Kelly McGillis became a prominent on-screen presence in the ‘80s and ‘90s after starring alongside Tom Cruise in the blockbuster hit Top Gun. The talented actress would continue making a name for himself with critically-acclaimed roles in The Accused and The House on Carroll Street, and throughout her career, she would garner both a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nomination while being lauded for her compelling performances.
Despite seemingly being on top of the world and one of the entertainment industry’s most buzzed-about talents, McGillis stepped away from Hollywood and took a decade-long break from movie-making, instead shifting her focus to television projects. She made a highly-anticipated turn in the 2000s, appearing in a string of horror flicks that helped revitalize her career. Let’s check out some of Kelly McGillis’ best performances.
9 The Babe
Kelly McGillis starred alongside funnyman John Goodman in the 1992 biographical sports drama The Babe, which chronicles the life and career of the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth from his early days at an all-boys reformatory to a phenomenal MLB tenure spanning 22 spectacular seasons. McGillis appears as Claire Hodgson Ruth, the famous athlete's second wife who sticks by his side through his professional and personal ups and downs.
Despite Goodman's charming and intricate performance of "the Bambino" earning praise and its A- CinemaScore by audiences, The Babe failed to truly knock it out of the park, with many faulting the shaky screenplay for its lack of impact.
8 Reuben, Reuben
McGillis made her big-screen film debut when she starred opposite Tom Conti in the 1983 dramedyReuben, Reuben, portraying a brilliant and beautiful college student who catches the eye of a perpetually drunk, creatively frustrated Scottish poet as he attempts to find direction and fulfillment in his life. Largely based on the life of celebrated Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, the picture follows Gowan McGland as he engages in debauchery and chaos as he travels from campus to campus giving lectures in New England, ultimately crossing paths with the electrifying Geneva Spofford. Conti earned an Oscar nomination for his winning performance, and McGillis' impressive introduction was also singled out in the tragic comedy.
7 Stake Land
After stepping away from Hollywood for a self-imposed break for a decade, McGillis returned to movie-making when she appeared as a determined nun fighting against bloodsuckers in the 2010 post-apocalyptic horror flick Stake Land, with her character Sister battling it out alongside feared vampire hunter Mister (Nick Damici) and his young partner Martin (Connor Paolo).
She experiences a major dilemma with her faith but quickly realizes if she wants to survive she will have to embrace the violence and eliminate the deadly creatures threatening her and her new allies. Her role in Stake Land marked a string of horror-themed movies she would star in the next few years, with widespread success.
6 We Are What We Are
A remake of the chilling Mexican film of the same name, the 2013 horror movie We Are What We Are tells the spine-tingling story of the seemingly wholesome family the Parkers, who unbeknownst to outsiders live a disturbing existence in which they adhere to dangerous ancient religious customs. With the additional talents of Bill Sage, Julia Garner, and Ambyr Childers, the film features McGillis as Marge, the nosy neighbor of the cannibalistic clan who is able to provide some much-needed comedic relief despite the film's eerie premise and content.
We Are What We Are premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it received praise for its ominous atmosphere, chills and thrills, and riveting screenplay. In their review of the horror flick, the Observer UK wrote, "An ambitious (if somewhat uneven) slice of downbeat American gothic which interweaves grim melancholia with pointed satire, doomy portent and moments of gnawing revulsion."
5 The Innkeepers
Ti West wrote and directed the 2011 supernatural horror picture The Innkeepers, centering on the historic Yankee Pedlar Inn as it prepares to permanently close its doors, and follows its last two employees who set out to hunt for paranormal beings lurking within the building. Sara Paxton and Pat Healy star as the ghost-hunting enthusiasts, with McGillis appearing as a former actress-turned-medium who is one of the inn's last patrons and who warns the spirit-seeking duo that evil dwells within the walls.
The underrated horror gem further established West as a gifted storyteller and filmmaker and allowed McGillis to demonstrate her range as an actress by taking on the spooky genre. When discussing the project with Entertainment Weekly and what attracted her to the role, she stated, " I play this eccentric aging actress. What really interested me about the story is it has a message — whatever we fear, we create. I am a firm believer in that."
4 The House on Carroll Street
In Peter Yates' 1988 neo-noir drama The House on Carroll Street, Kelly McGillis stars as a photojournalist for Life magazine who refuses to give up the names of her colleagues to a House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951 and is subsequently blacklisted. After taking on a temporary job as a caregiver to an elderly woman (Jessica Tandy), she inadvertently becomes privy to a dangerous Nazi plot and turns to a street-smart FBI agent (Jeff Daniels) for help.
The riveting thriller failed to make a splash at the box office but was the subject of great acclaim, with Roger Ebert commending McGillis and stating, " This is a movie where casting is important, and it works primarily because McGillis, like Ingrid Bergman in Notorious, seems absolutely trustworthy. She becomes the island of trust and sanity in the midst of deceit and treachery. "
3 Witness
McGillis attracted widespread critical acclaim when she landed her breakthrough role as a young Amish woman and mother who witnesses a vicious murder in the 1985 neo-noir crime thriller Witness, sharing the screen with Harrison Ford in the gripping sleeper hit. Ford's character Detective Sergeant John Book arrives in Rachel Lapp's (McGillis) Amish community and goes undercover in order to catch the killer, providing protection for Rachel and her young son and becoming attracted to the woman in the process.
Witness was McGillis' most prominent role in her career up until that point, and helped establish her as a major acting force on the big screen; she went on to earn a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nomination for her star-making performance, and she would continue dominating the film industry with her next major project: the 1986 smash hit Top Gun.
2 The Accused
Kelly McGillis and Jodie Foster were the ultimate dream team when they headlined the intense 1988 legal drama The Accused, in which Foster phenomenally portrays young waitress Sarah who is savagely sexually assaulted by a group of men at a bar while fellow patrons stood by and watched. Based on the true story of Cheryl Araujo's disturbing and traumatic attack in 1983, the film features McGillis as the resolute district attorney who after initially granting the men responsible mild sentences, has a crisis of conscience and sets out to take down the violent offenders.
The Accused caused quite an uproar upon its premiere due to its controversial and graphic subject matter but nonetheless was lauded for its realistic depiction of sexual assault. McGillis was initially approached to star as Sarah but opted to play the lawyer instead due to her own personal experience with a brutal assault in 1982. The drama helped make Foster a household name and further showcased McGillis' bankability and superb acting prowess.
1 Top Gun
Undeniably Kelly McGillis' most memorable and iconic role in her illustrious career was as flight instructor Charlie Blackwood in the 1986 blockbuster hit Top Gun, appearing as Tom Cruise's love interest in the big screen extravaganza. With an additional star-studded cast including Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerritt, the action flick focuses on Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell as he fights to be the top fighter pilot at the prominent naval school.
McGillis skyrocketed to stardom with her fantastic performance, and the massive box office success of the film helped pave the way for a slew of memorable characters and distinguished projects. Though the actress did not reprise her role in 2022's groundbreaking sequel Top Gun: Maverick, she expressed her gratitude for the '80s classic and her time shooting the flick, saying, "There was definitely a big ensemble group camaraderie...We just had a good time. We all hung out and we would play tennis and basketball and it was just fun."
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