Cynthia Gibb, star of ’80s favorites Youngblood, Fame, and The Karen Carpenter Story, started her career at 14, when she was discovered by the Ford modeling agency. “I did not see myself as pretty enough, and certainly not tall enough, to be a model,” Gibb tells Snakkle in an exclusive interview.
Luckily for her, the agency did, and it wasn’t long before modeling segued into acting, including commercials like this little gem for Bubble Yum (where, fashionably clad in a jumpsuit and cowboy boots, she rocks out alongside a loose-limbed Ralph Macchio) and a role in Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories. Rumor always had it that Allen spotted her in a magazine, but Gibb can’t say whether or not that’s true. “I have no idea how or why I landed on his radar,” she says, adding that her time on the set “was where I caught the [acting] bug.”
Ready for a little Gibb-fest? Read on…
Fame, 1983
At the age of 19, Gibb decided she, too, wanted to live forever and landed the role of Holly Laird on the hit show Fame (1983-1987). “I was a huge fan, and I was so intimidated to work with all these people,” says Gibb, who sang and danced on the show. About the famously diverse cast, she says, “I was the token white person. I got treated like the minority—which is something everyone should experience at least once in life.”
Here she is performing a cover of Madonna’s “Lucky Star.” Kissing a frog is tutu much fun!
Youngblood, 1986
Cynthia Gibb and Rob Lowe in Youngblood
Courtesy of The Everett Collection
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Gibb puckers up as the love interest of hockey talent Dean Youngblood (played by Rob Lowe) in Youngblood.
The film, which also starred Patrick Swayze, required Gibb to be on location in Toronto. “It was the first time I was away from home,” says Gibb, who was only 20 when the film was shot. “It was so much fun, but I was really lonely. Rob was out at night clubbing and stuff, and Patrick was already married.” She did ultimately become friends with Lowe, whom she describes as “a funny, funny guy, and a great mimic.” The late Patrick Swayze, she says, was “one of those people who did everything and did everything well.”
Check out this clip of Youngblood and be prepared for Rob Lowe’s completely bare butt!!
Salvador, 1986
Cynthia broadened her range in Oliver Stone’s Salvador, where she played Cathy Moore, a character based on the real-life missionary (and fellow Westport, Connecticut, resident) Jean Donovan, who was raped and murdered during El Salvador’s bloody civil war. “It was probably the most extraordinary thing I’ve done,” says Gibb. “I had been apathetic about worldly affairs, but I got highly politically active after that.”
The Karen Carpenter Story, 1989
Gibb transformed herself—literally—to play the lead in The Karen Carpenter Story, the biopic of the beloved anorexic singer who died tragically young. “From the moment I got hired, I started seriously dieting,” says the naturally petite actress, who wore Carpenter’s old clothes for the movie. “Karen and I were about the same height, but I got down to 103 [pounds], where she was 85.”
Coproduced by Karen’s brother Richard, the movie was shot in part at the Carpenters’ parents’ home. “We felt like Karen’s ghost was a presence,” says Gibb. “One time the wardrobe woman stepped out for a minute. I was playing with Karen’s clothes, touching them—you could see how they got smaller. I said out loud, ‘Wow, what did you do to yourself?’ and I felt something in the room. I looked around, but there was no one there. Then the wardrobe woman came back in chatting with someone and the moment passed.”
For a real taste of nostalgia, settle in to watch the entire Karen Carpenter Story.
Snakkle Update
Since her best supporting actress Golden Globe nomination for 1993’s Gypsy, opposite Bette Midler, Gibb has worked steadily in movies of the week, like Lifetime’s Accused at 17 (2010), and in guest appearances on network series like Criminal Minds.
Now 47 and the mother of three, Gibb continues to act but has returned to her roots: Two years ago, she left L.A. for her hometown of Westport, Connecticut. When she’s not traveling to L.A. for work, Gibb’s days are spent in her studio in Westport, where she teaches vocal techniques to aspiring singers and actors. Gibb had a cameo in a web series called The Funeral Planner alongside Italian singer Giovanna Gattuso. Gibb says, “She [Gattuso] was a huge Fame fan but never told me. I only found out later that they still see Fame five days a week in Italy!” Gattuso travels through Italy giving master classes in singing and invited Gibb to join her. Gibb has given one master class in Italy so far and plans to continue.
For more information on Gibb and her work, check out her website (in English and Italian!).
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