12. Kelly McGillis
The female lead in Top Gun, the movie that further catapulted Tom Cruise to stardom, was a high school dropout that did have success in her dream of becoming an actress. It’s a pretty bold move for a daughter of a doctor and a housewife with no pedigree in show business. What happened to her? Can she really be that old? Okay, she doesn’t look bad at all but she is only 58. Wait a minute, is Tom Cruise really that old as well? Regardless of age, a lot of the similarities from her younger days are truly gone. What made her famous? Her break out role was Witness (1985), a thriller where she was an Amish mother. She co-starred with Harrison Ford. That’s a unique breakout role, since she really wasn’t just the star’s love interest. A year later she starred in Top Gun. Imagine that, co-starring with the biggest names of the decade, and perhaps the last three decades, in your first two breakout roles. What does she do now? She teaches acting in Asheville, NC. What are some of her memorable scenes or lines? Check out this scene from Top Gun where her charisma comes out as she shoots down Tom Cruise, telling him that she doesn’t date students.
Discussion about this post