, . Phoebe Cates

I have to admit that Phoebe Cates’ role in the now classic cult hit Fast Times at Ridgemont High caught my eye like everyone other guy’s in the ‘80s, but it was Private School that I was trying to sneak into the theater to see. I can’t remember how I eventually did it, but that was the Phoebe Cates movie I wanted to see most in the early ‘80s. Cates wasn’t the biggest actress or the most popular of the ‘80s, but she carved out her own unique space in the decade. Although Cates landed a role in the Steven Spielberg produced hitGremlins and later a part in Bright Lights, Big City, which gave a new air of credibility as an actress, it was her persona as the hot teen girl guys wanted to see most in movies that furthered her career throughout the decade. It’s hard not to think of Cates and movies like Fast Times, Private School, Date with an Angeland Shag without thinking of fun, campy comedy and young sexual tension. In a lot of ways, Cates is the Debbie Rochon of campy teen comedies... and that’s pretty damn hot.