Rebecca De Mornay: What the Blonde Bombshell From 'Risky Business' Has Been Up to in Recent Years

While Risky Business will forever be known as the film that introduced Tom Cruise to the world, the edgy 1983 comedy also launched the career of another charismatic star. In her first big role, Rebecca De Mornay played a gorgeous, savvy sex worker who becomes Cruise's love interest. The chemistry between the two young actors helped make the film's decidedly far-fetched plot engaging and fun to watch, and it remains an '80s classic over 40 years later. 

Cruise, of course, went on to become a household name. While De Mornay had a number of high-profile roles after Risky Business, she never quite reached the same level as Cruise, but her life and career are fascinating all the same. Here's a look at what she's been up to.

How Rebecca De Mornay became an '80s star

Rebecca De Mornay has a natural screen presence, but she originally wanted to be a musician rather than an actress, and began writing songs as a teenager. She fell into acting by chance: One day, she walked by the Lee Strasberg Institute, and decided on a whim to audition for the prestigious acting school. She got in, and her career kicked off shortly thereafter.

She had just one bit part (in the 1981 film One From the Heart) to her name when she landed Risky Business, beating out 400 women for the juicy role (it had originally been turned down by Michelle Pfeiffer, who reportedly regretted her decision). De Mornay felt a deep kinship with her character, telling The Wrap, "I understood the part of Lana so well. I’ve lived by myself as a young, young, 19-year-old in London, fending for myself. [I’ve] gone through a lot in my life in terms of upheaval and family stuff, and suddenly there was a part that just fit me like a glove, that I knew."

The role of a call girl could have easily been cliche, but De Mornay was intent on bringing nuance to her performance, saying, "I wanted to maintain her dignity, regardless if she’s having sex for money. She maintained some source of integrity and soul. I wanted to present the underdog who was reduced to having to be a prostitute, exploited in our capitalist system, trying to get by as best she could without the cushion of having a family of money and connections." This thoughtful approach has helped to keep the movie fresh all these years later.

De Mornay knew the movie would be a success, and she and Tom Cruise quickly became celebrities. On top of that, the two actors were dating when the film came out, and garnered much media attention. They stayed together for two years. De Mornay also had noteworthy relationships with veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton and the legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

After Risky Business

After Risky Business, De Mornay acted in the historical drama The Trip to Bountiful and the action movie Runaway Train in 1985. She then played Beauty in a 1987 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. The actress was considered one of the sex symbols of the era, and starred in a role originated by an earlier blonde bombshell, Brigitte Bardot, in the 1988 remake of And God Created Woman.

As the '90s came around, De Mornay appeared in the 1991 action blockbuster Backdraft and starred as a devious widow seeking revenge on a woman who accused her late husband of sexual misconduct in the hit 1992 thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. She then appeared as the female lead in the 1993 adaptation of The Three Musketeers.

In 1997, she played the Shelley Duvall role in the TV miniseries version of The Shining, and in the '00s and beyond, she had other recurring TV roles on shows like The Practice, John From Cincinnati, Jessica Jones and Lucifer. Her notable films of that era include Identity (2003), Raise Your Voice (2004), Lords of Dogtown (2005) and Wedding Crashers (2005).

What Rebecca De Mornay has been up to lately

Like many actresses, Rebecca De Mornay felt that her career slowed down as she aged, but she's still been working steadily, and most recently had roles in two 2024 films, Peter Five Eight and Saint Clare.

Reflecting on her level of fame compared to Cruise in The Wrap, she said, "I was a more complicated, mysterious presence, innately than Tom," and revealed that she's taken all the highs and lows of her long career with grace. As she put it, "I learned that early on we can’t design our careers. We can take the best of what’s offered and hopefully not make too many mistakes along the way."

We hope to see De Mornay play more strong and glamorous women in the future, and will forever appreciate the self-assuredness and '80s-girl cool she brought to her signature role in Risky Business.