Phoebe Cates
Her brief but unforgettable film career in the 1980s left an indelible mark on pop culture, from a poolside daydream to battling furry gremlins.
Born 1963 (age 63)·American actress·Birthday: July 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Phoebe Cates arrived on screen with an impact that far outlasted her time in Hollywood. Born into a New York show business family, she turned from modeling to acting, landing a role that would define an era: Linda Barrett in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.' The scene of her emerging from a swimming pool to The Cars' 'Moving in Stereo' became an instant cultural landmark. She deftly avoided being typecast, shifting to the blockbuster horror-comedy 'Gremlins' and its sequel, proving her charm could anchor major studio productions. In 1994, after starring in the whimsical 'Princess Caraboo,' she stepped away from acting on her own terms. Cates channeled her creative energy into Blue Tree, a beloved boutique in Manhattan she founded, cultivating a second, successful career far from the camera's glare. Her legacy is that of a performer who captured a specific moment in teen cinema and then gracefully wrote her own next chapter.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Phoebe was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Phoebe Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Phoebe's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her performance in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' created one of the most iconic scenes in 1980s American cinema.
- Starred as Kate Beringer in the hugely successful horror-comedy film 'Gremlins' (1984) and its 1990 sequel.
- Founded and successfully operated the Manhattan boutique Blue Tree, building a second career in retail.
- Headlined the period comedy 'Princess Caraboo' (1994), one of her final film roles before retiring from acting.
Did You Know?
She is the niece of film producer and former head of Paramount Pictures, Joseph E. Levine.
She married actor Kevin Kline in 1989, and they have two children.
She retired from acting in the mid-1990s to focus on family and her business.
The famous 'Fast Times' pool scene was filmed on the first day she met actor Judge Reinhold.
“I never wanted to be just a moment; I wanted a real career.”
