{"id":1335,"date":"2026-05-10T21:25:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2026-05-10T21:25:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T21:25:36","slug":"remember-phoebe-cates-why-the-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-star-disappeared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/?p=1335","title":{"rendered":"Remember Phoebe Cates? Why the \u2018Fast Times at Ridgemont High\u2019 star disappeared"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-heading\">\n<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<div class=\"heading col-sm-12 col-md-offset-0 col-md-12\"><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-main\">\n<div id=\"midbanner_112616_1_wrapper\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-content-container\">\n<div class=\"article\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div class=\"show-inline-featured-image wp-caption alignnone\">\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-main-thumbnail size-main-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/phoebe.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 664px) 100vw, 664px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/phoebe.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/phoebe-400x210.jpg 400w\" alt=\"\" width=\"664\" height=\"350\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Phoebe Cates appeared in many films, including\u00a0<em>Gremlins<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Drop Dead Fred<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 but she\u2019ll forever be remembered for her iconic, topless pool scene in 1982\u2019s\u00a0<em>Fast Times at Ridgemont High.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>But the former actress left Hollywood over 20 years ago \u2013 and now she works 9 to 5 with something that she loves.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CLs4Kw6gpRN\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=640&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fcelebrity%2Fremember-phoebe-cates-why-the-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-star-disappeared%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A5771.100000023842%7D\" height=\"0\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" class=\" instagram-media-registered\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CLs4Kw6gpRN\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CLs4Kw6gpRN\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">A post shared by Phoebe Cates (@phoebecateskline)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Phoebe Belle Cates was born July 16, 1963, in New York City. As a young girl, she attended private schools and studied ballet at Julliard.<\/p>\n<p>Phoebe was born with acting in her blood \u2013 her father, Joe Cates, was a producer-director, and her uncle was the president of the Director\u2019s Guild. Her brother was an ex-actor and her sister, Valerie, also worked on stage.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-01e335979f1aebb0f3055c1438b7586e\" class=\"newsner-01e335979f1aebb0f3055c1438b7586e newsner-incide_content_once\"><\/div>\n<p>While Phoebe initially pursued dancing in her younger years, she was derailed after a knee injury forced her to quit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-1\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CM_V2jUHEgb\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=640&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fcelebrity%2Fremember-phoebe-cates-why-the-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-star-disappeared%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A5773.300000011921%7D\" height=\"1094\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>At 14, she began modeling instead and experienced a fair amount of success. For example, she appeared on the cover of\u00a0Seventeen\u00a0magazine four times.\u00a0However, she felt no passion for the career and began to expand her horizons instead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dIt was just the same thing, over and over. After a while, I did it solely for the money,\u201d Phoebe said, speaking of her short modeling career.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, she met her film agent at a party at New York\u2019s Studio 54, and then she trained with Robert Ravan, founder of The Actors\u2019 Circle in New York.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-379236953\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"intext_112616_1_wrapper\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsner-4000da556b043e11796ff56249e0953c\" class=\"newsner-4000da556b043e11796ff56249e0953c newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-112678 entered exited\" src=\"data:;base64,<svg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 702 1024'><\/svg>&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;702&#8243; height=&#8221;1024&#8243; data-lazy-src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192600\/GettyImages-86344658.jpg&#8221; \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phoebe Cates (Photo by Ron Galella\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201dI just knew that I didn\u2019t want to go to college. And that it would be a great way getting out of college if I could get a couple of movies or something. Seriously. It\u2019s true,\u201d she told The Daily Item in 1985.<\/p>\n<p>Cates also studied with Alice Spivack of the H.B. Studios and made her acting debut in 1982 as Sarah in\u00a0<em>Paradise.<\/em>\u00a0Not even a year later, she starred in the film\u00a0<em>Experienced<\/em>\u00a0and then the famous\u00a0<em>Fast Times at Ridgemont High\u00a0<\/em>with the legendary swimming pool scene.<\/p>\n<p>The film, which was a teen hit, has contributed quite a lot to pop culture and is probably most known for one frame \u2013 which Rolling Stone magazine depicted as \u201dthe most memorable\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bikini\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">bikini<\/a>-drop in cinema history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a friend of mine said; that scene made a lot of teenage boys\u2019 hearts beat a lot faster than they should have\u2026<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-2\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CDlKO2vnc-s\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=640&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fcelebrity%2Fremember-phoebe-cates-why-the-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-star-disappeared%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A5774.600000023842%7D\" height=\"1093\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-2\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In 1982, Phoebe gave her two cents on it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dIn this business, if a girl wants a career, she has to be willing to strip. If you\u2019ve got a good body, then