Biography for
Jill Schoelen More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Mini Biography

A more unconventional husky-voiced "scream queen" heroine of the 1980s was Jill Schoelen, daughter of well-known fashion designer Dorothy Schoelen. Born and raised in Burbank, she studied at the Acting for Life Theatre in Burbank and started off on TV as a teen in the Fame-influenced TV pilot called Best of Times (1981) (TV) starring the up-and-coming Nicolas Cage and Crispin Glover. She gained in experience with a number of innocuous films geared mostly toward the young, including D.C. Cab (1983), Thunder Alley (1985) and Hot Moves (1984). The dark-eyed, black-haired pretty with the trademark bangs wouldn't find her horror niche until hooking up with Wes Craven and his TV movie Chiller (1985) (TV). From there she scored big with the cult shocker The Stepfather (1987) wherein she played the resourceful stepdaughter terrorized by the lecherous, meek-appearing Terry O'Quinn as the title monster.

The sleeper hit put Jill on the map with a seemingly solid future, continuing on with The Phantom of the Opera (1989), this time keeping company opposite Freddy Krueger inhabiter Robert Englund as her deranged pursuer. But a few bumps in the road with such lowgrade fodder as Curse II: The Bite (1989), Cutting Class (1989) and Popcorn (1991) put a permanent damper on her career, despite coming back with a bit of grit in the thriller TV movie When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) (TV). Her object-of-a-stalker days behind her after filming Not Again! (1996), she settled comfortably back and raised two children with husband/musician/composer Anthony Marinelli.

Spouse

Trivia

Dated Brad Pitt briefly after starring with him in Cutting Class (1989).

Dated Keanu Reeves, after working with him in Babes in Toyland (1986) (TV).

She was engaged to actor Brad Pitt for three months, before she broke off the engagement in Budapest. [1989]

Has a son and a daughter with her ex-husband, Anthony Marinelli.

Personal Quotes

"I happen to love certain kinds of horror. I just don't like cheap horror, made for the sake of slashing people up."

"I had some problems when I was a child. They were temporary but, for a child, even a few months can be a very long time. I learned to enjoy being alone and lose myself in make-believe--acting. It was healing for me as a seven-year-old. It still is."

Men have their ideas of what sexy is. They want tight clothes and big pouffy hair. They don't necessarily see sexy as just getting out of the shower and throwing on a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and tennies, while I do.

Where Are They Now

(December 2001) Lives in Encino, California with her husband Anthony Marinelli and two young children.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z