Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (/ˈfaɪfər/; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. Known for pursuing eclectic roles from an expansive range of film genres, she has consistently received critical acclaim for her versatile performances, and is noted as one of the most prolific actresses of the 1980s and 1990s. Throughout her extensive career spanning over four decades, she has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and one Primetime Emmy Award.
Pfeiffer began her career in 1978 with minor television roles before attaining her first leading role in Grease 2 (1982). Dismayed at being typecast in nondescript roles as attractive women, she actively sought more serious material until earning her breakout role as gangster moll Elvira Hancock in Scarface (1983). She achieved further success with roles in The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and Married to the Mob (1988), for which she was nominated for her first of six consecutive Golden Globe Award. Her performances in Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) earned her two consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Leading Role, respectively, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for portraying lounge singer Susie Diamond in the latter. Continuing to establish herself as a leading lady with high-profile roles in The Russia House (1990) and Frankie and Johnny (1991), Pfeiffer eventually became one of the decade's highest-paid actresses.
In 1992, Pfeiffer starred in Batman Returns as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, one of the most admired portrayals of the comic book character, while receiving her third Academy Award nomination for her performance in Love Field. She continued to earn praise for performances in The Age of Innocence (1993), Wolf (1994), What Lies Beneath (2000) and White Oleander (2002), while producing and starring in several successful films under her production company Via Rosa Productions, including Dangerous Minds (1995) and One Fine Day (1996). In 2007, Pfeiffer returned from a five-year hiatus with acclaimed roles in the summer blockbusters Hairspray and Stardust. In 2017, following another hiatus, she earned rave reviews for her performance in Where Is Kyra? before returning to prominence with supporting roles in Mother! and Murder on the Orient Express, while receiving her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for portraying Ruth Madoff in The Wizard of Lies. She also ventured into blockbuster franchises, debuting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Janet van Dyne / Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) before earning her eighth Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in French Exit (2020).
Awarded a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Pfeiffer has remained one of Hollywood's most bankable actresses for four decades. Labeled a sex symbol, she has been cited among the world's most beautiful women by several publications, with her physical appearance being heavily discussed in the media since the beginning of her career. Notoriously private about her personal life, she has been married twice: to actor and director Peter Horton from 1981 to 1988, and television writer and producer David E. Kelley since 1993.