Kelly McGillis is an American actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in Witness, for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in Top Gun; Made in Heaven; The House on Carroll Street; and as Kathryn Murphy in The Accused. In her later career, she has starred in horror films such as Stake Land, The Innkeepers, and We Are What We Are. Her television films during the 1980s included Private Sessions, and as a narrator in Santabear’s First Christmas. In 1995, she also narrated the documentary Out of Ireland for PBS. In 2017, Kelly had the lead role in Mother of All Secrets (filmed in Bermuda) as Rose Lewis.
Birth Name
Kelly Ann McGillis
Nickname
Kelly
Profession
Actress
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Kelly McGillis was born on the 9th of July 1957, in Newport Beach, California, United States.
Age
She’s currently 66 years old.
Sun Sign
Cancer
Ethnicity
Mixed
Her paternal ancestry is Scots-Irish, and her maternal ancestry is German; she also has Welsh ancestry.
Religion
Christianity
Education
Kelly attended Newport Harbor High School. Then attended the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. After getting her GED after dropping out of high school in 1975, she moved to New York City to study acting at the Juilliard School, where she graduated in 1983, Group 12.
Family Details
- Father – Donald Manson McGillis, (Physician)
- Mother – Virginia Joan (née Snell)
- Siblings – Karen McGillis (Younger Sister), Kathleen McGillis (Younger Sister)
Marital Status
Divorced
Boyfriend / Spouse
Kelly McGillis has dated –
- Boyd Black (1979-1981) – In 1979, McGillis married first time with her first husband named Boyd Black. But she divorce Boyd in 1981.
- Fred Tillman (1989-2002) – In 1989, when Kelly was a successful actress she married Fred Tillman. Living with Fred she became a mother of her two daughters named Sonora and Kelsey. Then in 2002, Kelly’s quit her marriage life with Fred.
- Melanie Leis (2010–2011) – In 2010, McGillis entered into a civil union with Melanie Leis, a Philadelphia sales executive. They had met in 2000 when Leis was a bartender at the Caribbean Bar Grill & Brewery in Key West, Florida, which McGillis owned with her then-husband. Their union was dissolved the following year.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 10 inches
- In centimeters – 183 cm
- In meters – 1.83 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 56 kg
- In Pounds – 124 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 34-24-35
- Bust – 34 inches
- Waist – 24 inches
- Hip – 35 inches
- Bra Size – 32B
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Brown
Hair Color
Grey
Shoe Size
She wears a size 11 (US) shoe.
Dress Size
Her dress size is 8 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Kelly became known for her role as Charlie opposite actor Tom Cruise famous movie Top Gun. She has also played a notable role in movies like The Accused, Kathryn Murphy, Stake Land and many more. It is said that in her long career Kelly has worked on more than 54 different acting projects. Kelly is now very less active in the entertainment world she was seen last in the TV series, Dirty John (2020).
Film Debut
In 1983, McGillis had her first film onscreen role in the movie Reuben, Reuben as Geneva Spofford and she made her theatrical film debut as Rachel Lapp in the crime thriller movie, Witness (1985).
Television Debut
In 1984, Kelly landed her first role in television by appearing as Katherine Dennison Breen in the TV film, Sweet Revenge.
Kelly McGillis Net worth
Kelly McGillis has an estimated net worth of $8 million dollars as of 2023.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Kelly McGillis
- McGillis was born in the southern California suburb of Newport Beach, the eldest of three daughters. She was raised in Los Angeles. She currently lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
- She has taught acting at the New York Studio for Stage and Screen (NYS3) in Asheville, North Carolina.
- In 1983, after making her film debut in Reuben, Reuben McGillis’ breakout role was that of an Amish mother in Witness (1985) for wdsdhich she received Golden Globe and BAFTA award nominations.
- In 1984, Kelly early television roles included a part on the daytime soap One Life to Live.
- In 1986, her next high-profile role was that of flight instructor Charlotte Blackwood (call sign “Charlie”) fighter-pilot film, Top Gun starring Tom Cruise.
- In 1987, McGillis acted in the romance film, Made in Heaven directed by Alan Rudolph, which was produced by Lorimar Productions.
- From 2002 to 2006, she took a long break from her acting profession and returned back in 2006 after joining the TV show, Showtimes The L Word.
- In 2010, she also appeared in a production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally, which toured the United Kingdom.
- In 2022, Kelly is still working in Hollywood. She made headlines recently when she revealed why she was passed over for the sequel to her 1986 film, Top Gun, Top Gun-Maverick.
