Brooke Shields is a world-renowned actress, model, and icon of the 1970s and 1980s. She gained popularity for her controversial roles in films such as Pretty Baby, The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love. Even as an infant, Brooke Shields worked as a model (starting at 11 months old). Her leading role in the 1990s TV sitcom Suddenly Susan earned her two Golden Globe nominations. Shields is also the author of several books and the creator of the healthy lifestyle brand “Beginning is Now.” Read more at manhattanka.
Biography of Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields was born on May 31, 1965, in Manhattan, New York City. Her father, Francis Alexander, was a businessman, and her mother, Teri Shields (maiden name Schmon), worked as an actress and model. When Teri announced that she was pregnant, Francis’s family provided a sum of money to do an abortion. The woman took the money but did not terminate the pregnancy. The couple married, but the marriage did not last long.
Her parents separated when Brooke was 5 months old. However, she remained close to her father throughout his life. When the girl was only 5 days old, her mother said she wanted her child to be in show business. Teri said that the girl is the most beautiful baby and she was going to help her achieve a remarkable career.
Brooke learned to play piano, dance and ride horses as a child. She was raised Catholic. While attending high school, she lived in Haworth, New Jersey. Shields studied at the New Lincoln School until eighth grade. She completed Dwight-Englewood School in 1983.
Raised by her caring but alcohol-addicted mother, who was also her manager, Shields began modeling at 11 months old. She debuted in an advertisement for Ivory Snow soap, shot by the famous fashion photographer F. Scavullo. Agent Eileen Ford started representing Shields in 1975 and established a children’s division agency.
In search of a superstar for the films Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon
Teri decided to make her daughter a star, building the career and image of young Shields. Her role in Louis Malle’s movie Pretty Baby (1978) caused cultural resonance.
Shields was only 11 years old when she played the prostitute’s daughter (Susan Sarandon), who herself was forced into prostitution in the New Orleans red-light district during World War I. Although the movie won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival (1978) and was nominated for the Palme d’Or, critics labeled it as “child pornography” and Shields as “another Lolita” because of its themes and scenes featuring a naked child actor. It is worth noting that the movie was banned in Canada and Australia.
Two years later, 14-year-old Shields starred in the film The Blue Lagoon with C. Atkins. The story is about two cousins from the Victorian era who are stranded on a tropical island in the South Pacific after being shipwrecked. There, the young characters are freed from societal norms, exploring the transformations of puberty and falling in love. Nude scenes featuring Shields with a body double caused controversies regarding the film’s indecency. There were also topless moments where Shields’ hair covered her breasts to avoid exposing herself on camera. However, audiences liked the movie, which grossed around $48 million in America in 1980, surpassing both The Shining and Raging Bull.
Modeling career and advertising for Calvin Klein
Soon, Shields became the most recognizable face in America, quickly transforming from a cute child into a sexy American girl. She was only 14 when she appeared on the cover of Vogue. Shields, who had signature thick eyebrows, voluminous brunette hair and delicate facial features could be seen everywhere, from shampoo ads to couture clothing.
In 1980, designer C. Klein invited Shields to shoot in a provocative advertising campaign for his new line of very slim jeans. In a shot taken by R. Avedon, Brooke, looking much older than her 15 years, utters a phrase that became iconic:
“You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
The commercial was banned by ABC and CBS, but the adverse publicity only intensified the brand’s marketing efforts. It cemented Shields’ status among the famous supermodels and marked the beginning of Calvin Klein’s career.
Endless Love and the Lawsuit Over Nude Photographs
Brooke appeared in the 1981 romantic drama Endless Love by Franco Zeffirelli about teenage sex and parental restrictions. The sexual scene in the film sparked even more controversy regarding Shields and her mother, leading to accusations that the latter took advantage of her daughter through exploitation.
Brooke Shields with her mother
Critics also revealed nude photos of a 10-year-old Shields taken in 1975. The Ford modeling agency organized a photoshoot with photographer Garry Gross. Teri sold Gross the rights to the nude image of her daughter for $450, allowing him to use the photos, which appeared in Playboy Press. In the early ’80s, Shields tried to stop the use of these images in court, alleging invasion of privacy. Ultimately, in March 1983, the New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Gross. However, the photographer kept his rights under the condition that he would not sell them to pornography publications.
Studying at Princeton University
Shields managed to overcome the huge and inappropriate demands of television, film and the modeling industry and survive in the world of adults while still a child, often by herself. She says that her education at Princeton University helped her escape and survive the toxic spotlight of the film and modeling industries. Shields felt awakening thanks to Princeton. There, she learned to think independently, which, as she stated in an interview with The New York Times, led to a “rebellion” against her controlling mother. Then she discovered her passion for comedy and dance.
In a 2022 interview with Glamour, Shields confessed that the fact that she successfully graduated from this prestigious institution, coming from the entertainment industry allowed her to stand her ground. Before that, she could not do this. It was just: ‘Oh, she’s pretty. She’s a model’ or something like this. It was all very shallow, which was totally fine. She had fun, but she realized that she needed intellectual growth to survive in the industry.
In 1987, Shields graduated from the Ivy League research university in Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages.
Awards
Always at the center of public attention, Shields has appeared in more than 100 TV shows and films, as well as several Broadway musicals. Despite the contradictions, her early roles in movies attracted fans, and the five People’s Choice Awards that she received only prove it. From 1981 to 1984, she won the Favorite Young Actress in the Cinema award.
She won the People’s Choice Award in 1997 in the category of “Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series” for her lead role in the sitcom Suddenly Susan. This series aired from 1996 to 2000. Brooke received two Golden Globe nominations for her acting.
Books
Shields openly discussed how she coped with infertility and postpartum depression that she experienced after the birth of her daughter Rowan. She described it in her book “Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression” (2005).
In the book, Shields said that she took antidepressants to overcome postpartum depression. In an interview with M. Lauer, actor Tom Cruise, whose Scientology faith forbids the use of psychotropic drugs, criticized Shields for this. In her article for The New York Times, Shields responded that she speaks not only for herself but for the thousands of women who suffer from postpartum depression. If there is anything good in Cruise’s nonsensical remarks, it is the attraction of much-needed attention to this serious illness.
Shields wrote about her complicated relationship with her mother, who struggled with alcoholism, in her second memoir “There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me” (2015). She also authored two children’s books.
Personal Life
In 1997, Brooke married tennis player Andre Agassi. They separated two years later. In 2001, she tied the knot with Chris Henchy. He is a television writer, director and producer. The couple has two daughters: Rowan and Grier.
In 2021, Shields established Beginning Is Now, a clothing brand and online platform targeting women over 40.
Brooke Shields with her husband C. Henchy
The documentary Pretty Baby debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023 and was released on Hulu in April 2023. The film chronicles Shields’ rapid rise and shows how she was used in an industry that fetishizes young girls and female sensuality. It also addresses the sexualization of women and girls in American culture. Shields revealed that at the age of 20, she was subjected to sexual assault by an influential Hollywood executive in his hotel room after a business dinner. The documentary became the most popular debut for ABC News on Hulu.
Quotes
“I went to an ordinary school in New York City with no other actors. I learned to compartmentalize different parts of my life. I was one person at home and then another person at work and for that reason my career didn’t challenge my family life.”
“It was my mom and I against the world. We lived in New York in this bohemian lifestyle where an extended group of artists and photographers were like my aunts and uncles.”