Kelly McGillis is an American actress with a diverse career in film, television, and stage. She has had a career spanning nearly five decades and has appeared in a variety of roles over the years. Appearing in neo-noir and comedy films in the earlier stages of her career, McGillis has pivoted to horror films later in her career.
McGillis came into prominence in the 1980s, starring in films alongside performers such as Jodie Foster, Tom Cruise, and Harrison Ford. However, as a result of troubled periods in her personal life, her appearances on the silver screen have taken a hit. This article looks into the life and career of the versatile actress.
The Early Life of Kelly McGillis
Kelly McGillis, the eldest of four daughters, was born on 9 July 1957 in Newport Beach, California. Her ancestry is a mix of English, Scots-Irish, German, and Welsh heritage. As a child, she wrote, directed, and starred in her own plays in front of her family and had her sisters perform supporting roles while she acted. She attended Newport Harbor High School, a public high school in her hometown. However, McGillis got her GED and dropped out of high school to pursue a career in acting.
After dropping out in 1975, she attended the Pacific Conservatory Theatre, a theatre company run by Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California which boasts Robin Williams and Zac Efron as notable alumni. In 1979, she left the company and moved to New York to continue her acting studies, enrolling at the prestigious Juilliard School in Manhattan. McGillis graduated from Juilliard in 1983, but could not find immediate success in acting. While waiting for her big break, she held a variety of jobs including waiting tables, as well as performing in a few stage productions.
Highlights Of Kelly McGillis’ Career
Kelly McGillis has had a storied career full of performances across a range of mediums. While she was at Julliard, her career had an early start with performances in several stage productions. Her film debut came in 1983 when she starred alongside Tom Conti in Reuben, Reuben. The film turned out to be a success with nominations at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.
Her performance in her film debut led to roles on television, where she appeared in Sweet Revenge and One Life to Live in 1984. In 1985, she landed a lead role opposite Harrison Ford in Witness, a neo-noir crime thriller film. For her performance in the film, McGillis received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Following the success of Witness, she was cast in arguably her most well-known role. She starred as Charlie Blackwood in the universally acclaimed action drama film, Top Gun. Her appearance in the film gave her more recognition. However, the success of the film did not provide more high-profile roles for McGilllis.
Although she had more roles in film, including starring with Jodie Foster in The Accused, McGillis stayed loyal to the theatre. Over the years, she continued to perform in stage productions alongside her performances in films such as The House on Carroll Street, Winter People, and The Monkey’s Mask. Her stage acting includes roles in productions such as The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Mourning Becomes Electra, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hedda Gabler, and a national stage tour of The Graduate.
Kelly McGillis’ Love Life
Over the course of her life, McGillis has been involved in several romantic relationships. She has been married twice and has been in one civil union. In April 1979, while she was at Julliard, she married a fellow student named Boyd Black. Their marriage was short-lived and lasted only two years before a divorce in 1981. In January 1989, she married Fred Tillman, a yacht salesman and restauranteur. McGillis and Tillman have two daughters. In April 1996, the couple lost over a million dollars in property damage when their 110-foot sailing vessel was destroyed by fire at a marina in Florida. The couple divorced in 2002.
During an interview with SheWired in April 2009, Kelly McGillis came out as a lesbian. A year later in 2010, she entered into a civil union with a Philadelphia sales executive named Melanie Leis. However, this was short-lived and was dissolved a year later.
Where Is Kelly McGillis Today?
In 2002, Kelly McGillis dropped out of Hollywood to raise her daughters as a single mother alongside Melanie Leis. However, she is today back to working on her storied career. She was back in the headlines with the release of Top Gun: Maverick. Fans questioned why her character, which had been pivotal in the 1986 prequel, was absent from the film.
McGillis has not had a major acting role in a couple of years. However, at this stage of her career, McGillis is deciding not to dwell too much on being left out of certain roles. Outside of acting, she also works as a professional counsellor, primarily concerning substance abuse. She previously worked full-time with drug addicts and alcoholics at a rehabilitation centre in Bridgeton, New Jersey,
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