Rebecca De Mornay

Rebecca De Mornay (born Rebecca Jane Pearch; August 29, c. 1958/1959)[1][lower-alpha 1] is an American actress and producer. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she starred as Lana in Risky Business. De Mornay is also known for her roles in The Slugger's Wife (1985), Runaway Train (1985), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), Backdraft (1991), and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992).

Rebecca De Mornay
De Mornay in 1986
Born
Rebecca Jane Pearch

1958 or 1959 (age 63–64)[1]
Other namesRebecca George
Occupation(s)Actress, producer
Years active1975; 1981–present
Spouse
(m. 1986; div. 1990)
Children2
ParentWally George (father)
RelativesEugenia Clinchard (grandmother)

Her other film credits include The Three Musketeers (1993), Never Talk to Strangers (1995), Identity (2003), Lords of Dogtown, Wedding Crashers (both 2005), and Mother's Day (2010). On television, she starred as Wendy Torrance in the miniseries adaptation of The Shining (1997), and as Dorothy Walker on Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015–19).

Early life

De Mornay was born Rebecca Jane Pearch in Santa Rosa, California, the daughter of Julie[7] and Wally George ( George Walter Pearch), a disc jockey and later television host.[8] According to the Associated Press, De Mornay's age is the subject of dispute,[2] though it was announced in Santa Rosa's Press Democrat that her parents had a daughter born on August 29, 1959, at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.[9] Her paternal grandmother was vaudeville performer and child film actress Eugenia Clinchard.[10]

Her parents divorced in 1960, and she took the surname of her stepfather, Richard De Mornay, after her mother married him in 1961. She spent her early years in Pasadena, California, until her stepfather died of a stroke on March 2, 1962, aged 48.[11] After his death, De Mornay and her half-brother Peter were raised by her mother, who relocated the family to Europe, where they lived in several different locations.[12] She attended the independent Summerhill School in Leiston, Suffolk, England[13] before completing her studies at a private high school in Germany.[12]

Career

De Mornay in 1987

By the time she was 16, De Mornay had an agent who was selling her songs to German rock & roll musicians, and she had written the theme song for a kung fu movie called Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death (1975).[14][15] In 1980,[12] De Mornay returned to the United States and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Institute to study acting.[16] She made her film debut with a small part in Francis Ford Coppola's 1981 film One from the Heart, which starred her real-life partner at the time, Harry Dean Stanton.[17][18] Her star-making role came two years later in Risky Business (1983), as a call girl who seduces a high-school student played by Tom Cruise. In 1985, she played the title role in The Slugger's Wife opposite Michael O'Keefe, and co-starred in The Trip to Bountiful and Runaway Train, both of which were nominated for several Academy Awards. That same year, she appeared with Starship's Mickey Thomas in the music video for the song "Sara". The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1986.

She also appeared in Roger Vadim's provocative 1988 remake of And God Created Woman, and as the wife of Kurt Russell's character in Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991). In 1990 she enacted the role of a USAF Captain pilot in HBO's successful Cold War film By the Dawn's Early Light. One of De Mornay's most commercially successful films was the thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, released in 1992. She starred as a defense lawyer in Sidney Lumet's murder drama Guilty as Sin (1993) with Don Johnson. Then she appeared in the 1995 drama film Never Talk to Strangers opposite Antonio Banderas, for which she was also the executive producer.

In 2003, she guest-starred as primary antagonist in the first two episodes of season 2 of Boomtown. In 2004, she guest-starred as attorney Hannah Rose for the last few episodes of The Practice and the following year, had a brief role alongside Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers. De Mornay also starred in the 2007 drama American Venus.[2]

In June 2007, she appeared in the HBO series John from Cincinnati with a starring role as matriarch of a troubled Imperial Beach, California, surfing family and the grandmother/guardian of a teen surfer on the brink of greatness. She appeared in Darren Lynn Bousman's Mother's Day (2010).

