The Most Iconic Michelle Pfeiffer Looks Through the Years

Remember Peter Horton from Thirtysomething? Back before Michelle wed TV bigwig David E. Kelley, she was married to the actor, although they parted ways in 1988. They certainly looked loved up here, though.

In 1987, Michelle joined a stellar cast including Jack Nicholson, Cher, and Susan Sarandon in The Witches of Eastwick. It was her first smash hit, and saw Michelle wearing smart-looking chapeaus onscreen, which she opted for off-screen around this time as well.

For her super fun 1988 effort, Married to the Mob, Michelle sported dark brown curls. They were right for the character, sure, but dampened down her golden girl appeal. Michelle did receive her first Golden Globe nod for the role, which kicked off a six-year streak of such nominations.

Michelle’s first pairing with Kurt Russell was almost four decades (!!!) ago, in the steamy Tequila Sunrise. She played a coolly chic restaurateur whose fashion choices were the height of late-80s elegance.

Michelle was sheer sex appeal as a former call girl turned lounge singer in 1989’s The Fabulous Baker Boys, with Jeff Bridges. She scored her second Oscar nomination for the movie, in which she did all her singing.

In 1992, Michelle netted another huge box office success, when she played Catwoman in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. Her stitched-together, black patent leather costume was a showstopper, and her interpretation of the role remains a fan favorite to this day.

Michelle dialed down the glitz to play a former Marine teaching toughs in the mid-90s movie Dangerous Minds. It was yet another hit for the unstoppable performer.

Michelle and David E. Kelley met on a blind date in 1993, married later that year, and have lived happily ever after. Here, they’re killing it in matching basic black at the 1997 Emmy Awards. Michelle’s brighter-than-usual tresses give her Meg Ryan vibe, don’t you think?

To kick off the new millennium, Michelle starred with Harrison Ford in the spooky thriller What Lies Beneath. As a housewife menaced by a ghost, she spent most of the run time either terrified or in tears, looking lovely through it all.

After a four-year hiatus to focus on her family, Michelle returned to movie theaters in summer 2007 with Stardust and Hairspray. Both won big at the box office and marked a departure for the star: in each she played a villainous role. She was flat-out stunning at the Hairspray premiere, rocking long hair with loose waves and kohl-rimmed eyes.

After a series of less successful film ventures, Michelle morphed into a dead ringer for Ruth Madoff, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff’s wife, in HBO’s 2017 release, The Wizard of Lies. The de-glamming paid off with Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Michelle also appeared in Murder on the Orient Express in 2017, joining luminaries like Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh. According to many critics, she stole the movie right out from under them. Michelle certainly wowed at the film’s premiere, donning a slinky, shining silver gown.

Following a role as the original Wasp in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp (her highest-grossing film to date), Michelle starred alongside Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. And look, her dress at the premiere had pockets!

Michelle’s worked with the same co-stars over and over, including folks like Robert DeNiro, Paul Rudd, Elle Fanning, and Jack Nicholson. But a favorite is clearly Kurt Russell, who she happily hugged at the U.K. premiere of The Madison.

Speaking of enduring partnerships, Michelle and husband David E. Kelley know how to work as well as play together. Here they are attending the premiere of the comedy-drama series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which he created and she stars in (as Elle Fanning’s mom). The show will debut April 15 on Apple TV+.