Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (/ˈfaɪfər/; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and producer. Known for pursuing disparate roles in a wide range of film genres, she has consistently received acclaim for her versatile performances. One of the most prolific actresses of the 1980s and 1990s, her accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and one Primetime Emmy Award.
Pfeiffer began to pursue an acting career in 1978 with minor television appearances before earning her first leading role in the musical film Grease 2 (1982). Disillusioned with being typecast based on her appearance, she actively sought more serious material until landing her breakthrough role as gangster moll Elvira Hancock in the crime film Scarface (1983). She achieved further success with the fantasy The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and the comedy Married to the Mob (1988), for which she was nominated for her first of six consecutive Golden Globe Awards. Her performances in Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) earned her two consecutive Academy Award nominations, for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively; she won widespread acclaim and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her portrayal of lounge singer Susie Diamond in the latter.
Pfeiffer continued to establish herself as a leading lady with roles in The Russia House (1990) and Frankie and Johnny (1991). In 1992, Pfeiffer starred as Catwoman / Selina Kyle in the superhero film Batman Returns, one of the most admired portrayals of the comic book character. The same year, she received her third Academy Award nomination for her performance as a troubled housewife in the drama Love Field (1992). She continued to gain praise for her performances in the dramas The Age of Innocence (1993) and White Oleander (2002), and the horrors Wolf (1994) and What Lies Beneath (2000), while producing several successful films under her production company Via Rosa Productions. After a hiatus from acting in 2002, she returned in 2007 with the musical Hairspray and fantasy Stardust.
Following another hiatus, she earned rave reviews for the independent drama Where Is Kyra? (2017) before returning to prominence in 2017 with supporting roles in the polarizing horror Mother! and mystery Murder on the Orient Express, while earning her first Emmy Award nomination for portraying Ruth Madoff in the television biopic The Wizard of Lies. She also ventured into blockbuster franchises, debuting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Janet van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and a villainous queen in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). Considered a Hollywood sex symbol, several media outlets have cited Pfeiffer among the world's most beautiful women, with her physical appearance being heavily discussed by journalists since the beginning of her career. She has been married twice: to actor Peter Horton from 1981 to 1988, and television writer David E. Kelly since 1993.