Biography of Phoebe Cates (a.k.a.: Phoebe Belle Cates)

Phoebe Belle Cates (born July 16, 1963) is an American film actress, singer and model known primarily for her roles in 1980s films, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High. She is also known as Phoebe Belle Cates.

Cates was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City, to a family of television and Broadway production insiders. She is the daughter of Lily and Joseph Cates (originally Joseph Katz), who was a major Broadway producer and a pioneering figure in television, and who helped create The $64,000 Question. Her uncle, Gilbert Cates, produced numerous television specials, often in partnership with Cates's father, as well as several annual Academy Awards shows. Both her father and maternal grandmother were of Russian-Jewish descent, whereas her maternal grandfather was Chinese-Filipino. Cates's mother was born in Shanghai, China.

Cates attended the Professional Children's School, and the Juilliard School. At the age of ten, Cates started modeling, appearing in Seventeen and other teen-oriented magazines. A few years later, she wanted to become a dancer. Eventually, she received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet, but quit after a knee injury at age 14. Next, she began a short, successful career as a model. Cates said that she disliked the industry: "It was just the same thing, over and over. After a while, I did it solely for the money."