Melanie Griffith

Photo of Melanie Griffith

Biography

Actress Melanie Griffith became known for strong-but-sexy characters in such films as "Working Girl" (1988) and "Something Wild" (1986), although, at times her multiple marriages and well-documented battles with addiction threatened to overshadow her considerable talent. The daughter of Hitchcock favorite and "The Birds" (1963) star Tippi Hedren, Griffith began her film career while still a teenager in Arthur Penn's "Night Moves" (1975), as an …
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Job Title

Actor, Music, Other

Born

August 9, 1957

Career Milestones

2010

Guest-starred on the seventh and final season of FX's "Nip/Tuck," playing porn-star Kimber Henry's mother

2005

Played the mother of the show's main characters in the short-lived sitcom, "Twins" (WB)

2003

Joined Sylvester Stallone and Gabriel Byrne for the film, "Shade"

2003

Made her Broadway debut playing Roxie Hart in the musical "Chicago"

2002

Voiced the character of Margalo in "Stuart Little 2"

2002

Appeared as herself in Rosanna Arquette's documentary, "Searching for Debra Winger"

2000

Portrayed a veteran movie star kidnapped by a struggling independent filmmaker in "Cecil B. Demented"; written and directed by John Waters

2000

Played the title role of a mentally unstable woman who seeks an old sweetheart in "Forever Lulu"

1999

Made London stage debut in the "Vagina Monologues" at the Old Vic theater

1999

Played an aspiring actress who murders her husband in Antonio Banderas' feature directorial debut, "Crazy in Alabama"

1999

Portrayed actress Marion Davies in the HBO movie, "RKO 281," about the making of "Citizen Kane"

1998

Offered a rich performance as a drug addicted criminal, opposite James Woods, in "Another Day in Paradise"

1998

Appeared in Woody Allen's ensemble film, "Celebrity"

1997

Selected by Revlon as spokesperson for line of cosmetics aimed at women over 35 years of age

1997

Played the blowsy Charlotte Haze in Adrian Lyne's remake of "Lolita"; shown on Showtime in the US

1996

Starred opposite future husband Antonio Banderas in the uneven comedy, "Two Much"

1995

Co-starred with Demi Moore, Rita Wilson, and Rosie O'Donnell in the coming-of-age drama, "Now and Then"

1995

Co-starred with Anjelica Huston in the CBS miniseries, "Buffalo Girls"; nominated for a Golden Globe Award

1994

Received good reviews for her role as a desperate housewife in the Oscar-nominated film "Nobody's Fool"; co-starred with Bruce Willis and Paul Newman

1993

Undertook the role of Billie Dawn in an ill-fated remake of "Born Yesterday"

1992

Was unfortunately miscast as an NYC cop who goes undercover in the Hassidic community in "A Stranger Among Us"

1991

Made first film with then-husband Don Johnson, "Paradise"

1990

Co-starred with James Woods, as lovers facing an unwanted pregnancy, in the "Hills Like White Elephants" segment of HBO's "Women & Men: Stories of Seduction"

1990

Re-teamed with director Brian de Palma for the film adaptation of "The Bonfire of the Vanities"; co-starred with Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis

1988

Played a Staten Island secretary with aspirations to succeed in Mike Nichols' "Working Girl"; earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress

1987

Guest-starred on an episode of "Miami Vice" (NBC); episode directed by Don Johnson, her once-and-future husband

1986

Breakthrough leading role in Jonathan Demme's cult favorite, "Something Wild"

1984

Cast as the female lead in Brian De Palma's "Body Double"

1981

Studied acting with Stella Adler in New York

1981

Starred with mother, Tippi Hedren, in "Roar" (produced by stepfather, Noel Marshall); filmed several years before release

1977

Joined cast of the ABC series "Carter Country" as a series regular

1976

Made TV miniseries debut, "Once an Eagle" (NBC)

1975

Played one of the beauty contestants in the superb satire "Smile"

1975

Made feature acting debut in "Night Moves" at 17 years old

1973

Made film debut as extra in "The Harrad Experiment"; film starred her mother and future first husband, Don Johnson

Moved with family to Los Angeles at age four

Awards

2000

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Miniseries or Movie in RKO 281

1999

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in RKO 281

1995

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Buffalo Girls

1989

BAFTA Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Working Girl

1988

Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Working Girl

1988

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in Working Girl

1988

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Working Girl

1986

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Something Wild

1984

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Body Double

1984

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress in Body Double