In 2012, De Mornay played the role of Finch's mom in the movie American Reunion where she portrayed an attractive older woman and a love interest of Stifler. From 2015 to 2019, she appeared in Jessica Jones as Trish Walker's abusive mother.[19]

Personal life

De Mornay dated actor Harry Dean Stanton in the early 1980s. They met in 1981 on the set of One From the Heart[20] and dated until De Mornay and Tom Cruise began an affair while filming Risky Business in 1982.[21] De Mornay and Cruise broke up in 1985.

De Mornay married writer Bruce Wagner on December 16, 1986; they divorced in 1990.[22]

De Mornay subsequently dated and was briefly engaged to singer Leonard Cohen.[23][24] She co-produced Cohen's 1992 album The Future, which is also dedicated to her.

De Mornay was in a relationship with actor turned sportcaster Patrick O'Neal. They have two daughters together.[1][25]

Filmography

Film

Rebecca De Mornay film work
Year Title Role Notes
1982 One from the Heart UnderstudyCredited as Rebecca de Mornay
1983 Risky Business Lana
1983 Testament Cathy Pitkin
1985 The Slugger's Wife Debby Palmer
1985 Runaway Train Sara
1985 The Trip to Bountiful Thelma
1987 Beauty and the Beast Beauty
1988 Feds Elizabeth "Ellie" DeWitt
1988 And God Created Woman Robin Shea Moran
1989 Dealers Anna Schuman
1990 By Dawn's Early Light Captain Moreau, USAF
1991 Backdraft Helen McCaffrey
1992 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Mrs. Mott / Peyton FlandersMTV Movie Award for Best Villain
1993 Guilty as Sin Jennifer Haines
1993 The Three Musketeers Milady de Winter
1995 Never Talk to Strangers Dr. Sarah TaylorExecutive producer
1996 The Winner LouiseCredited as Rebecca DeMornay
1999 Thick as Thieves Det. Louise Petrone
1999 A Table for One Ruth Draper
2000 The Right Temptation Derian McCall
2003 Identity Caroline SuzanneCredited as Rebecca DeMornay
2004 Raise Your Voice Aunt Nina
2005 Lords of Dogtown Philaine
2005 Wedding Crashers Mrs. Kroeger
2007 American Venus Celia Lane
2007 Music Within Mrs. Pimental
2010 Flipped Patsy Loski
2010 Mother's Day Natalie "Mother" Koffin
2011 A Fonder Heart Dr. Bach
2011 Apartment 1303 3D Maddie Slate
2012 American Reunion Rachel Finch
2015 Collar Mayor Ramona 'Nomi' Billingsley
2016 I Am Wrath Vivian Hill
2018 Periphery Vi Warner
2020 She Ball Aggie
TBA Peter Five Eight Brenda

Television

Rebecca De Mornay television work
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Tall Tales & Legends Slew Foot SueEpisode: "Pecos Bill"
1986 The Murders in the Rue Morgue Claire DupinTelevision film
1990 By Dawn's Early Light Captain MoreauTelevision film
1991 An Inconvenient Woman Flo MarchTelevision film
1993 Blind Side Linda KainesTelevision film
1994 Getting Out Arlene HolsclawTelevision film
1995 The Outer Limits WomanEpisode: "The Conversion".
Also directed the episode.
1997 The Shining Wendy TorranceMiniseries
1998 The Con Barbara Beaton / Nancy ThoroughgoodTelevision film
1999 Night Ride Home Nora MahlerTelevision film
1999 ER Elaine Nichols5 episodes
2000 Range of Motion Lainey BermanTelevision film
2001 A Girl Thing Kim McCormackTelevision film
2002 Salem Witch Trials Elizabeth ParrisTelevision film
2003 No Place Like Home LizTelevision pilot
2003 Boomtown Sabrina Fithian / Jill Foster2 episodes
2004 The Practice Hannah Rose4 episodes
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tessa McKellenEpisode: "Manipulated"
2007 John from Cincinnati Cissy Yost5 episodes
2013 Hatfields & McCoys Mary HatfieldUnaired pilot
2013 Hawaii Five-0 Barbara CotchinEpisode: "A ia la aku"
2015–2019 Jessica Jones Dorothy Walker13 episodes
2016, 2021 Lucifer Penelope Decker3 episodes

Music videos

Rebecca De Mornay music video work
Year Artist Song Role
1985Starship "Sara" Sara

