Molly Ringwald

About Molly Ringwald

Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She became popular with teenage audiences in the 1980s, as a result of her starring roles in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.

Ringwald was born in Roseville, California, just outside of Sacramento, the daughter of Adele Edith (née Frembd), a housewife and chef, and Robert Scott "Bob" Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist. Ringwald has two siblings, Elizabeth and Kelly. She started her acting career at age 5, starring in a stage production of Alice in Wonderland as the dormouse. By the time she was 6 years old, she had recorded I Wanna Be Loved by You, a music album of Dixieland jazz with her father and his group, the Fulton Street Jazz Band. Ringwald attended Casa Roble High School.

As an actress, Ringwald appeared in numerous local TV commercials and stage plays before landing a guest spot on The New Mickey Mouse Club. In 1978, at the age of 10, she was chosen to play Kate in the Second National Tour of Annie, performing in Los Angeles. In 1979, Ringwald appeared in one episode of the television series Diff'rent Strokes and was selected to become a cast member of the spin-off The Facts of Life. Molly played "Molly Parker," a perky, fun-loving student at Eastland Girls School. Although essentially a supporting role, one entire episode, "Molly's Holiday" revolved around her character dealing with the effects of her parents' divorce. After the first thirteen episodes, the producers restructured the show to be more like the popular film Little Darlings,[citation needed] so Ringwald and three other girls were written out of the series in 1980. However, she made a final guest appearance at the start of the second season.