Biography
Born into a musical family as the daughter of pianist Bob Ringwald, Molly Ringwald had already launched her professional singing career by age six, when she contributed to the 1974 Fulton Street Jazz Band album I Wanna Be Loved by You. That early exposure on her father’s record marked the start of a path that soon led her to the stage, where she portrayed Annie in a Los Angeles production in 1978. From there she moved into television with minor parts before securing a regular role during the inaugural 1979–1980 season of The Facts of Life. Although she continued to record for Disney releases, her trajectory shifted decisively in 1984 when director John Hughes gave her the lead in the romantic comedy Sixteen Candles. The film’s success elevated her to national prominence, and she remained one of America’s most visible young actresses through additional John Hughes projects, notably The Breakfast Club in 1985 and Pretty in Pink the following year.
By the close of the decade her run of major screen roles had ended, with Alan Alda’s 1990 comedy Betsy's Wedding serving as her final prominent theatrical release. Ringwald relocated to Paris, France, deliberately stepping away from public attention for several years. She reemerged in the mid-nineties with recurring television work that included a part in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand and a role in the sitcom Townies. Throughout the 2000s she balanced occasional Broadway and film appearances with her small-screen schedule. Her profile rose again in 2008 after she joined the cast of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager as a mother; the series continued successfully for five seasons. While it was still on the air she published the memoir/self-help title Getting the Pretty Back and the story collection When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories. When the show concluded in 2013, she issued her first solo album, Except...Sometimes, on Concord Records.
By the close of the decade her run of major screen roles had ended, with Alan Alda’s 1990 comedy Betsy's Wedding serving as her final prominent theatrical release. Ringwald relocated to Paris, France, deliberately stepping away from public attention for several years. She reemerged in the mid-nineties with recurring television work that included a part in the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand and a role in the sitcom Townies. Throughout the 2000s she balanced occasional Broadway and film appearances with her small-screen schedule. Her profile rose again in 2008 after she joined the cast of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager as a mother; the series continued successfully for five seasons. While it was still on the air she published the memoir/self-help title Getting the Pretty Back and the story collection When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories. When the show concluded in 2013, she issued her first solo album, Except...Sometimes, on Concord Records.
Albums
