Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Brooke Shields

How Brooke Shields built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Brooke Shields is an American actress and current president of the Actors' Equity Association. Beginning her career as a child model at 11 months old, she gained significant attention for her controversial role in the film Pretty Baby (1978), which featured nude scenes shot when she was 11. Shields continued modeling and starred in dramas like The Blue Lagoon (1980) and Endless Love (1981) during her late teens.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1978: Release of Pretty Baby film

In 1978, the film Pretty Baby was released, in which Brooke Shields, as a child actor, was filmed nude and in sexual situations.

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July 2001: Broadway revival of Cabaret

In July 2001, Brooke Shields began portraying Sally Bowles in the long-running Broadway revival of Cabaret for four months.

2003: Revival of Wonderful Town in 2003

The 2003 revival of Wonderful Town began, and in September 2004, Brooke Shields replaced Donna Murphy in the role of Ruth Sherwood.

September 2004: Revival of Wonderful Town

In September 2004, Brooke Shields replaced Donna Murphy in the role of Ruth Sherwood in the 2003 revival of Wonderful Town, where her performance was widely praised.

2004: Recurring role on That '70s Show

In 2004, Brooke Shields made several guest appearances on That '70s Show as Pam Burkhart. Her character was written out of That '70s Show when her storyline concluded.

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2004: Hannah Montana character death

In 2004, Brooke Shields' character on Hannah Montana, Susan Stewart, passed away.

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April 2005: Performance in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre

In April 2005, Brooke Shields played Roxie Hart in a long-running production of Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End.

2005: Guest appearance on Entourage

In 2005, Brooke Shields appeared in the second-season episode of HBO's Entourage, titled "Blue Balls Lagoon."

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2006: Publication of Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression

In 2006, Brooke Shields penned the memoir Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression, detailing her experiences with the condition.

2007: Guest appearance on Hannah Montana

In 2007, Brooke Shields made a guest appearance on Disney's Hannah Montana, playing Susan Stewart, Miley Stewart's mother.

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2008: Starring in Lipstick Jungle

In 2008, Brooke Shields returned to prime time television in the drama Lipstick Jungle, which concluded a year later.

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2010: Guest appearances on The Middle and Who Do You Think You Are?

Starting in 2010, Brooke Shields made guest appearances on The Middle and appeared in NBC's genealogy documentary reality series, Who Do You Think You Are?, where her ancestry was traced back to French royalty.

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June 28, 2011: Role in The Addams Family on Broadway

On June 28, 2011, Brooke Shields took over the role of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family musical on Broadway.

2013: Guest Co-Host on Today and role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

In 2013, Brooke Shields began occasional guest co-hosting the 9:00 hour of Today on NBC, and she also recurred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Sheila Porter.

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2015: Publication of There Was a Little Girl

In 2015, Brooke Shields published There Was a Little Girl, a book about her relationship with her mother and her struggle with alcoholism.

There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me

Check it on Amazon

2022: Launch of Now What? Podcast

In 2022, Brooke Shields launched a podcast called Now What?, focusing on how people respond to adversity.

January 2023: Inspiration for Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields documentary

The film Pretty Baby inspired the January 2023 documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.

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March 2023: Vogue profile of Brooke Shields

In March 2023, Vogue published a profile of Brooke Shields.

April 2023: Release of Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields documentary on Hulu

In April 2023, the two-part documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, directed by Lana Wilson, was released on Hulu, exploring Brooke Shields' transformation from a young actress to a woman discovering her power.

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