This ’80s icon has chosen her family over the Hollywood industry. At 60, she is a businesswoman with two grown-up children

By the mid-1980s, her visage had been on innumerable movie posters and magazine covers. However, at the height of her success, she pulled back from the spotlight.

At the age of 60, this former cinematic siren is embracing her new duties. Instead of attending extravagant parties every night, she finds enjoyment in preparing dinner for her family. Her life is no longer about movie revenues. It’s about the accomplishments of her two adult children and the thriving business she’s built.

The former starlet was born on July 16, 1963, in New York City. Her family had already worked in the entertainment sector before her birth. Her father was known as a television pioneer and Broadway producer.

She started attending Juilliard courses when she was 10 years old. Unfortunately, a knee ailment forced her to stop three and a half years later. She persevered and, at the age of fourteen, entered the modeling industry.

She rose to prominence as a model in subsequent years. She has been on four Seventeen Magazine covers, two Elle covers, and a British Vogue cover, among many other publications.

Her modeling career was on track until she met a film agency at a party in New York. She started studying with Robert Ravan, the creator of The Actors’ Circle in New York, and Alice Spivak from H.B. Studios.

At first, the model was apprehensive about making an abrupt career change.  However, with her father’s support, she jumped and accepted the challenge.

Her role in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” established her as a pop cultural phenomenon. She had a moment in a bright red bikini that people, including Jennifer Aniston, are still channeling to this day.

A-list actors and actresses gathered for “Dane Cook Presents Feelin’ A-Live: Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” where they practically recreated the legendary 1982 film. Aniston portrayed Linda Barrett, a role Cates had played.

At the virtual table read, Aniston removed her denim jacket, revealing a tank top and a red bikini underneath, which was nearly identical to the bikini top Cates wore in the movie.

A year later, Cates met Kevin Kline while auditioning for a role in “The Big Chill.” While she didn’t land the role, she did find a companion in Kline.

Their relationship didn’t become serious until two years later, when they reconnected at the New York Public Theater. Kline reportedly approached Cates’ former assistant to arrange a date with her.

Even then, their compatibility appeared uncertain. She was a typical New Yorker—bold, adventurous, and fun. She dropped out of high school to model and act, and she is the daughter of a Broadway producer.

Meanwhile, Kline was a Tony Award-winning actor from Juilliard who enjoyed more serious things in life, such as Shakespeare. “She’s too happy to be with me,” Kline said.

He worried what they would ever speak about because Cates was so excited, and he was much more serious. Finally, they found something to chat about.

In 1989, Kline and Cates tied the knot and have remained together ever since. For the first several years of their marriage, she continued to perform, appearing in the successful comic fantasy film “Drop Dead Fred.” However, after having children, things changed.

Kline is 16 years Cates’ senior, but it hasn’t prevented them from enjoying a healthy, happy relationship. In reality, they found a lot to speak about and shared many interests.

In 1991, Cates gave birth to their first child, Owen Joseph. Their daughter Greta Simone was born three years later, in 1994.

After their children were born, Cates decided to take a break from performing to focus on raising her new family. She and Kline agreed that they would never work at the same time so that one parent could always be at home with their children.

Ultimately, Cates decided to stay with their children. She only made one exception in 2001, when her “Fast Times” co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh invited her to appear in “The Anniversary Party.”

Even so, Cates brought along the entire family. Owen and Greta featured alongside Cates and Kline in the picture, which Leigh co-wrote and directed.

Despite spending decades together, Cates and Kline did not have the most traditional start to their relationship. In fact, the actress told her spouse that before they met, she assumed he was gay.

Kline explained, “Before I met Phoebe, she’d seen me in ‘Sophie’s Choice.’ And when we initially started dating, she replied, ‘You know, I thought you were homosexual.'”

He questioned why, to which she replied that it was because he was a stage performer and always seemed tidy. “And you really used your hands a lot in that movie,” she told me.

After more than thirty years of marriage, Cates has no regrets about choosing the quiet life over Hollywood. While she concedes that her decision will not appeal to everyone, she is pleased with it.

Cates also stated that she has never employed any domestic assistance, with the exception of a housekeeper who comes in to clean their home on a regular basis. Aside from that, Cates takes kitchen chores seriously and prepares dinner for her family every night.

The Kline family’s bright offspring have demonstrated that apples do not fall far from the tree. Owen is an actor/director, and Greta is a musician.

Owen has worked on several films throughout the years, including “The Squid and the Whale” and “Funny Pages.” Meanwhile, Greta has been working on “The Squid and the Whale” and “The Surface.”

Greta, also known by her stage name Frankie Combos, has written songs for the soundtracks of “Hilda” and “Animals.”

After quietly leaving Hollywood, Cates kept a low profile throughout the years. Her family remains based in Manhattan, where Kline works.

Cates opened the “Blue Tree” store in 2005 to keep herself occupied and her enthusiasm flowing. It is a general store that sells whatever she considers part of her style.

The business, which began on Carnegie Hill, is known across the world for its unique women’s clothes and jewelry collections. The store also sells gifts such as homeware, music, scent, and gourmet. Customers from all around the world may now shop at their online store.

To keep up with the times, Cates connects with her clientele via Instagram. Her audience has highly welcomed the entertaining and engaging videos she creates to promote her products.

In one rare Instagram video, Cates modeled a few ensembles herself. She transitions from a casual ensemble consisting of a striped shirt, an oversized cardigan, and black slacks to a completely different ensemble consisting of clothing from the most recent Blue Tree collection.

The film aims to highlight their recently renovated retail space. In the first picture, Cates stood inside a vacant store space undergoing renovation, while in the second, she was at her newly opened Blue Tree boutique.

On occasion, she asks her daughter Greta to pose for the brand. Greta wore a bright blue cardigan in a recent shot, which received a lot of attention on the internet.

Phoebe Cates periodically returns to her Hollywood origins by attending red carpet premieres. She also likes watching the NBA with her husband and has done so for many years, rooting for the New York Knicks.

When asked how they have maintained their marriage over the years, Kline responded that they have always prioritized it. Long-term separation is avoided and taken care of.