| |||||||||
Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy (born June 13, 1962 in New York City), is an American screen and stage actor, possibly best known for her roles in the "Brat Pack" films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.
At six years old, Ally Sheedy started dancing with the American Ballet Theatre, and at age 12 wrote a story, She Was Nice to Mice, that was published by McGraw-Hill and became a bestseller (ISBN 0440478448). Then, in her teens she began acting in local productions.
After appearing in several straight-to-television films in 1981, Ally Sheedy made her cinema debut in Bad Boys (1983), starring Sean Penn. The 1980s were her golden period with roles also in WarGames and Short Circuit, as well as a character in three episodes of the television series Hill Street Blues in 1983.
In the 1990s Ally Sheedy was treated for sleeping pill addiction, which she drew on for her role as a drug-addicted photographer in the film High Art. She has also battled with Bulimia nervosa, spawned by pressure to stay thin when she performed ballet as a child.
She is married to actor David Lansbury and they have a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1994.