn't KNOWN enough that screenwriters were writing films for major motion pictures with her in mind. Her superstardom actually happened during the filming of the movie.

During the filming Like a Virgin came out and the MTV performance happened and they went from a small film filming unnoticed on the streets of Manhattan to having to have security and barriers to keep back the fans who were accumulating to watch her.

I guess her rape explains why she chose the lawyer role rather than the victim role in The Accused.

That film's rape scene is pretty graphic. She probably didn't want to have to simulate what actually happened to her. The lawyer who avenges the victim was probably therapeutic for her.

Her Hedda was not well received as I recall.

She was pretty, but not knockout pretty. Photogenic at least.

Did her looks really matter though?

She had such a hot run from 1983 to 1988 and then it ended so suddenly. It is odd.

She just seemed to walk away. She was still hot in the early 90s so it wasn't because of her looks.

As I remember she had two films The House on Carroll Street and Winter People that were supposed to be big Oscar contenders but ended up being pushed back a year due to poor quality. Then Foster stealing all the attention for The Accused seemed to make her seem like damaged goods and not a bankable star. (The Accused was actually made on the back of her "heat" from Top Gun.")

She now looks like she runs an animal shelter in Northampton, MA.

Well, the bitch is an old lesbian. She can look however the hell she wants. She’s not Hollywood anymore.

She was in and out of the closet. I forget where I read it (I read a lot of actor bios). Way back at the start of her career she was sort of open and even brought a girlfriend to some big function.

Then she seemed to go into the closet which was probably more related to wanting to have children then for career reasons since her career actually slowed when she married a....... man in 1989.

at least she has a belly bra now.

She’s very Joanne Woodward to me.

What's a belly bra? Wait, I don't want to know...

Also, according ti IMBD, she's been working steadily for years.

When your belly is big enough to let your tits rest on them.

no nominations, that must be so difficult to deal with

I was surprised to see her in the cult horror film The Innkeepers

Why did Paulene Kael have such a thing against her that she got her fired from Dangerous Liasons?

I learned something new today - "belly bra."

R42 don’t know about McGillis but that’s such fucking bullshit about Winger. The roles dried up because no one could fucking stand her and then on top of that she turned 40, but she and her PR created this myth around her (so much that that documentary was made about her) that she was such a “rebel” and left Hollywood. Horseshit. She was reduced to doing movies like wilder Napalm and Forget Paris.

It was over for Winger when she refused to sign her contract for A League of their Own. (and not over Madonna being in it.) She had all these demands and it went right down to the wire. I can remember the whole thing being covered daily in the trades. They gave her until five o'clock Friday to show up for the film and sign her contract. When she didn't (I think she expected Penny Marshall to side with her but she didn't) they had Geena Davis on a plane the next day and the movie went off without a hitch, was a hit and Winger was done.

I never believed the Jodie, Whitney, Kelly thing. I never heard of Whitney dating anyone white.

Wouldn't Whitney have been with Robin at this point?

She never quite worked as a leading lady. Too dykey.

And, judging by recent photos, things have only gotten worse.

That photo at R53 practically screams canes and bread pudding.

[quote]She never quite worked as a leading lady. Too dykey.

She worked as one in Witness opposite Harrison Ford. It was only in Top Gun that she started to appear butch but that may just have been in comparison to her co-star.

Men age like wine, women age like milk

....

lol r71. Tom Cruise has that "thing" that a lot of us gay guys have -we look 200% MORE homosexual when we're next to a butch woman.

A lengthy but interesting read on what sounds like a shoot from hell. Yikes!

Reading that article about the movie Cat Chaser (1989) is interesting. Kelly McGillis sounds nothing like the square, low-key lesbian actress I imagined. Unless Abel Ferrara is lying.

Much as her acting is generally risible, I can't imagine "Desperately Seeking Susan" without Madonna. It was her "What's Up Doc".

I never thought McGillis had the charisma to fill out a career - and unlike Madonna in DSS, she couldn't relax into a role and just play herself either. That said, she seems a decent sort and I hope her life is a good one.

She was beautiful in Witness.

She was a poor man’s Kathleen Turner.

2008, The L word. The lesbian Army JAG colonel who prosecutes Alice's Army captain girlfriend for being a lesbian

I'm halfway through The Accused right now and Jesus, is Jodie mediocre in it or what? The movie is barely superior to what's on Lifetime. And Jodie isn't fooling anyone with her "Masshole" accent-yet she won the oscar for this role?I think Kelly is attractive in this though.

Kelly looked fat in The Accused. Ended her sex symbol status.

I though Jodie was good in The Accused. Lots of people seem to have agreed because she won the Oscar for it, and it was the basis of her casting as Clarice Starling, her most famous role.

I'm well aware she won an Oscar for it. Her performance is very predictable in it. And her accent is completely unbelievable. She deserved the Oscar for Silence of the Lambs but not for The Accused.

It was a sympathy Oscar for all she went through as a victim in real life with the John Hinckley thing.

R84, makes sense.

I went to college and then worked in Washington DC after graduation in the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s. Sometime in the late 1980s, I was in a bar on Capitol Hill enjoying drinks one night with a group of friends. Kelly McGillis was doing a Shakespeare play in town. She came in and was seated at the next table. She was with some guys. We let her be, but she did smile and nod hello, as I recall. Then again, I was looking more at the guys she was with. One was really good-looking. I remember what he looked like more than her.