why not show it?,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Fast Times at Ridgemont High<\/em>\u00a0had a pretty impressive cast when you look at it today \u2013 it included now-stars like like Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eric Stoltz, and Forest Whitaker<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, it was a funny thing because we were all so young when we made it. And then it came out and it was this big hit, you know, where you\u2019d go to the theater and people would say the lines with it, and people had obviously seen the movie over and over again,\u201d Jennifer Jason Leigh told\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/snyde\/ny-jennifer-jason-leigh-fast-times-20210519-mhwrhy3fmfai5bs4fsiml2l6fe-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Daily News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-1506595933\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"intext_112616_2_wrapper\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsner-e8faf23b55549a88adc0c0cbb2fc4a6f\" class=\"newsner-e8faf23b55549a88adc0c0cbb2fc4a6f newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-3\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CDbcgbKHzc2\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=640&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fen.newsner.com&amp;rp=%2Fcelebrity%2Fremember-phoebe-cates-why-the-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-star-disappeared%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A3%2C%22os%22%3A10156.400000035763%7D\" height=\"1094\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-3\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Later, while also working in theatre, Phoebe starred in\u00a0<em>Private School<\/em>\u00a0as Christine Ramsey in 1983 and co-starred in Steven Spielberg\u2019s\u00a0<em>Gremlins<\/em>\u00a0in 1984. Phoebe met Kevin Kline, a critically acclaimed theater actor while auditioning for the 1983 film\u00a0<em>The Big Chill<\/em>. While Cates did not get the role, she did gain an eventual husband.<\/p>\n<p>Kline was 16 years older than Cates, but they did not start dating until two years after they first met. After Kline hired Cates\u2019 former assistant, he asked the employee to help him to ask out the actress.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-112676 entered exited\" src=\"data:;base64,<svg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 677 1000'><\/svg>&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; width=&#8221;677&#8243; height=&#8221;1000&#8243; data-lazy-src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192601\/shutterstock_187223207.jpg&#8221; \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 1989, Cates and Kline\u201325 and 41, respectively\u2013married in New York City. Cates gave birth to their first child, Owen Joseph, in 1991. In 1994, she had their daughter, Greta Simone.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, as the couple celebrated an impressive 27 years of marriage, many wondered what kept them so happy and together for so long.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe take care of the marriage,\u201d Kline\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryliving.com\/life\/entertainment\/a45813\/phoebe-cates-kevin-kline-marriage\/%20%20Where%20is%20Phoebe%20Cates%20now?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Even though she was doing well at the time, Cates had decided to take a step away from acting after the two had their children. In the 1990s, she started to vanish from the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n<p>In 1998, she explained to\u00a0<em>Playboy<\/em>\u00a0that both she and her husband had agreed to alternate acting jobs so that the children would never be without a parent.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-112677 entered lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192601\/shutterstock_87590653.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"665\" height=\"1000\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192601\/shutterstock_87590653.jpg\" data-ll-status=\"loaded\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kline would add that Cates still would choose to stay home with the children when it was her turn to work. While Cates did some acting here and there, she began to be seen more at red-carpet events with her husband, who continued acting more consistently.<\/p>\n<div id=\"newsner-1073320907\" class=\"newsner-article_inside_content\">\n<div id=\"intext_112616_3_wrapper\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsner-8272c336244c84d10c12d1cebe5d7dcc\" class=\"newsner-8272c336244c84d10c12d1cebe5d7dcc newsner-amp_article_inside_content\"><\/div>\n<p>It was in 2005 that Cates opened\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bluetreeny.bigcartel.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Blue Tree<\/a>\u00a0not far from the famous Carnegie Hall. At the store, products like fragrances, clothing, and gifts could be purchased.<\/p>\n<p>Cates devoted herself to becoming a full-time shopkeeper, typically working hands-on in the store or finding new products to sell.\u00a0Today, you can find Phoebe\u2019s store at 1283 Madison Avenue in New York City, it\u2019s located on Manhattan\u2019s Upper East Side where she also lives.<\/p>\n<p>And just so you know; Phoebe still looks amazing!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-112679 entered lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/GettyImages-695169358.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/GettyImages-695169358.jpg 788w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/GettyImages-695169358-768x998.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"788\" height=\"1024\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/GettyImages-695169358.jpg 788w, https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/GettyImages-695169358-768x998.jpg 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-main.newsner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/10\/05192559\/GettyImages-695169358.jpg\" data-ll-status=\"loaded\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phoebe Cates attends the 71st Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>What comes to mind when you think of Phoebe? I always thought that she was a pretty good actress, but my first two thoughts of her are usually the shower scene (in the cave) in \u201cParadise\u201d and the bikini scene in \u201cFast Times At Ridgemont High.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phoebe Cates appeared in many films, including\u00a0Gremlins\u00a0and\u00a0Drop Dead Fred\u00a0\u2013 but she\u2019ll forever be remembered for her iconic, topless pool scene in 1982\u2019s\u00a0Fast Times at Ridgemont High. But the former actress &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1337,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions\/1337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}