“I think of theater as what I like to do most. … I've only felt happy as an actress for about two years. I rarely watch my film work,” she admitted in 1988. The one-time teen idol kept busy personally ...

Cates got her big break at age 17 when she played teen queen Linda Barrett in the 1982 high school comedy Fast Times — a movie that would make her an ‘80s icon. Cates worked steadily throughout the ...