Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an
American actress,
singer and
dancer. She became popular with teenage audiences in the 1980s, as a result of her starring roles in the
John Hughes movies
Sixteen Candles,
The Breakfast Club, and
Pretty in Pink. She returned to the public eye with her role as
Anne Juergens in the
ABC Family show
The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She ranked #1 in VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Early life
Molly Kathleen Ringwald was born in
Roseville, California, just outside of
Sacramento, the daughter of Adele Edith (née Frembd), a housewife and chef, and Robert Scott "Bob" Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist.
[Molly Ringwald Biography (1968-)][Ancestry of Molly Ringwald (1968-)] Ringwald has two siblings, Elizabeth and Kelly. She started her acting career at age 5, starring in a stage production of
Alice in Wonderland as the dormouse. By the time she was 6 years old, she had recorded "I Wanna Be Loved by You", a music album of
Dixieland jazz with her father and his group, the Fulton Street Jazz Band.