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Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (;  born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and occasional singer. She began her acting career in 1978 and had her first starring film role in Grease 2 (1982), before receiving mainstream attention for her breakout performance in Scarface (1983). Her greatest commercial successes include Batman Returns (1992), Dangerous Minds (1995), What Lies Beneath (2000) and Hairspray (2007).

Pfeiffer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). She received a third Oscar nomination for Love Field (1992). Her other notable film roles include The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Married to the Mob (1988), Frankie and Johnny (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Wolf (1994) and White Oleander (2002).

Early life

Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California, the second of four children of Richard Pfeiffer, creator of the hit video game series Fifa, and Donna (née Taverna), a housewife. She has one elder brother, Rick (born 1955), and two younger sisters, Dedee Pfeiffer, a television and film actress,  and Lori Pfeiffer (born 1965). Her parents were both originally from North Dakota.  Her paternal grandfather was of German ancestry and her paternal grandmother was of English, Welsh, French, Irish, and Dutch descent, while her maternal grandfather was of Swiss-German descent and her maternal grandmother was of Swedish ancestry.  The family moved to Midway City, where Pfeiffer spent her childhood. 

She attended Fountain Valley High School, graduating in 1976. She worked as a check-out girl at Vons supermarket, and attended Golden West College  where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After a short stint training to be a court stenographer, she decided upon an acting career.  She won the Miss Orange County beauty pageant in 1978, and participated in Miss California the same year, finishing in sixth position.  Following her participation in these pageants, she acquired an acting agent and began to audition for television and films. 

Career

First television and film appearances

Pfeiffer's early acting appearances included television roles in Fantasy Island,  Delta House and BAD Cats among others. She was one of the several candidates to audition as a replacement for Kate Jackson on the television series Charlie's Angels in 1979, although the part went to Shelley Hack. She had small roles in a few theatrical films, including Falling in Love Again (1980) with Susannah York, The Hollywood Knights (1980) opposite Tony Danza, and Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981), none of which met with much critical or box office success. Pfeiffer later said of her early screen work: "I needed to learn how to act... in the meantime, I was playing bimbos and cashing in on my looks." She appeared in a television commercial for Lux soap,  and took acting lessons at the Beverly Hills Playhouse,  before appearing in three further television movies – Callie and Son (1981) with Lindsay Wagner, The Children Nobody Wanted (1981), and a 1981 TV movie remake of Splendor in the Grass. She then landed her first major film role as Stephanie Zinone in Grease 2 (1982), the sequel to the smash-hit musical Grease (1978). The film was a critical and commercial failure, and Pfeiffer's single release of "Cool Rider" from the film's soundtrack on PolyGram failed to dent the music charts. Nevertheless, Pfeiffer received some positive attention for her performance, notably from the New York Times, which said "although she is a relative screen newcomer, Miss Pfeiffer manages to look much more insouciant and comfortable than anyone else in the cast".  Despite escaping the critical mauling, Pfeiffer's agent later admitted that her association with the film meant that "she couldn't get any jobs. Nobody wanted to hire her". 

Mainstream attention

Director Brian De Palma, having seen Grease 2, refused to audition Pfeiffer for Scarface (1983), but relented at the insistence of Martin Bregman, the film's producer. She was cast as cocaine-addicted trophy wife Elvira Hancock.  The film was considered excessively violent by most critics, but became a commercial hit and gained a large cult following in subsequent years.  Pfeiffer received positive reviews for her supporting turn; Richard Corliss of Time Magazine wrote, "most of the large cast is fine: Michelle Pfeiffer is better ..."  while Dominick Dunne, in an article for Vanity Fair titled "Blonde Ambition", wrote, "[s]he is on the verge of stardom. In the parlance of the industry, she is hot". 

Following Scarface, she played Diana in John Landis' comedy Into the Night (1985), opposite Jeff Goldblum, Isabeau d'Anjou in Richard Donner's fantasy film Ladyhawke (1985), opposite Rutger Hauer and Matthew Broderick, Faith Healy in Alan Alda's Sweet Liberty (1986), opposite Michael Caine, and Brenda Landers in a segment of the 1950s sci-fi parody Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), all of which, despite achieving only modest commercial success, helped to establish her as an actress. She finally scored a major box-office hit as Sukie Ridgemont in the 1987 adaptation of John Updike's novel The Witches of Eastwick, alongside Jack Nicholson, Cher and Susan Sarandon. The film grossed $63,766,510 domestically (equivalent to $ million in  dollars). 

Late 1980s

Pfeiffer was cast against type, as a murdered gangster's widow, in Jonathan Demme's mafia comedy Married to the Mob (1988), opposite Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell and Mercedes Ruehl. For the role of Angela de Marco, she donned a curly brunette wig and a Brooklyn accent,  and received her first Golden Globe Award nomination as Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, beginning a six-year streak of consecutive Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes.   Pfeiffer then appeared as chic restauranteuse Jo Ann Vallenari in Tequila Sunrise (1988) opposite Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell, but experienced creative and personal differences with director Robert Towne, who later described her as the "most difficult" actress he has ever worked with. 

At Demme's personal recommendation, Pfeiffer joined the cast of Stephen Frears's Dangerous Liaisons (1988) alongside Glenn Close and John Malkovich, playing the virtuous victim of seduction, Madame Marie de Tourvel. Her performance won her widespread acclaim; Hal Hinson of the Washington Post saw Pfeiffer's role as "the least obvious and the most difficult. Nothing is harder to play than virtue, and Pfeiffer is smart enough not to try. Instead, she embodies it. Her porcelain-skinned beauty, in this regard, is a great asset, and the way it's used makes it seem an aspect of her spirituality".  She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 

Pfeiffer then accepted the role of Susie Diamond, a hard-edged former call girl turned lounge singer, in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), which co-starred Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges as the eponymous Baker Boys. She underwent intensive voice training for the role for four months, and performed all of her character's vocals.  The film was a modest success, grossing $18,428,904 in the US (equivalent to $ million in  dollars ).  Pfeiffer's portrayal of Susie, however, drew raves from critics. Janet Maslin, from The New York Times, wrote of the performance "[...]she proves to be electrifyingly right. Introducing Ms. Pfeiffer's furiously hard-boiled, devastatingly gorgeous Susie into the Bakers' world affects the film the way a match might affect a fuse,"  while Roger Ebert compared her to Rita Hayworth in Gilda and Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot, and described the film as "one of the movies they will use as a document, years from now, when they begin to trace the steps by which Pfeiffer became a great star."  Variety singled out her performance of 'Makin' Whoopee', writing that Pfeiffer "hits the spot in the film's certain-to-be-remembered highlight... crawling all over a piano in a blazing red dress. She's dynamite."  During the 1989–1990 awards season, Pfeiffer dominated the Best Actress category at every major awards ceremony, winning awards at the Golden Globes, the National Board of Review, the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and the Chicago Film Critics Association. At the Academy Awards, she was favored to win the Best Actress Oscar,  but the award went to Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy in what was considered a surprise upset.  The only other major acting award for which she was nominated that she did not take home for The Fabulous Baker Boys was the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which also went to Tandy. 

