Phoebe Cates
Phoebe Cates was born to Lily Katz, who was of Russian-Jewish descent, and Joseph Katz, who was of Chinese-Filipino descent. Both of Phoebe’s parents later changed their names to Cates. At the age of ten, she found that dancing brought her the most joy, followed shortly thereafter by modeling. In the end, she admitted that the business was not to her taste and that the only reason she had stayed in it was for the money, stating that “it was just the same thing, over and over again.” One of the most notable aspects of Cates’ performance in Fast Times at Ridgemont High was “the most iconic bikini-drop in cinema history,” as defined by Rolling Stone. This was one of the highlights of Cates’ portrayal.
After that, she had a role in the cult classic Gremlins and in the sequel to that film, but don’t worry—she won’t transform into a mischievous creature if you splash water on her. She only acted in those movies. As a result of her fame, Cates was featured on the cover of several magazines including Seventeen, Tiger Beat, and Teen Beat. In 1993, TV Guide recognized “Which one of you bitches is my mother?” as the best sentence ever spoken on television, and it was delivered by Shirley Conran in the show Lace. Following a prosperous career in both acting and singing, Cates made the decision in 2005 to strike out on her own and create her own boutique under the name Blue Tree on the prestigious Madison Avenue in New York City.