The transformation of Melanie Griffith
A Hollywood icon with an indistinguishable charm - despite the almost forty years that have passed since 'Working Girl' (1988), the film that brought her fame. Obviously, we are talking about the talented Melanie Griffith!
Melanie Griffith (New York, 9 August 1957), nearing seventy, can say that she has enjoyed a very long artistic career dotted with dozens of films, some more successful than others, which contributed to her achieving the celebrity he enjoys today.
What catches the eye of most is certainly not only the artistic transformation of the actress but also the physical one. In this gallery, we offer you some snapshots from the beginning to today.
Perhaps not everyone knows it, but Melanie Griffith is the daughter of an artist: her mother is Tippi Hedren (pictured), an actress and former model, while her father was Peter Griffith, an advertising actor.
Griffith debuted on the big screen as a child, landing her first leading role in 1975 in 'Night Move'. But it was in the 1980s that her star began to shine brightly in the immense firmament of Hollywood.
In 1984 she was directed by Brian De Palma in the film 'Body Double', a thriller in which the actress demonstrated her great talent and received her first nomination for a Golden Globe.
Then, as already mentioned, it was thanks to 'Working Girl' that the actress became really famous. She did not only win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Film but also got a nomination at the Oscars.
In the film, directed by Mike Nichols, she played an ambitious secretary alongside two other undisputed big names in Hollywood: Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver. It must also be underlined that, at the time, the film became a cinematic symbol of female emancipation.
Of the six Oscar nominations in the 1989 edition, however, the film only won the Oscar for Best Song - 'Let the River Run' by Carly Simon. At the Golden Globes, it fared much better: out of six nominations, the film won the awards for Best Film, Best Actress for Melanie Griffith, Best Supporting Actress for Sigourney Weaver, and, again, Best Song.
Other films from the 80s that are part of her long filmography are: 'She's in the Army Now' (1981), 'Roar' (1981), 'Fear the City' (1984), 'Something Wild' (1986) and 'Stormy Monday' (1988).
During the 1990s, Melanie Griffith consolidated her fame and popularity in Hollywood, starring in a series of films ranging from romantic comedies to intense dramas, once again demonstrating her versatility as a performer.
Among the most significant cinematographic works of that decade, we remember 'Shining Through' (1992) alongside Michael Douglas and Liam Neeson, 'Milk Money' (1994), 'Mulholland Falls' (1996), 'Two Much' (1996), a comedy directed by Fernando Trueba and 'Crazy in Alabama' (1999) by and with Antonio Banderas.
Yet the 90s for Melanie Griffith were not only years of success, unfortunately. This is demonstrated by the two Razzie Awards she got for Worst Actress in the films 'Shining Through' and 'Mulholland Falls'.
Among the films made from 2000 onwards, we remember 'Cecil B. Demented' (2000), 'Forever Lulu' (2000), 'Shade' (2003), 'Automata' (2014), 'The Disaster Artist' (2017), and 'The Pirates of Somalia' (2017) - which has been her last film so far.
During her career as an actress, Melanie Griffith also worked on numerous television projects, including the famous TV series 'Starsky & Hutch' (1978), 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' (1985), 'Miami Vice' (1987 - photo), and the TV movie 'RKO 281', for which she was nominated for an Emmy in 2000 as best supporting actress.
Off the set, Griffith's life was equally eventful and interesting, marked by love affairs that often ended up on the front pages of the most famous magazines. She married her first husband, Don Johnson, twice: first in 1976 (a marriage that lasted only six months) and second in 1989 with a final divorce in 1996.
Griffith met Johnson when she was just 14 years old, on the set of 'The Harrad Experiment'. During their second marriage, the couple had a daughter, who we all know well: the protagonist of 'Fifty Shades of Grey', Dakota Johnson (pictured).
In 1981, on the set of 'She's in the Army Now', Melanie Griffith met Steven Bauer, an actor of Cuban origins. They would get married and have a son, Alexander. The couple divorced in 1987.
Apparently, all of Melanie Griffith's great loves blossomed on a film set, as did the one with Antonio Banderas, whom she met while the two were busy filming 'Two Much'.
From their union, in 1996, Stella Banderas (pictured) was born. In 2015, however, unexpected news arrived: the most beloved couple in Hollywood decided to divorce.
Dakota's emotional words to Banderas on the occasion of the Hollywood Film Awards ceremony will remain indelible: "My stepfather Antonio Banderas burst into our lives He was so vibrant and so fun and so funny and his English was abstract and we found it absolutely amazing. He loved my mother and my siblings and I so fiercely and so big and so loud that it would change all of our lives forever."
Beyond her love life, Melanie Griffith has openly addressed her battles with addiction, becoming an example of strength and recovery, speaking honestly about her experiences, and becoming a point of reference and inspiration for many people in her situation.
Furthermore, it is inevitable to notice how, over the years, her face has changed, partly due to the many beauty treatments that the actress now says she regrets. In recent years, she has returned to appreciating and showing her natural beauty, as we can see on her Instagram profile. It reminds us that authentic beauty lies in diversity and self-acceptance, regardless of the expectations of others.
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