Rebecca De Mornay’s role in Risky Business helped launch her career in Hollywood. While her co-star, Tom Cruise, quickly became an international star, De Mornay’s journey took a different path.
One day, I came across an old black-and-white photo of a young woman standing next to Tom Cruise. At first, I mistook her for Heather Locklear, but it was Rebecca De Mornay. Her look, with the iconic 1980s style, instantly grabbed my attention.
De Mornay was born in 1959 in Santa Rosa, California. She grew up in an unconventional environment. Her father, Wally George, was a disc jockey and later a TV personality, and her mother, Julie George, aspired to be an actress. After her parents divorced when she was two, her mother remarried, but he passed away when Rebecca was just five.
After the loss, Rebecca and her family traveled across Europe, eventually settling in Austria. This nomadic lifestyle forced Rebecca to grow up quickly, and by the age of 18, she returned to the U.S. to pursue a career. Initially, she wanted to be a singer, but acting later caught her attention.
In 1980, De Mornay moved to Los Angeles to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute. Her big break came in 1983 with Risky Business, where she played Lana, a seductive call girl who teaches Tom Cruise’s character some life lessons. The film became a huge hit and marked the start of De Mornay’s career.
Though her momentum slowed after Risky Business, she remained active in Hollywood. Her next big success came in 1992 with The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, a psychological thriller that was both critically and commercially successful.
As the years passed, De Mornay shifted focus to her family. She married actor Patrick O’Neal, and they had two daughters. She made fewer films, choosing roles that allowed her to balance her career with motherhood.
Rebecca continues to act, with recent roles in Lucifer and Jessica Jones. Her latest project, Saint Clare, premiered at the 2024 Taormina Film Festival, showing that she is still dedicated to making films that matter to her.