Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months,[2] Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby (1978), in which she appeared in nude scenes shot when she was 11 years old.[3] She continued to model into her late teenage years and starred in several dramas in the 1980s, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981).
Brooke Shields
- Actress
- model
1966–present
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
2
Frank Shields (grandfather)
Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi (grandmother)
Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi (grand-uncle)
In 1983, Shields suspended her modeling career to attend Princeton University, where she subsequently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Romance languages. In the 1990s, Shields returned to acting and appeared in minor roles in films. She also starred in the NBC sitcoms Suddenly Susan (1996–2000), for which she received two Golden Globe nominations, and Lipstick Jungle (2008–2009).
In 2017, Shields returned to NBC with a major recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the show's 19th season. Shields voiced Beverly Goodman in the Adult Swim animated series Mr. Pickles (2014–2019) and its spin-off Momma Named Me Sheriff.
Early life and family background
Shields was born in Manhattan, New York City,[4] on May 31, 1965,[4] the daughter of actress and model Teri Shields (née Schmon) and businessman Francis Alexander Shields. Her mother was of English, German, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh descent,[5][6] while her father had English, French, Irish, and Italian ancestry.[7]
According to research by William Addams Reitwiesner, Shields has ancestral links with a number of noble families from Italy, in particular from Genoa and Rome.[8] These are namely (in chronological order of descent from 1355 to 1965) the Gattilusi-Palaiologos-Savoy, Grimaldi, Imperiali, Carafa, Doria, Doria-Pamphili-Landi, Chigi-Albani, and Torlonia dynasties.[8] Her paternal grandmother was Italian noblewoman Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, who was the daughter of an Italian prince and an American socialite.[8] Her great-uncle was the Italian nobleman Alessandro Torlonia, the husband of Infanta Beatriz of Spain.[8]
When Teri announced that she was pregnant, Francis's family paid her a sum to terminate the pregnancy. Teri took the money, but violated the agreement and gave birth to Brooke.[9] Francis married Teri, but they were divorced when Shields was only five months old.[10] She has two stepbrothers and three half-sisters.[11][12] When Shields was only five days old, her mother openly stated she wanted her to be active in show business, saying: "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career."[13] Growing up, Shields took piano, ballet, and horse-riding lessons.[14]
Shields was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.[15] For her confirmation at age 10, she took the name Camille, after Camillus de Lellis. While attending high school, she resided in Haworth, New Jersey.[16] Shields has stated that her first encounter with the paparazzi was in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria New York at the age of 12, stating that she "stood like a statue wondering why they were all hired to photograph me" and that she "debuted at the Waldorf."[17]
Shields attended the New Lincoln School until eighth grade.[18][19] She graduated from the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1983.[20]
Career
1966–1977: Modeling and career beginnings
Shields began her career as a model when she was 11 months old in 1966. Her first job was for Ivory Soap, when she was photographed by Francesco Scavullo.[20] She continued as a successful child model with model agent Eileen Ford, who, in her Lifetime biography, stated that she started her children's division just for Shields. Ford said of her: "She is a professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one."[21]
After appearing in the 1974 TV adaptation of Arthur Miller's play After the Fall, Shields made her feature film debut in the New Jersey-shot horror film Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), portraying a young girl who is murdered during her first communion.[22] She was cast in the part after director Alfred Sole had seen her in a print advertisement for Vogue magazine.[22] The film was later re-released in 1981, capitalizing on Shields's rising fame at the time.[23] Next, Shields worked with director Woody Allen in his 1977 film Annie Hall, but her role was cut out of the final edit of the film.[24]
Shields and her mother Teri appeared on the cover of the September 26, 1977 issue of New York Magazine, in a cover story about her modeling career. The main headline on the cover read: "Meet Teri and Brooke Shields" while the subtitle read:
Other media
In 2006, Shields penned the book Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression and in 2015 she published There Was a Little Girl about the relationship she had with her mother, who suffered from alcoholism throughout Shields's life.[75][76]
In 2022, she launched a podcast called Now What? focusing on how people respond to adversity.[77]