Molly Ringwald
Acting • Born 1968-02-18
Biography
Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an orphan in a stage production of the musical Annie. She and several other members of the original Facts of Life cast were let go when the show was reworked by the network. She subsequently made her motion-picture debut as Miranda in the independent film Tempest (1982), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. Ringwald is primarily known for her collaborations with filmmaker John Hughes. She established herself as a teen icon after appearing in the successful Hughes films Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986). She later starred in The Pick-up Artist (1987), Fresh Horses (1988), and For Keeps (1988). She starred in many films in the 1990s, most notably Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story (1992), The Stand (1994), and Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade (1994 short film – precursor to Sling Blade). Ringwald had regular roles on the television series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008 - 2013) as Anne Juergens, Riverdale(2017 - 2023) as Mary Andrews, and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024) as Joanne Carson. She is also recognized by younger audiences for her role as Sara Flynn in The Kissing Booth movies. Ringwald was part of the "Brat Pack", and she was ranked number one on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Filmography
108 credits
The Breakfast Club
Movie • 1985
Claire Standish
Cut
Movie • 2000
Vanessa Turnbill / Chloe
Teaching Mrs. Tingle
Movie • 1999
Miss Banks
Pretty in Pink
Movie • 1986
Andie Walsh
Not Another Teen Movie
Movie • 2001
Flight Attendant
For Keeps
Movie • 1988
Darcy Elliot Bobrucz
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
Movie • 1983
Nikki
Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade
Movie • 1994
Teresa Tatum
Pursued
Movie • 2023
Carol
Sixteen Candles
Movie • 1984
Samantha Baker
Fresh Horses
Movie • 1988
Jewel
The Wives He Forgot
Movie • 2006
Charlotte Saint John
Bad Things
Movie • 2023
Miss Auerbach
Titey
Movie • 1998
Anne Frank (voice)
Judy Blume Forever
Movie • 2023
Self
The Pick-up Artist
Movie • 1987
Randy Jensen
Tempest
Movie • 1982
Miranda
Office Killer
Movie • 1997
Kim Poole
Betsy's Wedding
Movie • 1990
Betsy Hopper
King Lear
Movie • 1988
Cordelia
Malicious
Movie • 1995
Melissa Nelson
Cowboy Up
Movie • 2002
Connie
Enfants de salaud
Movie • 1996
Susan
Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story
Movie • 1992
Alison Gertz
Strike It Rich
Movie • 1990
Cary
More Business of Being Born
Movie • 2011
Self [Part 3]
In the Weeds
Movie • 2000
Chloe
Face the Music
Movie • 1993
Lisa Hunter
P.K. and the Kid
Movie • 1987
P.K. Bayette
Catherine & Michael
Movie • 2023
Naomi
Jem and the Holograms
Movie • 2015
Aunt Bailey
Me
Movie • 2014
Pepper Folly
Baja
Movie • 1996
Bebe Stone
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Movie • 2014
Self - Actress
Wishin' and Hopin'
Movie • 2014
Madame Frechette
Women and Men: Stories of Seduction
Movie • 1990
Kit
Columbarium
Movie
Packin' It In
Movie • 1983
Melissa Webber
Surviving
Movie • 1985
Lonnie
Bad Night
Movie • 2015
The Collector
Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front
Movie • 2006
Helen McIntire
King Cobra
Movie • 2016
Amy
BRATS
Movie • 2024
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Requiem for Murder
Movie • 1999
Anne Winslow
Montauk
Movie • 2025
Wolcott
The Kissing Booth
Movie • 2018
Mrs. Flynn
All These Small Moments
Movie • 2019
Carla Sheffield
Seven Sundays
Movie • 1995
Janet Gifford
SPF-18
Movie • 2017
Linda Sanders
Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes All-Star 50th Anniversary
Movie • 1986
Self
Always at The Carlyle
Movie • 2018
Self
Siberia
Movie • 2018
Gabby
Since You've Been Gone
Movie • 1998
Claire the Fan
Kimberly
Movie • 1999
Nancy
The Big Time
Movie • 2002
Marion Powers
The Giving Tree
Movie • 2000
Penelope
The Kissing Booth 2
Movie • 2020
Mrs. Flynn
The Kissing Booth 3
Movie • 2021
Mrs. Flynn
Johnny Appleseed
Movie • 1986
Jenny Smith
Twice Upon a Time
Movie • 1998
Beth Sager
A Brief History of Us
Movie • 2022
Narrator (voice)
Life After Tomorrow
Movie • 2006
Self (archive footage)
In the Darkness of Time
Movie • 2002
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Sincerely Yours
Movie • 2008
Claire Standish (archive footage) (uncredited)
Run Amok
Movie • 2026
Aunt Val
Wax On, Fuck Off
Movie • 2010
Self
One Night Only
Movie • 2026
Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible
Movie • 2025
Self
The New Yorker at 100
Movie • 2025
Self
Everybody Wants to Be Gen X
Movie • 2025
Self
Medium
TV • 2005
Kathleen Walsh
The Tony Danza Show
TV • 2004
Self - Guest
The $treet
TV • 2000
Devyn Alden
Diff'rent Strokes
TV • 1978
Molly Parker
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
TV • 2008
Anne Juergens
Creepshow
TV • 2019
Mrs. Porter (segment "Sibling Rivalry")
The Stand
TV • 1994
Frannie Goldsmith
Townies
TV • 1996
Carrie Donovan
The Outer Limits
TV • 1995
Allison Channing
Single Drunk Female
TV • 2022
Alice
The View
TV • 1997
Self - Guest
Psych
TV • 2006
McElroy
Riverdale
TV • 2017
Mary Andrews
Drop the Mic
TV • 2017
Self
Who Do You Think You Are?
TV • 2010
Self
Doc McStuffins
TV • 2012
Darla (voice)
Remember WENN
TV • 1996
Angela Colton
HouseBroken
TV • 2021
Milly (voice)
Raising Expectations
TV • 2016
Paige Wayney
Odd Mom Out
TV • 2015
Joy Greene
The Bear
TV • 2022
Moderator
Intimate Portrait
TV • 1993
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV • 1993
Self - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
TV • 2014
Self - Guest
FEUD
TV • 2017
Joanne Carson
Tales of the City
TV • 2019
Claire's Mother
DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
TV • 2022
Shari Dahmer
Rachael Ray
TV • 2006
Tall Tales & Legends
TV • 1985
Jenny Smith
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
Saturday TV Funhouse
TV
Anne Frank (voice)
The Facts of Life
TV • 1979
Molly Parker
The Megan Mullally Show
TV • 2006
Self - Guest
Rainbow Brite
TV • 2014
Dark Princess
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self - Guest
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self (voice)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self