1990s

In the 1990s, Pfeiffer accepted and also turned down many high-profile roles, beginning with the title role in Pretty Woman (1990), which earned Julia Roberts a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.  She took the part of the Soviet book editor Katya Orlova in the 1990 film adaptation of John le Carré's The Russia House, opposite Sean Connery, a role that required her to adopt a Russian accent. For her efforts, she was rewarded with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama.  Pfeiffer then landed the role of damaged waitress Frankie in Garry Marshall's Frankie and Johnny (1991), a film adaptation of Terrence McNally's Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, which reunited her with her Scarface co-star, Al Pacino. The casting was seen as controversial by many, as Pfeiffer was considered far too beautiful to play an "ordinary" waitress;  Kathy Bates, the original Frankie on Broadway, also expressed disappointment over the producers' choice.  Pfeiffer herself stated that she took the role because it "wasn't what people would expect of [her]."  Pfeiffer was once again nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for her performance. During this period, she turned down the role of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991),  which won Jodie Foster the Academy Award for Best Actress, the role of Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992), ultimately played by Sharon Stone,  and the role of Louise in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise, that went to Susan Sarandon. 

In 1990, Michelle formed her own boutique film production company called Via Rosa Productions, which ran for ten years.  The company would allow Pfeiffer to produce and/or star in films tailored for strong women.  She asked her best friend Kate Guinzburg to be her producing partner at the company.  The two met on the set of the film Sweet Liberty (1986) and quickly became friends.  Kate was the Production Coordinator on the film and became close with Pfeiffer over the course of the shoot.  Via Rosa Productions was under a picture deal with Touchstone Pictures, a film label of The Walt Disney Studios.  The first film the duo produced was Love Field (1992).

Pfeiffer earned an Academy Award nomination for Actress in a Leading Role and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance as Lurene Hallett in the nostalgic independent drama Love Field (1992). This film had been temporarily shelved by the financially troubled Orion Pictures. It was finally released in late 1992, in time for Oscar consideration. The New York Times review wrote of Pfeiffer as "again demonstrating that she is as subtle and surprising as she is beautiful."  For her portrayal of the eccentric Dallas housewife, she won the Silver Bear Best Actress award at the Berlin International Film Festival. 

Pfeiffer took the role of Catwoman (Selina Kyle) in Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1992) opposite Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito. For the role of Catwoman, she trained in martial arts and kickboxing. Pfeiffer has received universal critical acclaim for her performance and is consistently referred to as the greatest portrayal of Selina Kyle/Catwoman of all time by critics and fans. She was constantly praised for the amount of dimension and authenticity she brought to the character. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised her for giving the "feminist avenger a tough core of intelligence and wit" and called her a "classic dazzler".  Premiere retrospectively lauded her performance: "Arguably the outstanding villain of the Tim Burton era, Michelle Pfeiffer's deadly kitten with a whip brought sex to the normally neutered franchise. Her stitched-together, black patent leather costume, based on a sketch of Burton's, remains the character's most iconic look. And Michelle Pfeiffer overcomes Batman Returns heavy-handed feminist dialogue to deliver a growling, fierce performance".  The movie met a big box office success, grossing over $266 million worldwide (equivalent to $ million). 

The following year, she played Countess Ellen Olenska in Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence (1993) opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. For this role she received the Elvira Notari Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture.   That same year she was awarded the Women in Film Los Angeles' Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. 

Pfeiffer's subsequent career choices have met with varying degrees of success. After The Age of Innocence, she played the role of Laura Alden opposite Jack Nicholson in Wolf (1994), a horror film that garnered a mixed critical reception.  The New York Times wrote: "Ms. Pfeiffer's role is underwritten, but her performance is expert enough to make even diffidence compelling".  The movie grossed US$65 million (equivalent to $ million) at the domestic box office and US$131 million worldwide (equivalent to $ million).  Her next role was that of high school teacher and former US Marine LouAnne Johnson in the surprise box office hit Dangerous Minds (1995),  which was semi-produced under Pfeiffer's film production company Via Rosa Productions. She appeared as her character in the music video for the soundtrack's lead single, 'Gangsta's Paradise' by Coolio (featuring L.V.), which was used by the producer Jerry Bruckheimer for television advertising. A 60-second version was aired on music channels, while a 30-second cut was aired in the rest of the networks.  The song won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance,  and the video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video. 

In 1996, she turned down the Golden Globe Award-winning role of Eva Perón in the biopic Evita,  which went to Madonna.  Pfeiffer then portrayed Sally Atwater in the romantic drama Up Close & Personal (1996) opposite Robert Redford. The film's screenplay, co-written by husband and wife team John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, was intended to be a biographical account of the career of news anchor Jessica Savitch, but the final version had almost nothing to do with Savitch's life, leading Dunne to write an exposé of his eight-year battle with the Hollywood producers, Monster: Living Off the Big Screen. 

She took the role of Gillian Lewis in To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996), which was adapted by her husband David Kelley from Michael Brady's play of the same name.   Pfeiffer and her producing partner Guinzburg were on a winning streak of producing three back to back films next under their Via Rosa Productions header that included, One Fine Day (1996), A Thousand Acres (1997), and The Deep End of the Ocean (1998). She served as an executive producer and starred as the divorced single mother architect Melanie Parker in the romantic comedy One Fine Day (1996) opposite George Clooney,  Subsequent performances included Rose Cook Lewis in the film adaptation of Jane Smiley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Thousand Acres (1997) with Jessica Lange and Jennifer Jason Leigh;  Beth Cappadora in The Deep End of the Ocean (1998) about a married couple who found their son who was kidnapped nine years ago;  Titania the Queen of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) with Kevin Kline, Rupert Everett and Stanley Tucci;  and Katie Jordan in Rob Reiner's comedy-drama The Story of Us (1999) opposite Bruce Willis. 

