Rebecca De Mornay

Über Rebecca De Mornay

Rebecca De Mornay, originally named Rebecca Jane Pearch, entered the world in 1959 in Santa Rosa, California. She is the daughter of Wally George and Julie Eager. Her parents' separation in her early childhood led her mother to relocate to Pasadena, where she married Richard De Mornay, who later adopted Rebecca. Following the tragic passing of her stepfather in 1962, Rebecca and her half-brother Peter accompanied their mother to Europe, where they primarily grew up in England and Austria. In 1977, Rebecca distinguished herself by graduating "summa cum laude" from a German-speaking high school nestled in the Austrian Alps, and she remains fluent in both German and French.

Rebecca embarked on her acting education in Los Angeles at the Lee Strasberg Institute and became an apprentice at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Film Studio. Her film career took off with her debut in One from the Heart (1981). However, it was her performance in Risky Business (1983) alongside Tom Cruise that catapulted her to fame, earning her critical acclaim for her alluring portrayal of a streetwise prostitute. She solidified her status as an international star with her iconic role as a menacing nanny in the blockbuster The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). Her filmography also features notable films like Runaway Train (1985) with Jon Voight, The Trip to Bountiful (1985) alongside Geraldine Page, and Backdraft (1991) with Kurt Russell.

In addition to her film work, Rebecca has made significant contributions to television, including her powerful performance as Arlie in Getting Out (1994), based on Marsha Norman's play, and her role as the tragic lead in Dominick Dunne's An Inconvenient Woman (1991) with Jason Robards. She appeared in the 1997 remake of Stephen King’s The Shining, a memorable multi-episode arc on ER (1994) about a cancer survivor, and Hallmark Hall of Fame's Night Ride Home (1999) alongside Ellen Burstyn. Her stage credits encompass performances as Billie Dawn in "Born Yesterday" (1988) at the Pasadena Playhouse, Charlotte Corday in "Marat/Sade" (1990) at the Williamstown Festival, and Anna in "Closer" (2000) at the Mark Taper Forum.

Marking her directorial debut, Rebecca helmed a segment of Showtime's The Outer Limits (1995), featuring John Savage and Frank Whaley. She was previously married to producer and screenwriter Bruce Wagner and is the mother of two daughters, Sophia DeMornay-O'Neal and Veronica De Mornay-O'Neal, both of whom share the same father, sportscaster Patrick O'Neal, who is eight years younger than her.