Cybill Shepherd
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Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born 18 February 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American actress and singer, best known as the character Maddie Hayes on the groundbreaking ABC show Moonlighting.
Early success
Named after her grandfather Cy and her father Bill, Cybill Shepherd won the 1966 "Miss Teenage Memphis" contest at age sixteen, resulting in modelling work through high school and after. She quickly made a name for herself as a curvy 'real woman', which was a departure from the trend at the time of Twiggy-type waifs. This led to regular work as a magazine cover girl, and it was a 1970 Glamour magazine cover that caught the eye of film director Peter Bogdanovich. Upon seeing the cover in a supermarket check-out line, Bodganovich was reported to say "That's Jacy" referring to the role he was casting - and ultimately offered to Shepherd - in The Last Picture Show (1971). Her role as the teenage sexual ingenue would prove to be one of the most explosive and promising debuts of any film actress.
During the filming, the then 20-year-old was required to film a nude scene in a pool. Still photos obtained from that nude scene appeared in Playboy magazine without Shepherd's consent. She sued and won, setting a precedent regarding public figures. Also during the filming of The Last Picture Show, Shepherd began an affair with Bogdanovich that would last off and on for eight years. Shepherd also famously met Elvis Presley in 1972, and she mentions in her autobiography that they had a short, uneventful affair. Years later, in an interview with E! television, Shepherd spoke of the relationship with Presley, saying, "He was a wonderful lover, very sexy."
First run at fame
Soon, Cybill Shepherd was cast opposite Charles Grodin in The Heartbreak Kid (1972). She played Kelly, the beautiful, sunkissed young woman that Grodin's character falls for while on his honeymoon in Miami. Directed by Elaine May, it was a critical and box office hit, showing off comedic talents.
In 1974, Shepherd again teamed with Peter Bogdanovich for a starring role in Daisy Miller, based on the Henry James novella. The role - a period piece set in Europe - was a challenging one, especially for a relatively inexperienced Shepherd. It proved to be a box office failure. In a 1987 interview, Shepherd shared that she had recently viewed the film again, and said "It's frustrating to watch now because I've learned so much as an actor, and I would have approached that character so differently". Unfortunately, before Daisy Miller was released, filming was already underway on the even bigger Bogdonavich flop At Long Last Love (co-starring Burt Reynolds). The film was a musical in which Bogdonavich filmed all of the songs live while the camera rolled on each scene, as opposed to the conventional studio-recording of songs prior to production on most movie musicals. This approach was unpleasant on film, and it became a career-hampering mis-step for all involved.
Shepherd bounced back with good reviews for her work in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), a role in which "she appeared like an angel, out of this filthy mass", in the words of Robert De Niro's character. According to Shepherd, Martin Scorsese had requested a "Cybill Shepherd type" for the role. She portrayed an ethereal beauty with whom De Niro's title character becomes enthralled.
After a series of less successful roles, including the remake of Hitchcock movie The Lady Vanishes, she left show business in 1978 and moved back to Memphis, saying she was fed up with Hollywood. To this end, she married local auto-parts dealer David Ford in 1978. Their daughter Clementine Ford was born two years later, and they divorced in 1982. After her four year absence, Cybill now felt ready to attempt a comeback in Hollywood.
Return to Hollywood
Back from Memphis, Shepherd won the role of Colleen Champion in the night-time drama The Yellow Rose (1983), opposite Sam Elliott. Although critically acclaimed, the series lasted only one season.
A year later, Cybill was cast as Maddie Hayes in ABC's Moonlighting (1985-1989), which became the role that would define her career. The producers knew that her role depended on having chemistry with her co-star, and she was involved in the selection of Bruce Willis. They quickly became one of the most celebrated television duos. A lighthearted combination of mystery and comedy, the series won Shepherd two Golden Globe awards. Shepherd married her second husband, chiropractor Bruce Oppenheim, and gave birth to twins Ariel and Zack Oppenheim during the series' fourth season.