During the 1990s, Pfeiffer attracted comment in the media for her beauty. In 1990, she appeared on the cover of People magazine's first 50 Most Beautiful People In The World issue. She was again featured on the cover of the annual issue in 1999, having made the "Most Beautiful" list a record six times during the decade (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999). Pfeiffer is the first celebrity to have appeared on the cover of the annual issue twice, and the only person to be featured on the cover twice during the 1990s. 

In 1999, Pfeiffer chose to begin the process of dissolving her film production company, Via Rosa Productions and move into semi-retirement in order to spend more quality time with her children and family. She would continue to star in films sporadically into the 2000s and beyond.  Pfeiffer handed her producing partner Guinzburg one final film to produce under the Via Rosa Productions header. The film was called, Original Sin (2001). It was originally intended to star Pfeiffer, who later changed her mind as she was looking to work less for a while. The film was produced by her company, but instead starred Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas.

The Hitchcockian thriller What Lies Beneath (2000) with Harrison Ford, was a commercial success, opening number one at the box office in July 2000.  She then accepted the role of highly strung lawyer Rita Harrison in I Am Sam (2001) opposite Sean Penn.  The movie received unfavorable reviews,  The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote: "Pfeiffer, apparently stymied by the bland clichés that prop up her screechy role, delivers her flattest, phoniest performance ever".   Although another journalist blamed her performance on the poor material given to work with. SF Gate wrote: "In one scene, she breaks down in tears as she unburdens herself to him about her miserable life. It's hard not to cringe, watching this emotionally ready actress fling herself headlong into false material". 

For her performance as murderous artist Ingrid Magnussen in White Oleander (2002), alongside Alison Lohman (in her film début), Renée Zellweger and Robin Wright Penn, Pfeiffer garnered a substantial amount of critical praise. Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote that "Ms. Pfeiffer, giving the most complex screen performance of her career, makes her Olympian seductress at once irresistible and diabolical".  Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described her as "incandescent," bringing "power and unshakable will to her role as mother-master manipulator" in a "riveting, impeccable performance".  She earned Best Supporting Actress Awards from the San Diego Film Critics Society and the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Pfeiffer also did voice work in two animated films during this period, voicing Tzipporah in The Prince of Egypt (1998), in which she introduced the Academy Award–winning song, 'When You Believe', and Eris in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003).

Return to film

After a four-year hiatus, during which she remained largely out of the public eye to devote time to her husband and children,  she turned down the role of the White Witch in the 2005 fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which went to Tilda Swinton.  Pfeiffer returned to the screen in 2007 with villainous roles in two major summer blockbusters, as Velma Von Tussle in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Hairspray (2007) with John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron and Queen Latifah,  and as ancient witch Lamia in fantasy adventure Stardust (2007) opposite Claire Danes, Charlie Cox and Robert De Niro. 

Pfeiffer then accepted the roles of Rosie in Amy Heckerling's I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007) with Paul Rudd and Saoirse Ronan,  and Linda in Personal Effects (2009), which she starred opposite Ashton Kutcher and Kathy Bates, and was premiered at Iowa City's Englert Theatre.  Her next film, an adaptation of Colette's Chéri (2009), reunited her with the director (Stephen Frears) and screenwriter (Christopher Hampton) of Dangerous Liaisons (1988), a film for which all three were nominees for (and, in Hampton's case, recipient of) an Academy Award. Pfeiffer played the role of Léa de Lonval opposite Rupert Friend in the title role, with Kathy Bates as his mother. Chéri premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2009, and received a nomination for the Golden Bear award.  The Times of London reviewed the film favorably, describing Hampton's screenplay as a "steady flow of dry quips and acerbic one-liners" and Pfeiffer's performance as "magnetic and subtle, her worldly nonchalance a mask for vulnerability and heartache".  Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that it was "fascinating to observe how Pfeiffer controls her face and voice during times of painful hurt".  Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times praised the "wordless scenes that catch Léa unawares, with the camera alone seeing the despair and regret that she hides from the world. It's the kind of refined, delicate acting Pfeiffer does so well, and it's a further reminder of how much we've missed her since she's been away". 

After another short break from film, Pfeiffer appeared in Garry Marshall's 2011 romantic comedy New Year's Eve (Marshall also directed Pfeiffer in 1991's Frankie and Johnny), and appeared opposite Chris Pine in People Like Us (2012). She starred in an adaptation of former television series Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton (whom Pfeiffer previously worked with on 1992's Batman Returns), alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Chloë Grace Moretz. In the film, she plays the family Matriarch, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. In 2013, Pfeiffer played the "tough mother", and wife of Robert De Niro's character,  in Luc Besson's mob-comedy The Family. 

In interviews promoting The Family, Pfeiffer stated her desire to do an all-action movie. "...I want to be like the Kiefer Sutherland character in "24". Jack Bauer? I want to be like him! ... I want to kick butt ...  I better do it soon".  Pfeiffer has stated that her lack of acting throughout the 2000s was due to her children,  and now with both her children away at college, she intends to "work a lot". 

Pfeiffer has commented that she feels that her best performance is "still in her", and that she thinks that's what keeps her going. 

Forthcoming films and projects

On November 7, 2012, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Pfeiffer will star alongside Tim Robbins (also director) and Chloë Grace Moretz in the dark comedy, Man Under. "The movie is described as being in the vein of American Beauty and The Royal Tenenbaums. It is about a dysfunctional Yonkers, New York, family whose lives are changed after a photo of them ends up in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, turning them into celebrities".  On the red carpet at the New York City premiere of The Family, Pfeiffer revealed that she would be shooting a film in February 2014 entitled, Whatever Makes You Happy co-starring Viola Davis and Diane Keaton.

In September 2013, it was revealed that Pfeiffer will star in Best Boy directed by Robert Rodriguez, written by Nick Thiel.  On December 13, 2012, Sonya Sones, author of the book The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus: a Novel about Marriage, Motherhood, and Mayhem, announced that Pfeiffer had optioned the film rights to the book. 

On April 1, 2015, Variety revealed that former Today anchor, Katie Couric was shopping a comedy series set behind-the-scenes of a morning news show, with Pfeiffer attached to star. The show was pitched to HBO, Showtime, AMC, Netflix and Amazon. 

On August 22, 2015, it was reported that Pfeiffer was tapped to guest star on the rebooted Muppets Show. 

On August 27, 2015, it was confirmed that Pfeiffer was cast in the role of Ruth Madoff for HBO Films’ The Wizard of Lies based on the book of the same name. The film reunites her with actor Robert De Niro, who is cast as disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. The film will be directed by  Barry Levinson. 

On October 27, 2015, it was announced that Pfeiffer would star in Beat-up Little Seagull for Killer Films. Her character, described as a sensitive and fragile, loses her mother and "faces a crisis in which she must find a means for survival, all the while hiding her struggles from her new lover". Actor Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as the character's love interest. 

On April 15, 2016, it was announced that Pfeiffer was in negotiations to join Darren Aronofsky's Paramount Pictures drama Day 6, alongside actors Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. Filming began on June 13, 2016 and is expected to hit theaters December 29, 2017, just in time for Oscar season.  

Theatre

In 1989, Pfeiffer made her stage debut in the role of Olivia in Twelfth Night, a New York Shakespeare Festival production staged in Central Park. Other film actors appearing in the play included Jeff Goldblum as Malvolio and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Viola.  Frank Rich's review in the New York Times was extremely critical of the production, stating "Ms. Pfeiffer offers an object lesson in how gifted stars with young careers can be misused by those more interested in exploiting their celebrity status than in furthering their artistic development". Rich praised Pfeiffer's performance in what was then her most recent film, the screwball comedy Married to the Mob, but stating it was "unfortunate that the actress has been asked to make both her stage and Shakespearean comic debut in a role chained to melancholy and mourning".

Personal life

While taking acting classes in Los Angeles, Pfeiffer was taken in by a seemingly friendly couple who ran a metaphysics and vegetarian cult. While they helped Pfeiffer to no longer drink, smoke, or do drugs, the couple took control of her entire life. Much of her money went to the group. "I was brainwashed... I gave them an enormous amount of money." Pfeiffer, insecure, felt that she could no longer live without them. At an acting class taught by Milton Katselas in Los Angeles, Pfeiffer met fellow budding actor, Peter Horton. Pfeiffer and Horton began dating.

Pfeiffer and Horton eventually married in Santa Monica in 1981, and it was on their honeymoon that she discovered she had won the lead role in Grease 2.  Horton directed Pfeiffer in a 1985 ABC TV special, One Too Many, in which she played the high school girlfriend of an alcoholic student (Val Kilmer);  and in 1987, the real-life couple played an on-screen couple in the 'Hospital' segment of John Landis's comedy skit compilation, Amazon Women on the Moon. However, they decided to separate in 1988, and were divorced two years later; Horton later blamed the split on their devotion to their work rather than on their marriage.

After her marriage to Horton, Pfeiffer had a three-year relationship with actor/producer Fisher Stevens. They met when Pfeiffer was starring in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night, in which Stevens played the role of Sir Andrew Aguecheek. 

Pfeiffer was also involved in an affair with John Malkovich, her co-star in Dangerous Liaisons, who at the time was married to Glenne Headly.      

In January 1993, Pfeiffer was set up on a blind date by her best friend and former producing partner Kate Guinzburg, with television writer and producer David E. Kelley, who took her to the movies to see Bram Stoker's Dracula the following week, and they began dating seriously.  They married on November 13, 1993. She made a brief uncredited cameo appearance in one episode of Kelley's television series Picket Fences and played the title character in To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday, for which Kelley wrote the screenplay.  Pfeiffer had entered into private adoption proceedings before she met Kelley.  In March 1993, she adopted a newborn daughter, Claudia Rose,  who was christened on Pfeiffer and Kelley's wedding day.  In August 1994, Pfeiffer gave birth to a son, John Henry.

Having been a smoker for ten years and having a niece who suffered from leukemia for ten years, she decided to support the American Cancer Society.  Her charity work also includes her support for the Humane Society.  Pfeiffer is a vegan. 

Awards and nominations

During her career, Pfeiffer has won numerous awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Actress awards from the National Board of Review, the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, as well as Best Supporting Actress awards from the Kansas City Film Critics Circle and the San Diego Film Critics Society.

She has received three Academy Award nominations to date: Best Supporting Actress for Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and Best Actress in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and Love Field (1992).

In popular culture

* Culture commentators noted that in 2014, Pfeiffer, who was not promoting any movies at the time, had become a "pop-music muse" and was mentioned by name in the lyrics of two separate songs moving up the charts at that time: "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars and "Riptide" by Vance Joy. 
* Pfeiffer is mentioned in Vance Joy's 2013 song, "Riptide" ("I swear she's destined for the screen, Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen")  Joy told reporters that the Pfeiffer film moment which led him to include her name in his song was her portrayal of Selina Kyle in Batman Returns. He said, "She comes back to her apartment after being thrown out the window by Christopher Walken and she goes mental. Her apartment's all pink and beautiful, and kind of creepy and infantile, then she just smashes it all up and spray paints stuff and transforms into Catwoman. It’s this really kind of sexual scene; it’s amazing."
* Pfeiffer is mentioned in Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars's 2014 song, "Uptown Funk" ("This hit, That ice cold, Michelle Pfeiffer, That white gold")  In an interview Ronson answered a reporter saying his favorite Pfeiffer movie was "The Fabulous Baker Boys. I also liked her in Scarface and Tequila Sunrise. She was such a babe". 
* Australian cricketers speak of "getting a Michelle" when they take five wickets in an innings. This means they have taken "Five for" which has become a "Pfeiffer" and hence a "Michelle". 

Filmography Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (born August 1, 1963), known professionally as Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, chef, actor, and record producer. Coolio achieved mainstream success in the mid to late 1990s with his albums It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). He is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit single "Gangsta's Paradise", as well as other singles "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "C U When U Get There" (1997) and "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (1996). He was also known for rapping the theme song for the late 1990s Nickelodeon series Kenan & Kel. Coolio has since gone on to release albums independently, as well becoming a chef, creating a web series titled Cookin' with Coolio and releasing a cookbook.

Music career

He recorded two singles in 1987, titled "Watch Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me". Coolio made connections in the L.A. rap scene, and in 1991, ended up joining the group WC and the Maad Circle, led by rapper WC. He had a few verses on the group's debut album Ain't a Damn Thang Changed, including on the single "Dress Code". The album was regionally successful.

Tommy Boy Records and It Takes a Thief

In 1994, Coolio signed to Tommy Boy Records and released his debut solo album It Takes a Thief. The lead single "Fantastic Voyage" received heavy rotation on MTV, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Fantastic Voyage" would become one of the biggest rap singles of the year, and the album contained a few other minor hits in "County Line" and "I Remember". It Takes a Thief peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200, becoming certified Platinum. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap. 

Gangsta's Paradise

In 1995, Coolio made a song featuring R&B singer LV for the movie Dangerous Minds, titled "Gangsta's Paradise". It would become one of the most successful rap songs of all time, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. It was the #1 single of 1995 for all genres, and was a global hit, as it reached #1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. The song also created a controversy when Coolio claimed that parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic had not asked for permission to make his parody of "Gangsta's Paradise", titled "Amish Paradise". At the 1996 Grammy Awards, the song won Coolio a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Originally "Gangsta's Paradise" was not meant to be included on one of Coolio's studio albums, but its success led to Coolio not only putting it on his next album, but also making it the title track. The title track sampled the chorus and music of the song "Pastime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder, which was recorded nearly 20 years earlier on Stevie Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life. The album Gangsta's Paradise was released in 1995 and was certified 2X Platinum by the RIAA. The album contained two other major hits in "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" and "Too Hot" with J.T. Taylor of Kool & the Gang doing the chorus. Despite no longer being an official member of the group, Coolio made an appearance on the second WC and the Maad Circle album Curb Servin', on the song "In a Twist". In 1996, Coolio had another top 40 hit with the song "It's All the Way Live (Now)" from the soundtrack to the movie Eddie. He was also featured on the song "Hit 'em High" from the soundtrack to the movie Space Jam with B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes.

Red Hot Organization and Tommy Boy Records dismissal

In 1996, Coolio appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine. That same year, he recorded the theme song and appeared in the opening sequence of the Nickelodeon TV series Kenan & Kel which ran for four seasons.

After the success of Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio's next album was expected to be another hit. His third solo album titled My Soul, came out in 1997. Although it contained the major hit "C U When U Get There" and the album went platinum, it failed to reach the success of his previous two albums. Coolio was dropped from Tommy Boy Records and his albums since then, 2001's Coolio.com, 2003's El Cool Magnifico, 2006's The Return of the Gangsta, and 2008's Steal Hear, have not charted on any Billboard chart. He did have a minor hit in the UK in 2006 with "Gangsta Walk" (featuring Snoop Dogg), which peaked at #67 on the UK pop chart.

While touring with hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, Coolio received a tattoo as a homage to the group's fanbase, reading "Jugalo Cool" [sic]. He stated that the misspelling was intentional.  Coolio has performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Coolio was featured on an international collaboration track called 'Fuck the DJ' by UK rapper Blacklisted MC also featuring Bizarre of D12, Adil Omar (from Pakistan) and Uzimon (from Bermuda) the song was premiered on music website Noisey from Vice in October 2014. 

Television

In 2009, Coolio appeared as a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother. He later went to appear on Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, where he decided it was best to leave the house after numerous confrontations with Nadia Almada and others in the house. In January of 2012, he was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, where he represented the Music Saves Lives Organization.  He came in second place with a Zagat score of 23 out of 30, losing to Lou Diamond Phillips. As runner-up, he was awarded $10,000 for his charity.

Coolio was featured on the March 5, 2013, episode of the ABC reality program Wife Swap,  but his then girlfriend left him after the program was taped.  On June 30, 2013, he appeared alongside comedian Jenny Eclair and Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden on the UK game show Tipping Point: Lucky Stars, where he came second. Also on June 30, Coolio voiced a wax figure of himself on Gravity Falls.

In July of 2016, Coolio performed on ABC's Greatest Hits. 

Charitable work

Coolio and jazz saxophonist Jarez were enlisted in July 2008 as spokespersons by the group Environmental Justice and Climate Change to educate students at historically black colleges and universities about global warming.  Coolio is a spokesperson for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. He says that he and his children are asthma sufferers. As a child, he was taken to the hospital several times due to asthma complications. 

Personal life

Coolio was born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. in Compton, California. After attending Compton Community College, he worked various jobs such as volunteer firefighting and security at the Los Angeles International Airport before becoming a rapper.  He drew his rap identity from a habit he had formed of carrying a guitar with him and being asked derisively, as a direct result, an insulting question along the lines of, "Who d'ya think you are, man, Coolio Iglesias?" Far from being insulted, he decided that "Coolio" would be a good moniker, and it stuck.

In 1998, a court in Stuttgart sentenced Coolio to six months' probation and fined him $17,000 after convicting him of being an accessory to robbery and causing bodily injury. 

Coolio appeared in the 2009 season of the British television show Celebrity Big Brother.  He talked about his six children from four different relationships.

Coolio also appeared in Celebrity Wife Swap, which aired on March 5, 2013.

Discography

* It Takes a Thief (1994)
* Gangsta's Paradise (1995)
* My Soul (1997)
* Coolio.com (2001) (Japan-limited release)
* El Cool Magnifico (2002)
* The Return of the Gangsta (2006)
* Steal Hear (2008)
* From the Bottom 2 the Top (2009)
* Hotel C. (2015) 

Filmography

Coolio has made numerous appearances in television and movies, mostly small roles or cameos.
* Space: Above and Beyond (1996) Season 1 Episode 19: 'R&R'
* Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1996)
* Kenan and Kel (1996–2000) (Appeared and sang the theme song in the opening credits)
* Batman & Robin (1997)
* Duckman (1997) Season 4 Episode 2: 'Coolio Runnings'
* An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)
* Muppets Tonight (1997)
* The Nanny – The TV Series Episode: Homie Work (1998)
* On the Line (1998)
* Malcolm & Eddie Season 3 'Daddio' (1999)
* Early Edition Season 3 'Number one with a bullet' (1999)
* Bad Trip (1999)
* Leprechaun: In The Hood (2000)
* Submerged (2000)
* Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000)
* The Convent (2000)
* China Strike Force (2000)
* Dope Case Pending (2000)
* Get Over It (2001)
* In Pursuit (2001)
* Static Shock (2002)
* Stealing Candy (2002)
* Charmed Season 4 'Lazarus Demon' (2002)
* Move (2002)
* Daredevil (2003) (deleted scenes, restored in 2005 Director's Cut)
* Tapped Out (2003)
* Charmed (2002)
* Pterodactyl (2003)
* Red Water (2003)
* A Wonderful Night in Split (2004)
* Dracula 3000 (2004)
* Ravedactyl: Project Evolution (2005); short film
* Gang Warz (2006)
* Grad Night (2006)
* Three Days to Vegas (2007)
* Futurama: Bender's Big Score, as Kwanzaa-bot
* ' (2008) (original title: Chinaman's Chance)
* Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off (2012)
* Gravity Falls As a wax-figure cameo
* Celebrity Wife Swap Husband
* ICP Theater Special guest (2013)
* BTS: American Hustle Life Mentor to KPOP group Bangtan Boys on Mnet TV series (2014)
* Black Jesus (TV series)  Cameo as Himself (2014)

Awards and nominations

Coolio's 1995 song "Gangsta's Paradise" received several awards, including Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards; and Best Rap Video and Best Video from a Film at the MTV Video Music Awards. Coolio himself has received several awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist at the American Music Awards in 1996. At the Grammy Awards in 1997, Coolio received three nominations: Best Rap Album for Gangsta's Paradise, Best Rap Solo Performance for "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)", and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Stomp". Overall, Coolio has received five awards from thirteen nominations.

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Coolio has received one award from two nominations.  

|-
|  || Coolio || Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist || 
|-
|  || Coolio || Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist || 

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Coolio has received one award from six nominations.   

|-
|  || "Fantastic Voyage" || Best Rap Solo Performance || 
|-
|rowspan"2"|  ||rowspan
"2"| "Gangsta's Paradise" || Record of the Year || 
|-
| Best Rap Solo Performance || 
|-
|rowspan="3"|  || Gangsta's Paradise || Best Rap Album || 
|-
| "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" || Best Rap Solo Performance || 
|-
| "Stomp" || Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group || 

* "Stomp" with Luke Cresswell, Fiona Wilkes, Carl Smith, Fraser Morrison, Everett Bradley, Mr. X, Melle Mel, Coolio, Yo-Yo, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Shaquille O'Neal, Luniz

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV. Coolio has received three awards from six nominations.  

|-
|  || "Fantastic Voyage" || Best Rap Video || 
|-
|rowspan"5"|  ||rowspan
"3"| "Gangsta's Paradise" || Best Rap Video || 
|-
| Best Video from a Film || 
|-
| Viewer's Choice || 
|-
|rowspan="2"| "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" || Best Dance Video || 
|-
| Best Male Video || "Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring singer L.V.. The song was released on Coolio's album of the same name, as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It samples the chorus and instrumentation of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise".

The song was listed at number 69 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time  and number one biggest selling single of 1995 on U.S. Billboard.  In 2008, it was ranked number 38 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.  Coolio was awarded a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, two MTV Video Music Award's for Best Rap Video and for Best Video from a Film and a Billboard Music Award for the song/album. The song was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.

The song has sold over 5 million copies in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany alone,   and at least 5.7 million worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Coolio has performed this song live at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards with L.V. and Wonder, at the 1996 Grammy Awards with L.V., and also with Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis. The song is also used in other films including Sound of the Sea, The Green Hornet, Bad Teacher, The Expendables 2, Pain & Gain, Step Up: All In, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Background and writing

The artists co-wrote the song its producer Doug Rasheed, with Stevie Wonder receiving writing credits for the sampling of his song "Pastime Paradise" from his album Songs in the Key of Life. 

The Stevie Wonder sample is the reason why this is one of few Coolio tracks without profanity, as Wonder would not allow it. Coolio said, "I had a few vulgarities...and he wasn't with that. So I changed it. Once he heard it, he thought it was incredible." 

The song begins with a line from Psalm 23:4: "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death", but then diverges with: "I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left." Adding to some of the religious overtones are choral vocals in the background. 

Synopsis

Coolio begins by reflecting on his life in a Biblical fashion: that his partaking in hoodlum activities has drained him of hope, and his damaged relationship with his mother.
However, the narrative turns at this point with Coolio threatening rival gangs with certain death in the event that they take verbal liberties or transgress into his territory. 
He subsequently educates the listener on the history behind his current position in society; explaining the way in which his upbringing has entrapped him by creating his lust for power, money and murder. 
However it is at this point that he acknowledges the uncertainty of his survival on the street. Coolio therefore begins to lament the cyclical nature of the violence in which he partakes, as well as elucidating the collective chaos created by individual greed, selfishness and a lack of education or role models. He ends his personal journey on a hopeless admission: that his situation and surroundings will never improve.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Antoine Fuqua, and featured Michelle Pfeiffer reprising her earlier role in Dangerous Minds. 

When Coolio won the Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, he said in a press conference that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony deserved the award for "Tha Crossroads".

Chart performance

The single reached number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, making it Coolio's most successful single. Following Coolio's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 6, it re-entered the UK singles chart peaking at #31. In the United Kingdom, "Gangsta's Paradise" is the first rap single to sell over a million copies.

In the United States, the single spent twelve weeks in the top two of the Billboard Hot 100, of which three were spent at #1 and nine at #2, putting "Gangsta's Paradise" in joint fourth place for the most weeks spent at #2 by a single in the chart's history.

Parodies and covers

There are several parodies of the song, including "Amish Paradise" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, which was released the following year, reaching number 53 on the U.S. chart. Coolio claimed that he did not give permission for the parody, which led to disagreements between the two. Yankovic claimed that he had been told Coolio had given the go-ahead through his record label, and apologized. Because of this incident, Yankovic now only does parodies by artists that he has spoken with directly, rather than through intermediaries. Photos from the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show suggest Yankovic and Coolio may have made amends.[http://yankovic.org/blog/2006/01/08/weird-and-coolio/ Weird and COOLIO?!?!? » Yank Blog] Coolio himself said in a 2011 interview that he had since "apologized to him". 

L.V. released a solo version of the single in 1996 on his debut album, I Am L.V. This version did not feature Coolio, and featured additional lyrics written by L.V. himself, rap lyrics written by Scarface and Dani Blooms.

American post-hardcore band In Fear And Faith covered the song in 2008. Swedish boy band E.M.D. covered the song on their 2010 album "Rewind". American singer-songwriter Kina Grannis has covered the song in concert. Richard Cheese covered the song on his 2010 album "Lavapalooza" (as "Johny Aloha"). New Zealand band Like a Storm covered the song for their 2012 album, "Chaos Theory". American band Falling in Reverse covered the song on the album Punk Goes 90's 2. American industrial band Battery covered the song on their 1996 album, "Distance".

Sales records and awards

Billboard
* Billboard Year-End Chart-Toppers 1995
** Top Hot 100 Single number one
** Top Hot 100 Single Sales number one (2.5 million copies) (2x platinum)
Grammy Awards
* Best Rap Solo Performance
* Record of the Year (nominated)

MTV
* MTV Video Music Awards 1996
** Best Rap Video
** Best Video from a Film

Track listings

Charts

Peak positions

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Chart successions

Certifications Dangerous Minds is a 1995 American drama film directed by John N. Smith, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.  It is based on the autobiography My Posse Don't Do Homework by retired U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, who took up a teaching position at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, in 1989, where most of her students were African-American and Latino teenagers from East Palo Alto, a poverty-stricken, racially segregated, economically deprived city at the opposite end of the school district. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer as Johnson, the film was released to a mixed to mostly negative critical reception, but became a surprise box office success in the summer of 1995, leading to the creation of a short-lived television series.

Plot

LouAnne (Michelle Pfeiffer), a discharged U.S. Marine, applies for a teaching job in High School, and is surprised and pleased to be offered the position with immediate effect. Showing up the next day to begin teaching, however, she finds herself confronted with a classroom of tough, sullen teenagers, all from lower-class and underprivileged backgrounds, involved in gang warfare and drug pushing, flatly refusing to engage with anything. They immediately coin the nickname "White Bread" for LouAnne, due to her race and apparent lack of authority, to which LouAnne responds by returning the next day in a leather jacket and teaching them karate. The students show some interest in such activities, but immediately revert to their former behavior when LouAnne tries to teach the curriculum.

Desperate to reach the students LouAnne devises classroom exercises that teach similar principles to the prescribed work, but using themes and language that appeal to the streetwise students. She also tries to motivate them by giving them all an A grade from the beginning of the year, and arguing that the only thing required of them is that they maintain it. In order to introduce them to poetry, LouAnne uses the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" to teach symbolism and metaphor; once this is achieved, she progresses on to Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night". LouAnne rewards the students liberally, using candy bars, reward incentives, and a trip to a theme park. Her methods attract the anger of the school authorities, George Grandey (Courtney B. Vance) and Carla Nichols (Robin Bartlett), who try to force her to remain within the curriculum.

Particular individual students attract LouAnne's attention for their personal problems. Callie Roberts (Bruklin Harris) is an unusually bright girl who excels at English, but is removed from the school halfway through the semester when she becomes pregnant. LouAnne visits her outside of school hours to try to persuade her to continue with further education. Raúl Sanchero (Renoly Santiago) is a well-meaning boy who is frequently involved in gang warfare and street crime. LouAnne tries to encourage him to focus by paying a special visit to his family to congratulate him on his work, and going to dinner with him as a way of instilling confidence and self-respect. Emilio Ramírez (Wade Domínguez) is her most troublesome personal project, as he believes strongly in a sense of personal honor that prevents him from asking for help. When LouAnne discovers that his life is in danger because of a personal grudge held by a recently released thug, she tries to protect him. She advises him to seek help from Principal Grandey. The next day, Emilio visits Grandey, but Grandey (not realizing that Emilio is in serious danger) instantly dismisses him because he neglected to knock on Grandey's door before entering his office. Feeling rejected, Emilio leaves the school and is subsequently killed by his enemy. LouAnne is outraged that his life was lost due to something as trivial as forgetting to knock on a door.

Heartbroken by her failure to protect Emilio and angry at the indifferent school system for contributing to his death, LouAnne announces to the class her intention to leave the school at the end of the academic year. The students immediately break down, begging her not to leave. Overwhelmed by their unbridled display of emotion, she decides to stay.

Cast

* Michelle Pfeiffer as LouAnne Johnson
* George Dzundza as Hal Griffith
* Courtney B. Vance as George Grandey
* Robin Bartlett as Carla Nichols
* Beatrice Winde as Mary Benton
* John Neville as Waiter
* Lorraine Toussaint as Irene Roberts
* Renoly Santiago as Raúl Sanchero
* Wade Domínguez as Emilio Ramírez
* Bruklin Harris as Callie Roberts
* Marcello Thedford as Cornelius Bates
* Roberto Alvarez as Gusmaro Rivera
* Richard Grant as Durrell Benton
* Marisela Gonzales as Angela
* Toni Nichelle Buzhardt as Nikki
* Norris Young as Kareem
* Rahman Ibraheem as Big G
* Desire Galvez as Taiwana
* Wilson Limpo as Roderick
* Raymond Grant as Lionel Benton
* Veronica Robles as Stephanie
* Michael Archuleta as Oso
* Deshanda Carter as Tanyekia
* Ebony Jerido as Deanne
* Brandi Younger as Grip
* Asia Minor as Pam
* Karina Arroyave as Josy
* Paula Garcés as Alvina
* Ivan Sergei as Huero
* Mark Prince Edwards as PJ
* Ismael Archuleta as Lalo
* Skye Bassett as Jody
* Gaura Vani as Warlock (credited as Gaura Buchwald)
* Cynthia Avila as Mrs. Sanchero
* Roman Cisneros as Mr. Sanchero
* Camille Winbush as Tyeisha Roberts
* Al Israel as Mr. Santiego
* Brian Anthony as Joey
* Jason Gutman as Adam

Production

Dangerous Minds was one of the last films of producer Don Simpson. Andy García filmed scenes as Michelle Pfeiffer's love interest, but these were cut before the film's release.  The actual school at which LouAnne Johnson taught, Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, was considered as a filming location, but most filming was completed in Burbank, California at Warner Brothers. 
Burlingame High School in San Mateo was used as the filming location for all the outside scenes. The amusement park scene was done in Santa Cruz California, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk  

Release

Dangerous Minds was released on August 11, 1995, in the United States.  It was an immediate box office success, grossing a total of $179,519,401 worldwide.

Critical reception

The film is ranked as "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes with a 29% positive approval rating (with 11 out of 38 critics giving a positive reviews).  On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 47 out of 100, indicating mixed-to-negative reviews. 

Janet Maslin in the New York Times  wrote: "There aren't many things that would look better on paper than on Michelle Pfeiffer, but the role of LouAnne Johnson is one of them... False and condescending films in this genre are nothing new, but Dangerous Minds steamrollers its way over some real talent. Ms. Pfeiffer is a vastly better actress than this one-dimensional character allows her to be... Never mind the complaints that could be made about LouAnne's teaching methods: she rewards students with bribes, flirts patronizingly and inflicts cruel and unusual punishment while analyzing the subtext of 'Mr. Tambourine Man'... The kids turn out to be angels, straight from central casting... Performances are as lifelike as the material allows, but Ronald Bass's screenplay doesn't trade heavily in surprises."

Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times  wrote: "While films are admired for making fantasy real, some manage a reverse, unwanted kind of alchemy, turning involving reality into meaningless piffle. It is that kind of regrettable transformation that Dangerous Minds achieves... none of it, with the exception of Pfeiffer's performance, seems even vaguely real. This is especially true of the film's excessively melodramatic climactic events, a bogus tragedy that does not occur in the book and has contrived written all over it... Given how few the opportunities are for women to carry a motion picture, and with the chance to be a positive role model thrown into the bargain, it's not surprising to find Pfeiffer starring in Dangerous Minds, and she is as believable as the film allows her to be. But if this trivialization of involving subject matter is the best a star of her considerable abilities can latch onto, today's actresses have it worse than we've imagined."

Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times  wrote: "We have seen this basic story before, in Stand and Deliver, Lean On Me, Teachers, Dead Poets Society, and so on. This version is less than compelling... Pfeiffer, who is a good actress, does with this material what she can... The real Miss Johnson used not Dylan but the lyrics of rap songs to get the class interested in poetry... What has happened in the book-to-movie transition of LouAnne Johnson's book is revealing. The movie pretends to show poor black kids being bribed into literacy by Dylan and candy bars, but actually it is the crossover white audience that is being bribed with mind-candy in the form of safe words by the two Dylans. What are the chances this movie could have been made with Michelle Pfeiffer hooking the kids on the lyrics of Ice Cube or Snoop Doggy Dogg?"

Terrence Rafferty in The New Yorker  wrote: "Thanks to Pfeiffer’s inventive acting, John N. Smith’s movie does a fairly entertaining job of capturing the unscrupulous, guerrilla-like cunning of a good teacher in a bad school. But the cut-to-the-enlightenment dramaturgy of Ronald Bass’s screenplay feels desperate and false. And in the final scenes the movie gets as sticky as To Sir With Love. It canonizes the heroine needlessly: Pfeiffer looks plenty good without a halo."

Peter Travers in Rolling Stone  wrote: "The young and mostly unknown cast is outstanding. And Pfeiffer gives a funny, scrappy performance that makes you feel a committed teacher's fire to make a difference. The film also benefits from the sly touch of Elaine May, who collaborated with Ronald Bass (Rain Man) on this screen adaptation of Johnson's 1992 memoir, My Posse Don't Do Homework... Maybe producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (Bad Boys, Crimson Tide) don't know how to let a strong female character carry the ball. Dangerous Minds often unspools like a hokey update of Sidney Poitier's To Sir With Love. Still, in a summer when most women are forced to play dumb and strip to thrill or kill, Pfeiffer does herself and her endangered species proud."

Kevin McManus in the Washington Post  wrote: "Unhappily, Dangerous Minds, which tells the story of such a [charismatic] teacher, merits only a C. And if it weren't for Michelle Pfeiffer, we'd surely be looking at a more dismal grade... writer Ronald Bass sprinkles the script with saccharine lines that sound plain dumb coming from high schoolers. "But you can't leave us," one kid whines as Pfeiffer gets set to quit. "You're our Tambourine Man!"... Pfeiffer and the students (played by talented unknowns) make sections of the movie quite watchable. When their wisecracks fly back and forth in class, it sounds right. When sequences depict school corridors and city streets, it looks right. If only the filmmakers had used some subtlety in telling the story, they could have done right by the real LouAnne Johnson."

Edward Guthmann in the San Francisco Chronicle  wrote: "It's contrived, it's hokey, but in Dangerous Minds, a Michelle Pfeiffer vehicle, it works surprisingly well... She's playing with a bag of clichés, but she's so plucky and likable, you overlook the hokum."

Time Out   wrote: "Actually it's quite a respectable piece of work, with an impressive tough-love performance from Pfeiffer, but Ronald Bass's hackneyed screenplay is all carrot and no stick."

Awards and honors

The soundtrack and its lead single 'Gangsta's Paradise' enjoyed major success, and received nominations for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Soundtrack Album. Coolio won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for his vocals. 

At the MTV Movie Awards 1996, Dangerous Minds was nominated in four categories: Best Movie, Best Female Performance (Michelle Pfeiffer), Most Desirable Female (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Best Movie Song (Coolio).

The music video for 'Gangsta's Paradise', featuring Michelle Pfeiffer, won the MTV Music Video Award for Best Rap Video and the MTV Music Video Award for Best Video from a Film.

Michelle Pfeiffer won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Drama.

American Film Institute recognition

* 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:	
** "Gangsta's Paradise" – Nominated 

Soundtrack

Television series

The commercial success of the film prompted the creation of a spin-off television series, Dangerous Minds, featuring Annie Potts in the role of LouAnne Johnson. The series premiered on ABC on September 30, 1996 and ended on March 15, 1997, after one season of seventeen episodes. 

In popular culture

In 2009, the comedy website CollegeHumor released a trailer for the non-existent film Dangerous Wands, a parody of the film. The plot featured an adult Hermione Granger, a character from the film series based upon  J. K. Rowling's acclaimed Harry Potter books, going to teach at "the worst wizard school around".
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