Jun 13, 1962

New York, New York, USA

While at New York's Bank Street School, 12-year-old Ally Sheedy wrote about
a mythical encounter between Queen Elizabeth I and an inquisitive mouse. The
result, "She Was Nice to Mice", was published by McGraw-Hill and became an
instant best seller. Although it proved a springboard to an acting career,
Sheedy's strongest memories of childhood remain those of "dancing and doing
plays". From six until fourteen, she danced with the American Ballet
Theatre, and during summers at Fire Island she... ... (read more...) 'd "get a bunch of kids
together and stage shows on back lawns and porches". When she discovered
that to stay with dancing meant staying with starvation diets, she shifted
her focus to acting for good. Meanwhile, her book brought her requests from
several publications. The Village Voice asked her to review movies and the
New York Times wanted her to review children's books. The assignment she
accepted was from Ms. Magazine, which requested an article about her mother
and herself. It was an appearance on ""The Mike Douglas Show" (1961) to
promote her book, however, that brought Sheedy work as a performer. Signed
by an agent who caught the show, she was sent out on television commercials
immediately. Only 15 at the time, she also performed off Broadway and on a
series of after-school specials. The day she turned 18, Sheedy packed her
bags and headed for Los Angeles, where she enrolled in the drama department
at USC, and soon landed roles in the television drama The Best Little Girl
in the World (1981) (TV), The Day the Loving Stopped (1981) (TV), Splendor
in the Grass (1981) (TV) and Homeroom (1981) (TV), and played a recurring
character on "Hill Street Blues" (1981). The strength of her performances
led directly to her film debut as Sean Penn's naive but knowing girlfriend,
"J.C.", in Bad Boys (1983). That same year (1983), she starred as Matthew
Broderick's zany partner in WarGames (1983). After starring as Rob Lowe's
would-be romantic interest in Oxford Blues (1984), the withdrawn adolescent
of The Breakfast Club (1985) and Gene Hackman's adoring daughter in Twice in
a Lifetime (1985), Sheedy played her first fully adult role in St. Elmo's
Fire (1985), the 1985 hit about college friends.