Rebecca De Mornay (born August 29, 1959) is an American actress who has appeared in more than 60 films and television shows. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she starred in Risky Business. De Mornay is also known for her roles in The Slugger's Wife (1985), Runaway Train (1985), The Trip to Bountiful (1985), Backdraft (1991), and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992).
De Mornay's other major film credits include The Three Musketeers (1993), Never Talk to Strangers (1995), Identity (2003), Lords of Dogtown, Wedding Crashers (both 2005), and Mother's Day (2010). On television, she starred as Wendy Torrance in the miniseries adaptation of The Shining (1997), and as Dorothy Walker in Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015–19).
Early life De Mornay was born Rebecca Jane Pearch in Santa Rosa, California, the daughter of Julie and Wally George (né George Walter Pearch), a disc jockey and later television host. Her paternal grandmother was vaudeville performer and child film actress Eugenia Clinchard.
Her parents divorced in 1960, and she took the surname of her stepfather, Richard De Mornay, after her mother married him in 1961. She spent her early years in Pasadena, California, until her stepfather died of a stroke on March 2, 1962, aged 48. After his death, De Mornay and her half-brother Peter were raised by her mother, who relocated the family to Europe, where they lived in several different locations. She attended the independent Summerhill School in Leiston, Suffolk, England before completing her studies at a private high school in Germany.
Career
By the time she was 16, De Mornay had an agent who was selling her songs to German rock & roll musicians, and she had written the theme song for a kung fu movie called Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death (1975). In 1980, De Mornay returned to the United States and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Institute to study acting. She made her film debut with a small part in Francis Ford Coppola's 1981 film One from the Heart, which starred her real-life partner at the time, Harry Dean Stanton. Her star-making role came two years later in Risky Business (1983), as a call girl who seduces a high-school student played by Tom Cruise. In 1985, she played the title role in The Slugger's Wife opposite Michael O'Keefe, and co-starred in The Trip to Bountiful and Runaway Train, both of which were nominated for several Academy Awards. That same year, she appeared with Starship's Mickey Thomas in the music video for the song "Sara". The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1986.
She also appeared in Roger Vadim's provocative 1988 remake of And God Created Woman, and as the wife of Kurt Russell's character in Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991). In 1990, she enacted the role of a USAF Captain pilot in HBO's successful Cold War film By Dawn's Early Light. One of De Mornay's most commercially successful films was the thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, released in 1992. She starred as a defense lawyer in Sidney Lumet's murder drama Guilty as Sin (1993) with Don Johnson. Then she appeared in the 1995 drama film Never Talk to Strangers opposite Antonio Banderas, for which she was also the executive producer.
In 2003, she guest-starred as primary antagonist in the first two episodes of season 2 of Boomtown. In 2004, she guest-starred as attorney Hannah Rose for the last few episodes of The Practice and the following year, had a brief role alongside Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers. De Mornay also starred in the 2007 drama American Venus.
In June 2007, she appeared in the HBO series John from Cincinnati with a starring role as matriarch of a troubled Imperial Beach, California, surfing family and the grandmother/guardian of a teen surfer on the brink of greatness. She appeared in Darren Lynn Bousman's Mother's Day (2010).
In 2012, De Mornay played the role of Finch's mom in the movie American Reunion where she portrayed an attractive older woman and a love interest of Stifler. From 2015 to 2019, she appeared in Jessica Jones as Trish Walker's abusive mother.
Personal life De Mornay dated actor Harry Dean Stanton in the early 1980s. They met in 1981 on the set of One from the Heart and dated until De Mornay and Tom Cruise began an affair while filming Risky Business in 1982. De Mornay and Cruise parted in 1985.
De Mornay married writer Bruce Wagner on December 16, 1986; they divorced in 1990.
De Mornay subsequently dated and was briefly engaged to singer Leonard Cohen. She co-produced Cohen's 1992 album The Future, which is also dedicated to her.
De Mornay was in a relationship with actor turned sportscaster Patrick O'Neal. They have two daughters together.
Filmography Film +Rebecca De Mornay film work Year Title RoleNotes 1982One from the Heart Understudy Credited as Rebecca de Mornay 1983 Risky Business Lana Testament Cathy Pitkin 1985 The Slugger's Wife Debby Palmer Runaway Train Sara The Trip to Bountiful Thelma 1987 Beauty and the BeastBeauty 1988 Feds Elizabeth "Ellie" DeWitt And God Created Woman Robin Shea Moran 1989 Dealers Anna Schuman 1990 By Dawn's Early Light Captain Moreau, USAF 1991 Backdraft Helen McCaffrey 1992 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Mrs. Mott / Peyton Flanders MTV Movie Award for Best Villain 1993 Guilty as Sin Jennifer Haines The Three Musketeers Milady de Winter 1995 Never Talk to StrangersDr. Sarah Taylor Executive producer 1996The Winner Louise Credited as Rebecca DeMornay 1999 Thick as Thieves Det. Louise Petrone 1999 A Table for One Ruth Draper 2000 The Right Temptation Derian McCall 2003 Identity Caroline Suzanne Credited as Rebecca DeMornay 2004 Raise Your Voice Aunt Nina 2005 Lords of Dogtown Philaine Wedding Crashers Mrs. Kroeger 2007 American Venus Celia Lane Music Within Mrs. Pimental 2010 Flipped Patsy Loski Mother's Day Natalie "Mother" Koffin 2011 A Fonder Heart Dr. Bach Apartment 1303 3D Maddie Slate 2012 American Reunion Rachel Finch 2015 Collar Mayor Ramona 'Nomi' Billingsley 2016 I Am Wrath Vivian Hill 2018 Periphery Vi Warner 2020 She Ball Aggie 2024 Peter Five Eight Brenda Saint Clare Gigi Newberry 2026 The Gentleman Thief Odessa
Television +Rebecca De Mornay television work Year Title RoleNotes 1986 Tall Tales & Legends Slew Foot Sue Episode: "Pecos Bill" The Murders in the Rue Morgue Claire Dupin Television film 1990 By Dawn's Early Light Captain Moreau Television film 1991 Flo March Television film 1993 Blind Side Linda Kaines Television film 1994 Getting Out Arlene Holsclaw Television film 1995 Woman Episode: "The Conversion". Also directed the episode. 1997 Wendy Torrance Miniseries 1998 The Con Barbara Beaton / Nancy Thoroughgood Television film 1999 Night Ride Home Nora Mahler Television film ER Elaine Nichols 5 episodes 2000 Range of Motion Lainey Berman Television film 2001 Kim McCormack Television film 2002 Salem Witch Trials Elizabeth Parris Television film 2003 No Place Like Home Liz Television pilot Boomtown Sabrina Fithian / Jill Foster 2 episodes 2004 Hannah Rose 4 episodes 2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tessa McKellen Episode: "Manipulated" 2007 John from Cincinnati Cissy Yost 5 episodes 2013 Hatfields & McCoys Mary Hatfield Unaired pilot Hawaii Five-0 Barbara Cotchin Episode: "A ia la aku" 2015–2019 Jessica Jones Dorothy Walker 13 episodes 2016, 2021 Lucifer Penelope Decker 3 episodes 2024–2025 NCIS Carla Marino 2 episodes
Music videos +Rebecca De Mornay music video work Year Artist Song Role 1985 Starship"Sara"Sara
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