Ally Sheedy

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Ally Sheedy
Born	Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy June 13, 1962 (1962-06-13) (age 49) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress/Author
Years active	1975–present
Spouse	David Lansbury (1992–2008)

Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy (born June 13, 1962) is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. Her film debut came in the 1983 film Bad Boys. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire as well as in WarGames, Short Circuit and High Art for which she received critical acclaim.

Early life

Sheedy was born in New York City^[1] and has two siblings, Patrick and Meghan. Her mother, Charlotte (née Baum), was a writer and press agent who was involved in women's and civil rights movements,^[2] and her father, John J. Sheedy, Jr., was a Manhattan advertising executive.^[3][4] Ally Sheedy's mother was Jewish and her father was of Irish Catholic descent.^[5][6] Her parents divorced in 1971.

Sheedy attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City, graduating in 1980. She started dancing with the American Ballet Theatre at age six^[7] and was planning to make it a full-time career. However, she gave up dance in favor of acting full-time. At age 12 she wrote a children's book, She Was Nice to Mice; the book was published by McGraw-Hill and became a best-seller.^[7] On June 19, 1975, she appeared on the game show To Tell the Truth^[8] in her role as a young writer.^[9]

Career

Sheedy started acting in local stage productions as a teenager. After appearing in several made-for-television films in 1981, as well as three episodes of the television series Hill Street Blues, she made her feature film debut in Bad Boys (1983), starring Sean Penn, where she played Penn's humiliated girlfriend. The 1980s were her most active period, with roles in popular films such as WarGames, The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Short Circuit, and Maid to Order.

Throughout most of the 1990s, Sheedy appeared in a number of television films. Her most notable film performance during this time was in High Art, a well-reviewed independent film released in 1998 about a torrid romance between two women. She identified with the character of photographer "Lucy Berliner" so much that she flew, at her own expense, to participate in an audition and has said that this character is the closest one to herself she has played.^[10] Her performance in High Art was recognized with awards from the Independent Spirit Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and National Society of Film Critics.^[11]

In 1999, Sheedy took over the lead role in the off Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She was the first female to play the part of the German transsexual "Hedwig," but her run ended early amid bad reviews.^[12] That same year, she was cast as a lead actress in Sugar Town, an independent film, which featured an ensemble cast of actors and musicians.

She was reunited with Breakfast Club co-star Anthony Michael Hall when she became a special guest star on his television show The Dead Zone, in the second-season episode "Playing God," from 2003.^[13]

Sheedy has also appeared in the episode "Leapin' Lizards" of C.S.I. in which she played a woman who murdered her boyfriend's wife while mixed up in a cult. On March 3, 2008, Sheedy was introduced as the character Sarah, in the ABC Family show Kyle XY. In 2009, she played the role of Mr. Yang on the USA Network television show Psych (in the third season finale), a role that she reprised in the fourth season finale and fifth season finale.

Personal life

Sheedy dated Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora for less than a year in the 1980s. She opened up to Los Angeles Times that the relationship caused her drug abuse, which Sambora denied.^[14] In 1985, Sheedy was admitted to Hazelden Foundation and in the 1990s was treated for a sleeping pill addiction,^[15] an experience on which she drew for her role as a drug-addicted photographer in High Art.^[16]

On April 12, 1992, Sheedy married actor David Lansbury, the nephew of actress Angela Lansbury and son of Edgar Lansbury, the producer of the original production of Godspell. The couple have a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1994. In May 2008, it was announced that Sheedy had filed for divorce.^[1][17]

Filmography

• The Best Little Girl in the World (1981) as First Girl
• St. Elsewhere episode "Samuels and the Kid" (1982) as Diane
• Hill Street Blues (1983) episode "The Belles of St. Mary's" as Kristen
• WarGames (1983) as Jennifer Katherine Mack
• Bad Boys (1983) as J.C. Walenski
• Deadly Lessons (1983) as Marita Armstrong
• Oxford Blues (1984) as Rona
• The Breakfast Club (1985) as Allison Reynolds
• St. Elmo's Fire (1985) as Leslie Hunter
• Twice in a Lifetime (1985) as Helen
• Short Circuit (1986) as Stephanie Speck
• Blue City (1986) as Annie Rayford
• Maid to Order (1987) as Jessie Montgomery
• Short Circuit 2 (1988) as Stephanie (voice cameo)
• Heart of Dixie (1989) as Maggie
• Fear (1990) as Cayce Bridges
• Betsy's Wedding (1990) as Connie Hopper
• Only the Lonely (1991) as Theresa Luna
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) as NY Ticket Agent (cameo)
• Chantilly Lace (1993) as Melinda
• Man's Best Friend (1993) as Lori Tanner
• The Pickle (1993) as Molly girl
• The Haunting of Seacliff Inn (1994) as Susan
• Parallel Lives (1994) as Louise
• Buried Alive II (1997) as Laura Riskin
• The Tin Soldier (1995) as mother of Billy McClusky
• Amnesia (1996) as Martha Keller
• Macon County Jail (1997) as Susan
• High Art (1998) as Lucy Berliner
• Sugar Town (1999) as Liz
• Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge (1999) as an Attorney
• I'll Take You There (1999) as Bernice
• The Autumn Heart (1999) as Debroah
• Oz (2001) as Lisa Logan
• The Dead Zone (2003) as Kate
• Shelter Island (2003) as Louise 'Lou' Delamere
• Noise (2004) as Charlotte Bancroft
• The Veteran (TV Film) as Sara Reid
• Day Zero (2006) as Dr. Reynolds
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2007) as Shannon Turner
• The Junior Defenders (2007) as Jill Fields
• Steam (2007) as Laurie
• Kyle XY (2008) as Sarah
• Harold (2008) as Maureen
• Psych (2009–2010) as Mr. Yang
  • "An Evening with Mr. Yang" (2009)
  • "Mr. Yin Presents" (2010)
  • "Yang 3 in 2D" (2010)
• Citizen Jane (2009) as Jane Alexander
• Life During Wartime (2009) as Helen Jordan
• Welcome to the Rileys (2010) as Harriet

Books

• She Was Nice to Mice, McGraw-Hill, 1975, ISBN 0-440-47844-8
• Yesterday I Saw the Sun: Poems, Summit Books, 1991, ISBN 0-671-73130-0

Awards

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Best Actress (1998) for High Art
• Independent Spirit Award: Best Female Lead (1999) for High Art
• National Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Actress (1999) for High Art
• MTV Movie Awards: Silver Bucket of Excellence Award (2005) for The Breakfast Club (shared with Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez)

References

External links

• Ally Sheedy at the Internet Movie Database
• Ally Sheedy at AllRovi
• Salon Entertainment interview (June 25, 1998)
• New York Magazine interview (June 15, 1998)
• "Breakfast Club" cast interview at the Chicago Tribune (February 17, 1985)