Ally Sheedy

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Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy (born June 13, 1962) is an American screen and stage actress, possibly best known for her roles in the "Brat Pack" films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Private life
4 Selected filmography
5 Books
6 Awards
7 External links
- 7.1 Interviews
- 7.2 Web sites

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Early life

Sheedy was born in New York City to John Sheedy, a Manhattan-based advertising executive, and Charlotte Baum, a notable press agent who was involved in women's and civil rights movements. Sheedy's father was Catholic and her mother was Jewish; she was raised mostly Catholic, although she has since also identifed as both Buddhist and Jewish. Her parents divorced in 1971 and Sheedy's mother came out as a lesbian in 1980. She has two siblings, Patrick and Meghan.

Sheedy started dancing with the American Ballet Theatre at the age of six, and at twelve years old wrote a children's book, She Was Nice to Mice; the book was published by McGraw-Hill and became a best-seller.

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Career

Sheedy started acting in local stage productions while in her teenage years. After appearing in several made-for-television films in 1981, as well as three episodes of the television series Hill Street Blues, she made her feature film debut in Bad Boys (1983), starring Sean Penn. The 1980s were her most active period, with roles in popular teen films like WarGames, The Breakfast Club and Short Circuit.

Throughout most of the 1990s, Sheedy appeared in many television films. 1998's High Art, a well-reviewed independent film about a romance between two women, was an important film in her career. She identified with the character of photographer "Lucy Berliner" so much that she took a plane at her own expense to participate in an audition and has said that this character is the closest one she has played to herself.

In 1999, Sheedy took over the lead role in the Off-Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She was the first female to play the part of the German transsexual, "Hedwig". Her run was terminated early amid bad reviews.

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Private life

In the 1990s, Sheedy was treated for sleeping pill addiction, an experience from which she drew on for her role as a drug-addicted photographer in "High Art". She has also battled with Bulimia nervosa, which started after a visit to the Ford modeling agency at the dawn of her acting career, after owner Eileen Ford told her to lose 15 pounds if she wanted to be represented by the agency.

Sheedy is married to actor David Lansbury, nephew of actress Angela Lansbury and son of Edgar Lansbury, the producer of the original production of Godspell; the couple have a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1994.

Sheedy had previously dated actor Eric Stoltz and musician Richie Sambora.

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Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
2003	Shelter Island	Louise 'Lou' Delamere
1999	I'll Take You There	Bernice
1998	High Art	Lucy
1993	Man's Best Friend	Lori Tanner
1991	Only the Lonely	Theresa Luna
1990	Betsy's Wedding	Connie Hopper
1988	Heart of Dixie	Maggie
1987	Maid to Order	Jessie Montgomery
1986	Short Circuit	Stephanie Speck
1986	Blue City	Annie Rayford
1985	Twice in a Lifetime	Helen
1985	St. Elmo's Fire	Leslie Hunter
1985	The Breakfast Club	Allison Reynolds
1984	Oxford Blues	Rona
1983	WarGames	Jennifer Katherine Mack
1983	Bad Boys	J.C. Walenski

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Books

She Was Nice to Mice, McGraw-Hill, 1975, ISBN 0440478448
Yesterday I Saw the Sun: Poems, Summit Books, 1991, ISBN 0671731300

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Awards

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (1998) for High Art
Independent Spirit Award: Best Female Lead (1999) for High Art
National Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Actress (1999) for High Art
MTV Movie Awards: Silver Bucket of Excellence Award (2005) for The Breakfast Club (shared with Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall)