Michelle Pfeiffer as Claire Spencer
Norman Spencer, a university research scientist, is growing more and more concerned about his wife, Claire, a retired concert cellist who a year ago was involved in a serious auto accident, and who has just sent off her daughter Caitlin (Norman's stepdaughter) to college. Now, Claire reports hearing voices and witnessing eerie occurrences in and around their lakeside Vermont home, including seeing the face of a young woman reflected in water. An increasingly frightened Claire thinks the phenomena have something to do with the couple living next door, especially since the wife has disappeared without apparent explanation. At her husband's urging, Claire starts to see a therapist; she tells him she thinks the house is being haunted by a ghost. His advice? Try to make contact. Enlisting the help of her best friend, Jody, and a ouija board, Claire seeks to find out the truth of What Lies Beneath.
Biography for Michelle Pfeiffer
Date of birth
29 April 1958
Santa Ana, California, USA
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Michelle Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, CA to Dick and Donna Pfeiffer. She has an older brother and two younger sisters - Dedee Pfeiffer, and Lori, who dabbled in acting and modeling but decided against making it her life's work. She graduated from Fountain Valley High School in 1976, and attended one year at the Golden West College, where she studied to become a court reporter. But it was while working as a supermarket checker at Vons, a large Southern California grocery chain, that she realized her true calling. She was married to actor/director Peter Horton ("Gary" of "thirtysomething" (1987)) in 1981. They were later divorced, and she then had a three year relationship with actor Fisher Stevens. When that didn't work out, Pfeiffer decided she didn't want to wait any longer before having her own family, and in March of 1993, she adopted a baby girl, Claudia Rose. On November 13th of the same year, she married lawyer-turned-writer/producer David E. Kelley (creator of "Picket Fences and "Chicago Hope"). On August 5, 1994 their son, John Henry was born.
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Trivia
Graduated from high school in 3 years.
Used to work in a clothing store.
(1999) Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world.
(October 1997) Ranked #39 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
She thought about looking for a man to father a child with "no strings attached", but decided to adopt instead. She adopted a daughter, 'Claudia Rose'.
She is in the horn section of B.B. King's "In The Midnight Hour" music video.
She was in Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" music video.
Won the Miss Orange County beauty pageant.
(1997) Was voted Best Dressed Female Movie Star
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1990)
Studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse.
Michelle's name was misspelled as 'Michele' in the credits of her film, Callie & Son (1981) (TV).
(1995) Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#3).
Replaced Annette Bening as Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992).
Does her own singing in Prince of Egypt, The (1998).
Was offered the role of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs, The (1991).
Replaced Madonna for the lead in Fabulous Baker Boys, The (1989).
(2000) The character Catwoman/Selina Kyle, who she played in Batman Returns (1992), was voted #3 in Empire's "69 Sexiest Movie Character of All Time".
Turned down the Sharon Stone role in Basic Instinct (1992).
Her favorite movie of 1995 was Muriel's Wedding (1994).
Tried out for the part of Tiffany Welles on "Charlie's Angels" (1976) but the part went to Shelley Hack.
Has a son named Jack Henry (born in 1994) with husband, 'David E. Kelly' .
Accidentally cut Al Pacino with broken glass while auditioning for Scarface.
Studied acting under Geraldine Page at workshop at LA's Ahmanson Theater.
Her first job as a performer was playing Alice from "Alice in Wonderland" at Disneyland in the Main Street Electrical Parade in the mid 1970s.
Actor Val Kilmer wrote poetry for her.
While a teenage clerk at Von's Grocery Store in California, c. 1974, she learned to tie marischino cherry stems in knots with her tongue(!)
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Personal quotes
"I still think people will find out that I'm really not very talented. I'm really not very good. It's all just been a big sham."
(On playing her part of Claire Spencer in What Lies Beneath)" I thought about Drew Barrymore in the first Scream - I mean, ultimately that movie was more funny than scary, but the opening sequence was quite terrifying, and she protrayed terror in a way I'd never seen an actress do."
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Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
It's doubtful that anyone would have chosen the California blonde from Grease 2 to become one of the movies' biggest stars and leading actresses. The preternaturally beautiful Pfeiffer, with haunting green eyes and silken blond hair, had her looks held against her during her struggle to be taken seriously. Her career began with appearances in short-lived TV comedies like "Delta House," and such films as The Hollywood Knights, Falling in Love Again (both 1980), and Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Landing the female lead in Grease 2 (1982) should have been a plum, but the film was a flop, she was dull, and few moviegoers took notice. She had little to do but look beautiful as the wife of drug dealer Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) in 1983's ultraviolent remake of Scarface But gradually, her parts-and her performancesgot better: in Ladyhawke and Into the Night (both 1985), and especially in Sweet Liberty (1986), delivering a multilayered, amusing performance as an eccentric actress. She then held her own alongside Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Jack Nicholson in 1987's The Witches of Eastwick but really blossomed in Jonathan Demme's lively comedy Married to the Mob (1988), in a knowing and appealing performance as a mobster's young widow. Later that year she won over most remaining skeptics in the period drama Dangerous Liaisons (1988) for which she earned her first Oscar nomination, as Best Supporting Actress.
Pfeiffer cemented her newly fortified stardom with her sultry portrayal of a call girl turned torch songstress in The Fabulous Baker Boys (earning another Oscar nomination), and caused a sensation with her sexy rendition of "Makin' Whoopee" atop Jeff Bridges' piano. She was now a world-class star. She adopted a Russian accent for 1990's The Russia House and deglamorized herself for a moving performance opposite Al Pacino in 1991's Frankie and Johnny playing a lonely waitress terrified of human contact. When Annette Bening became pregnant, Pfeiffer inherited her most flamboyant role to date: Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992). Later that year she top lined Jonathan Kaplan's moving drama Love Field and scored her third Oscar nomination.
In 1993 she was cast by Martin Scorsese as the slightly scandalous young woman who overwhelms Daniel Day-Lewis in the 1870s period piece The Age of Innocence then reunited with Jack Nicholson for the contemporary werewolf saga Wolf (1994).
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Links:
Chasing Montana (2005) (pre-production)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) (voice) .... Eris
White Oleander (2002) .... Ingrid Magnussen
I Am Sam (2001) .... Rita Harrison
What Lies Beneath (2000) .... Claire Spencer
Story of Us, The (1999) .... Katie Jordan
Midsummer Night's Dream, A (1999) .... Titania
... aka Sogno di una notte di mezza estate (1999) (Italy)
... aka William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) (USA: complete title)
Deep End of the Ocean, The (1999) .... Beth Cappadora
Prince of Egypt, The (1998) (voice) .... Tzipporah
Thousand Acres, A (1997) .... Rose Cook Lewis
One Fine Day (1996) .... Melanie Parker
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996) .... Gillian Lewis
Up Close & Personal (1996) .... Tally Atwater (formerly Sally)
Dangerous Minds (1995) .... Louanne Johnson
Wolf (1994) .... Laura Alden
Age of Innocence, The (1993) .... Ellen Olenska
Love Field (1992) .... Lurene Hallett
Batman Returns (1992) .... Catwoman/Selina Kyle
Frankie and Johnny (1991) .... Frankie
Russia House, The (1990) .... Katya Orlova
Fabulous Baker Boys, The (1989) .... Susie Diamond
Tequila Sunrise (1988) .... Jo Ann Vallenari
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) .... Madame de Tourvel
Married to the Mob (1988) .... Angela DeMarco
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) .... Brenda (segment "Hospital")
... aka Cheeseburger Film Sandwich (1987)
Power, Passion and Murder (1987) (TV) .... Natica Jackson
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987) (TV) .... Natica Jackson
Witches of Eastwick, The (1987) .... Sukie Ridgemont
Sweet Liberty (1986) .... Faith Healy
Into the Night (1985) .... Diana
Ladyhawke (1985) .... Isabeau Dante
One Too Many (1983) (TV) .... Annie
Scarface (1983) .... Elvira Hancock
Grease 2 (1982) .... Stephanie Zinone
Children Nobody Wanted, The (1981) (TV) .... Jennifer
Splendor in the Grass (1981) (TV) .... Ginny Stamper
Callie & Son (1981) (TV) .... Sue Lynn Bordeaux
... aka Rags to Riches (1981) (TV)
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981) .... Cordelia Farenington
Falling in Love Again (1980) .... Sue Wellington
... aka In Love (1980)
Hollywood Knights, The (1980) .... Suzie Q
"B.A.D. Cats" (1980) TV Series .... Samantha 'Sunshine' Jensen
Solitary Man, The (1979) (TV) .... Tricia
"Delta House" (1979/I) TV Series .... 'Bombshell' (1979)
Miscellaneous Crew
Being John Malkovich (1999) (acknowledgement)
The Prince of Egypt (1998) (singer: "When You Believe")
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) (singer: "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", "Makin' Whoopee", "My Funny Valentine" and "Ten Cents a Dance")
Grease 2 (1982) (singer: "Back To School Again", "Cool Rider", "Love Will Turn Back the Hands of Time", "A Girl for All Seasons" and "Who's That Guy?")
Producer
A Thousand Acres (1997) (producer)
One Fine Day (1996) (executive producer)
Other Michelle Pfeiffer pages on Women of Horror:
The Witches of Eastwick