Cynthia Rhodes

Cynthia Rhodes (born November 21, 1956) is a retired American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Penny in ''Dirty Dancing'' (1987) as well as Tina Tech in ''Flashdance'' (1983), Jackie in '' Staying Alive'' (1983), and officer Karen Thompson in '' Runaway'' (1984). She also appeared in music videos, sang in a band, and wrote songs.

Early life and education

Cynthia Rhodes was born on November 21, 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was raised in a Baptist family.

Career

Rhodes began her show business career working at Opryland USA during the 1970s.

She tried to maintain a clean-cut image in her acting roles and in the media, turning down scripts that required nudity and refusing offers to pose for pictorials in ''Playboy'' magazine. Sylvester Stallone, the director of ''Staying Alive'', stated that Rhodes "would sooner quit the business before doing anything to embarrass her parents."

Rhodes played a small role in the fantasy musical '' Xanadu'' (1980). In 1982 she appeared in a video production called "The Tubes Video" directed by Russell Mulcahy and choreographed by Kenny Ortega. This 52-minute long-form music video featured Rhodes as one of three backup dancers for the San Francisco-based rock band The Tubes and includes hits such as "Talk to You Later", "Sushi Girl", "Sports Fans" and "Mondo Bondage". Her next role was as Tina Tech in the musical film ''Flashdance''. After ''Flashdance'', Rhodes was cast opposite John Travolta in Sylvester Stallone's 1983 film '' Staying Alive'', a sequel to the 1977 hit film ''Saturday Night Fever''. Rhodes's character, Jackie, was an ensemble dancer, bar band singer, and sometime love interest of Travolta's character. While poorly reviewed, the film was commercially successful.

Rhodes garnered her first non-dance related role in Michael Crichton's 1984 science fiction thriller '' Runaway'' with Tom Selleck, Kirstie Alley and Gene Simmons. Her most notable role was as dance instructor Penny Johnson in the hit 1987 motion picture ''Dirty Dancing'' with Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. Rhodes's final motion picture role was the character of Vickie Phillips, playing opposite Jameson Parker, in the sleeper action-adventure movie ''Curse of the Crystal Eye''.

Rhodes also appeared as a dancer in a number of music videos, including " Rosanna" by the band Toto, "The Woman in You" by the Bee Gees, and " Don't Mean Nothing" by Richard Marx. She was a dancer for the glam rock band The Tubes when they toured in the early 1980s. Rhodes later joined the pop group Animotion, replacing their lead singer Astrid Plane, for the recording of their third album of original material. Though the group's single "Room to Move" (from the film '' My Stepmother Is an Alien'') rose to No. 9 on the Billboard charts, the album failed to match the group's earlier success, peaking at only No. 110 on the pop charts; shortly thereafter, the group disbanded.

In 2002, Rhodes co-wrote the smooth jazz track "Perfect Day" with then-husband Richard Marx for ''December'', trumpeter Chris Botti's holiday album.

Personal life

Rhodes was married to singer-songwriter Richard Marx. They met in 1983 while Marx was working on the motion picture soundtrack for '' Staying Alive''. Rhodes, who was seven years older than Marx, thought Marx was much too young for her to date at the time. Marx and Rhodes did not start their relationship until two years later, when they reacquainted at a party. After a four-year courtship, the couple married on January 8, 1989. After marrying Marx and giving birth to three boys, Rhodes retired from her performing career to raise her family. In an ''Us Weekly'' article dated April 4, 2014, Marx's representative confirmed that he and Rhodes were divorcing after 25 years of marriage.

Discography

with Animotion

* ''Animotion'' (1989)

Soundtrack appearances

* "Finding Out the Hard Way", "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up" with Frank Stallone (from ''Staying Alive'') (1983)
* " Room to Move" with Animotion (from ''My Stepmother Is an Alien'') (1988)

Music video appearances

* '' Rosanna'' (1982) - Toto
* '' Don't Mean Nothing'' (1988) - Richard Marx
* '' Christmas Spirit'' (2012) - Richard Marx

Filmography

References

External links

*
Cynthia Rhodes: Actress, Dancer, & Singer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Cynthia
1956 births
American women singers
American female dancers
Dancers from Tennessee
American film actresses
Living people
Actresses from Nashville, Tennessee
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American women