In 1990, Shepherd's marriage to Oppenheim ended and she once again became a sought-after film actress. She starred in Chances Are (1989) with Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan O'Neal, receiving excellent reviews. She then reprised her role as Jacy in Texasville (1990), the sequel to The Last Picture Show (1971), as the original cast (including director Peter Bogdanovich) reunited 20 years after filming the original. She also appeared in Woody Allen's Alice (1990), and Once Upon a Crime (1992), as well as several television movies.
In 1997, she won her third Golden Globe award, for CBS' Cybill (1995-1998), a television sitcom, in which the title character - Cybill Sheridan, an actress struggling with hammy parts in B movies and bad soaps - was loosely modeled on herself (including portrayals by actors of her two ex-husbands). As she had on Moonlighting, she was involved in casting another unknown co-star (Christine Baranski) who proved to be an asset to the show's popularity.
In 2000, Shepherd's autobiography was published, titled , written in collaboration with Aimee Lee Ball.
She has played Martha Stewart in two TV movies: ' (2003) and ' (2005).
In June 2006, it was announced that Shepherd has signed to star in 11 episodes of the Showtime drama, The L Word, in its upcoming fourth season in 2007.
Trivia
- In John Waters's 1977 film Desperate Living, one female character says to another who is acting vain: "Who do you think you are? Cybill Shepherd?".
- Cybill Shepherd is an accomplished singer, having made over ten albums, including a jazz offering with Stan Getz in 1978 that was widely praised. Her current CD was recorded at her house and is aptly titled At Home With Cybill. She has toured with her cabaret act in the United States and Europe as recently as 2004.
- A popular talk show guest, her most famous appearance was on Late Night With David Letterman in 1989 when she walked out wearing only a white bath towel.
- Throughout her career, Cybill Shepherd has been an outspoken activist for such issues as gay rights, abortion rights, and other politically relevant topics. She was present at the opening of the National Civil Rights Museum in her hometown of Memphis, for which she lent some financial support. It has been rumored for years that she is interested in running for political office.
- In the episode of the popular TV cartoon Family Guy titled "The Fat Guy Strangler", Peter Griffin slays Cybill Shepherd, claiming her to be a dragon.
- In 1972, Shepherd posed as a Kodak Girl for the camera manufacturer's once ubiquitous cardboard displays.
- Shepherd has inspired two negative roles in films: Sharon Stone's character in Irreconcilable Differences (1984) and Annette Bening's character in American Beauty (1999). In an interview to Us magazine, she said she didn't care for Stone's character as she isn't a bimbo, but she in an interview to People magazine, she indicated that she liked Bening's character.
Filmography
- The Last Picture Show (1971)
- The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
- Daisy Miller (1974)
- At Long Last Love (1975)
- Taxi Driver (1976)
- Special Delivery (1976)
- Aliens From Spaceship Earth (1977)
- Silver Bears (1978)
- The Lady Vanishes (1979)
- Americathon (1979)
- The Return (1980)
- Chances Are (1989)
- Texasville (1990)
- Alice (1990)
- (1991) (documentary)
- Married to It (1991)
- Once Upon a Crime... (1992)
- The Last Word (1995)
- The Muse (1999)
- Marine Life (2000)
- (2003) (documentary)
- Signs and Voices (2004) (short subject)
- Open Window (2005)
Television work
- A Guide for the Married Woman (1978)
- The Yellow Rose (1983-1984)
- Masquerade (1983) (pilot for series which Shepherd did not appear in)
- Secrets of a Married Man (1984)
- Moonlighting (1985-1989)
- Seduced (1985)
- The Long Hot Summer (1985)
- Which Way Home (1991)
- Memphis (1992) (also executive producer and writer)
- Stormy Weathers (1992) (also executive producer)
- Telling Secrets (1993)
- There Was a Little Boy (1993)
- Baby Brokers (1994)
- While Justice Sleeps (1994)
- Cybill (1995-1998) (also executive producer)
- Journey of the Heart (1997) (also co-executive producer)
- Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus (2000-2001)
- Due East (2002)
- (2003)
- Detective (2005)
- (2005)
External links
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