| Jill Schoelen | |
| Birth Date: | 21 March 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress, musician |
| Yearsactive: | 1978–present |
| Children: | 2 |
Jill Marie Schoelen (born March 21, 1963) is an American actress.[1] She is best known for Chiller (1985), The Stepfather (1987), Cutting Class (1989), The Phantom of the Opera (1989), Popcorn (1991), Rich Girl (1991), and When a Stranger Calls Back (1993). For her numerous horror film appearances, she is widely regarded as a scream queen.
Schoelen’s theatrical debut was in the 1981 TV pilot The Best of Times, which starred Crispin Glover and Nicolas Cage. Schoelen went on to star in such movies as D.C. Cab (1983), Chiller (1985), That Was Then... This Is Now (1985), Babes in Toyland (1986), The Stepfather (1987), Billionaire Boys Club (1987 TV miniseries), Cutting Class (1989), The Phantom of the Opera (1989), Popcorn (1991), When a Stranger Calls Back (1993), and There Goes My Baby (1994).
She guest starred on episodes of T. J. Hooker, Little House on the Prairie, Murder, She Wrote, , Sara, Hell Town, and Aaron Spelling’s The Heights (1992). In 1988, Sean Penn cast her in a dramatic play he wrote and directed, The Kindness of Women.[2] Schoelen and Penn worked together again on stage, starring opposite each other in David Rabe’s Hurlyburly (1988/1989),[3] in a production that David Rabe also directed.
In 2009, she released her debut album, Kelly’s Smile, a jazz album that is composed of songs related to her childhood friend, Kelly Troup, who grew up across the street from Schoelen.[4]
Schoelen was born in Burbank, California. She dated Keanu Reeves during the time they starred in Babes in Toyland (1986).[5] She was engaged to Brad Pitt for three months in 1989.[6] In 1993, Schoelen married film composer Anthony Marinelli, and soon after retired from her acting career to be a stay-at-home mother. Schoelen and Marinelli have two sons.[7]
| Year | Film | Role | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | D.C. Cab | Claudette | Joel Schumacher | ||
| 1984 | Hot Moves | Julie Ann | Jim Sotos | ||
| 1985 | Thunder Alley | Beth | J.S. Cardone | ||
| That Was Then... This Is Now | Angela Shepard | Christopher Cain | |||
| 1987 | The Stepfather | Stephanie | Joseph Ruben | ||
| 1989 | Curse II: The Bite | Lisa Snipes | Fred Goodwin | ||
| Cutting Class | Paula Carson | Rospo Pallenberg | |||
| The Phantom of the Opera | Christine Day | Dwight H. Little | |||
| 1991 | Popcorn | Maggie | Mark Herrier | ||
| Rich Girl | Courtney | Joel Bender | |||
| 1992 | Adventures in Spying | Julie Converse | Hil Covington | ||
| State of Mind | Wishman | Reginald Adamson | |||
| 1994 | There Goes My Baby | Babette | Floyd Mutrux | ||
| 1996 | Not Again! | Jenny | Fred Kennamer | ||
| 2004 | She Kept Silent | Yalena | Svetlana Cvetko | Short film | |
| Mr. Christmas | Heather | Matthew Bellamy |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Best of Times | Jill | Television pilot | |
| 1982 | Little House on the Prairie | Jane Canfield | 9.10 "Love" | |
| 1983 | Great Day | Carla Simpson | Television film | |
| T.J. Hooker | Kelly Hobbs | 2.17 "Sweet Sixteen and Dead" | ||
| Happy Endings | Anne Marie Bartlett | Television film | ||
| 1985 | Sara | Emily | 1.11 "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | |
| Chiller | Stacey | Television film | ||
| Hell Town | Shelley | 1.2 "The People vs. Willy the Goat" | ||
| 1986 | Shattered Spirits | Allison | Television film | |
| Babes in Toyland | Mary Piper / Mary Contrary | Television film | ||
| 1987 | Billionaire Boys Club | Amy Whitehall | Television film | |
| 1988 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Amy Fletcher | 6.2. "Gambler" | |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Flora Gerakaris | 5.16 "Truck Stop" | |
| 1992 | The Heights | Betty B. | 1.6 "Fear of Heights" | |
| 1993 | When a Stranger Calls Back | Julia Jenz | Television film | |
| Ruth Henderson | Television film | |||
| 1994 | Becky Garfield | 1.17 "Shaker" | ||
| 2021 | Fault | Shelley |
Schoelen appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor podcast on August 10, 2016.