Kelly LeBrock (born ) is an American actress and model. Her acting debut was in '' The Woman in Red'' (1984), alongside

Gene Wilder Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...

. She also starred in the John Hughes film '' Weird Science'' (1985), and in ''

Hard to Kill ''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the Law'', it features him as Mason Storm, a d ...

'' (1990), opposite

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

Early life

Kelly LeBrock was born in New York City, and was brought up in the upscale

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

area of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Her father was French-Canadian, and her mother, Maria, is British. LeBrock was named after her grandmother, Mary Helen Kelly, from Keady,

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

, who married John Traynor. Additional on August 13, 2017.

Career

Modeling

LeBrock began her career as a model at age 16 in her adopted city of New York. Her breakthrough came at 19, when she starred in a 24-page spread in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine. Shortly afterwards, she entered into a contract with

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

to work for that fashion label for 30 days a year. She subsequently appeared on numerous magazine covers and in fashion spreads, and became one of

Eileen Ford Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists *Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer *Eileen ...

's most sought-after models. She became especially recognizable as the

Pantene Pantene () is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter ...

shampoo commercial spokeswoman whose line, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful", became a

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

Film

LeBrock was cast as the "perfect" or "fantasy" woman in the films '' The Woman in Red'' (1984) and '' Weird Science'' (1985). As a result, she was considered one of the sexiest women in Hollywood in the 1980s, and was in high demand, but took a hiatus from acting until 1990. Her return to the big screen started in 1990 when she starred opposite her then-husband,

, in ''

''. LeBrock also appeared in ''

Betrayal of the Dove ''Betrayal of the Dove'' is a 1993 American suspense film starring Helen Slater, Billy Zane, and Heather Lind in a screenplay co-written by actor-turned-author Robby Benson. Plot Single mother Ellie West (Helen Slater), who is struggling to cut- ...

'' (1993), ''Tracks of a Killer'' (1995), and ''Hard Bounty'' (1995). She had roles in the films ''

Wrongfully Accused ''Wrongfully Accused'' is a 1998 satirical comedy film written, produced and directed by Pat Proft and starring Leslie Nielsen as a man who has been framed for murder and desperately attempts to expose the true culprits. The film is a parody of t ...

'' (1998), ''

The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (german: "Der Zauberlehrling", link=no, italic=no) is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old magician (fantasy), sorcerer departs his ...

'' (2001), ''

Zerophilia ''Zerophilia'' is a 2005 romantic comedy film with speculative-fiction elements directed by Academy of Motion Pictures' Student Academy Award-winning director Martin Curland and produced by Microangelo Entertainment. It is about a young man who di ...

'' (2005), and '' Gamers: The Movie'' (2006). LeBrock was in a thriller entitled ''Hidden Affairs'', released in 2013, and in 2015 she appeared in ''

A Prince for Christmas ''A Prince for Christmas'' is a 2015 American television film, made-for-television Christmas by medium, Christmas romance film, romantic drama film produced and directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Viva Bianca, Kirk Barker and Aaron O'Connell. T ...

'' as Queen Ariana.

Television

In 2005, LeBrock was the captain of the team "Kelly's Bellies" on VH1's ''

Celebrity Fit Club ''Celebrity Fit Club'' is a reality television series that follows eight overweight celebrities as they try to lose weight for charity. Split into two competing teams of four, each week teams are given different physical challenges, and weighed t ...

'' reality show. She also appeared on the third UK series of ''Hell's Kitchen''. She and her daughter Arissa were featured on the Lifetime docuseries ''

Growing Up Supermodel ''Growing Up Supermodel'' is a docuseries on Lifetime (TV Network), Lifetime. The series premiered on August 16, 2017, and follows the nascent careers of daughters and sons of famous models or actors. The premise of the show was greenlit because m ...

'' which debuted in August 2017.

In popular culture

British band

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was sto ...

released the song " Good Grief" in 2016, which samples two of LeBrock's phrases from '' Weird Science'': "So what would you little maniacs like to do first?" and "If you want to be a party animal, you have to learn to live in the jungle. Now stop worrying and go and get dressed."

Personal life

Her first marriage was to film producer and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...

Victor Drai Victor Drai (born July 25, 1947) is a Moroccan- Franco American nightclub owner, entrepreneur and film producer. Drai rose to prominence in the 1980s, producing the movies '' The Woman in Red'' (1984) and ''Weekend at Bernie's'' (1989), before ...

, in 1984; they divorced in 1986. During this time she met actor and martial artist

. Their daughter Annaliza was born in spring 1987 and the couple married in September of that year. Their son Dominic was born in June 1990 and their daughter Arissa in 1993. The following year, LeBrock filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". In July 2007, LeBrock married retired investment banker Fred Steck and divorced him the next year. As of 2011, LeBrock lives on a ranch in California's

Santa Ynez Valley The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Valle ...

. After the death of her brother Harold in 2008, LeBrock began devoting time to the terminally ill. She has been a spokeswoman for Club Carson, whose members are children suffering from cancer.

Filmography

* 1984 '' The Woman in Red'' as Charlotte * 1985 '' Weird Science'' as Lisa * 1990 ''

'' as Andrea 'Andy' Stewart * 1993 ''

'' as Una * 1993 ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (TV) as Clara (voice) * 1995 ''Tracks of a Killer'' as Claire Hawkner * 1995 ''

Hard Bounty ''Hard Bounty'' is a 1995 American Western film. Synopsis Martin Kanning is a former Texas Ranger turned bounty hunter. Kanning is a man of honor but when his latest bounty turns out to be innocent, he gives up bounty hunting and buys the salo ...

'' as Donnie * 1998 ''

'' as Lauren Goodhue * 2002 ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' as Morgana * 2005 ''

'' (2005) as woman in RV * 2006 '' Gamers: The Movie'' as Angela's Mom * 2007 ''The Mirror'' as Mary Theophilu * 2009 ''Prep School'' as Miss Waters * 2015 '' 10 Days in a Madhouse'' as Miss Grant * 2015 ''

'' as Queen Ariana * 2019 ''Charlie Boy'' as Donna

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lebrock, Kelly Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American emigrants to England American film actresses American people of French-Canadian descent American people of Irish descent 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses English film actresses English people of French-Canadian descent English people of Irish descent Female models from New York (state) Steven Seagal Year of birth missing (living people)