Notes

  1. Sources vary on De Mornay's birth year.[2] Sources have given either a 1959,[3] a 1961[4] or 1962[5][6] birth year.

References

  1. "Passages". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.
  2. "Rebecca De Mornay arrested for suspected DUI". Today. Associated Press. November 6, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2021. Associated Press records indicate De Mornay's age is 45, while some other sources give it as 48.
  3. "Famous birthdays for Aug. 29: Rebecca De Mornay, Liam Payne". UPI. August 29, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  4. "Rebecca De Mornay Filmography and Movies". Fandango. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010.
  5. Thomson 2010, p. 98.
  6. "Rebecca De Mornay Filmography". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018.
  7. "Rebecca De Mornay Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  8. Hammer, Joshua (February 27, 1984). "Rabble-Rouser Wally George Is the New Pitchman and Great Right Hope of TV Squawk Shows". People. 21 (8). Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  9. "Vital Statistics: Births, Deaths, Marriages, Divorces". The Press Democrat. August 31, 1959 via Newspapers.com.
  10. Kiehn 2003, p. 258.
  11. "A Pasadena Genius Passes". Independent Star-News. April 8, 1962.
  12. "Rebecca De Mornay Biography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  13. Smithers, Rebecca (March 24, 2000). "Radical boarding school escapes closure threat". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  14. "King Of Kung Fu (Titelsong A. D. Film Good Bye, Bruce Lee)". Discogs. 1975.
  15. "A blast through the past". Pop Cult Master. April 13, 2018.
  16. "Rebecca De Mornay — about this person". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  17. Catsoulis, Jeannette (September 10, 2013). "Harry Dean Stanton Looks at the Actor's Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  18. "Notes on the New Harry Dean Stanton Documentary". vice.com. September 20, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  19. Abad-Santos, Alex (November 23, 2015). "In Marvel's Jessica Jones, women get stuff done while men just talk about women". Vox. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  20. Fortune, Drew (September 20, 2017), The Tao of Harry Dean Stanton: Alcohol, Cigarettes, and Knowing "You're Nothing", Vanity Fair magazine
  21. Sager, Jessica (June 24, 2021), From Teen Crushes to Couch Jumping, Tom Cruise's Dating History Has Been a Heck of a Ride, Parade magazine
  22. "Still Holding, Bruce Wagner — book review". New York Magazine. November 3, 2003. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  23. King, Randall (August 29, 2009). "Rebecca De Mornay joins film's killer cast". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  24. Cohen, Leonard (June 1, 1993). "Knowing Rebecca de Mornay Like Only Leonard Cohen Can". Interview magazine. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  25. "Star Tracks". Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.

Sources

  • Kiehn, David (2003). Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company. Berkeley, California: Farewell Books. ISBN 978-09729-2265-4.
  • Thomson, David (2010). The New Biographical Dictionary of Film: Completely Updated and Expanded. New York City, New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-3075-9461-7.

Further reading

  • "The Key to Rebecca". Saturday Review. 12 (1): 30–34. January–February 1986.
  • Tykus, Michael J. (2000). "Rebecca de Mornay". Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television. Vol. 29. Gale Research Co. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7876-3188-8.
  • Room, Adrian (2010). "Rebecca de Mornay". Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins (5th ed.). McFarland. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7864-4373-4.
  • Segrave, Kerry; Martin, Linda (1990). "Rebecca de Mornay". The Post-Feminist Hollywood Actress: biographies and filmographies of stars born after 1939. McFarland & Co. pp. 265–269. ISBN 978-0-89950-387-5.
  • Aylesworth, Thomas G.; Bowman, John S.; Fairbanks, Douglas (1992). "De Mornay, Rebecca". World Guide to Film Stars. Great Pond. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-56657-007-7.
  • Sleeman, Elizabeth (2001). "De Mornay, Rebecca". The International Who's Who of Women 2002 (3rd ed.). Routledge. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-85743-122-3.
  • Riggs, Thomas, ed. (2005). "De MORNAY, Rebecca". Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television: A Biographical Guide. Vol. 64. Gale / Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-7876-9037-3.
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