Ah...the 80's. Neon color blocking, spandex, acid washed jeans, and dirty dancing. Dirty Dancing may have not won an Academy award for best picture, but it was a classic 1980s cultural snapshot of what most of wish we could have experienced at the time! Who wouldn't want to have danced with Patrick Swayzee?

A look back at the fashion influences of the decade  that gave us an eccentric classical composer, a female explorer ahead of her time, a young soldier trying to survive the aftermath of war, a tiny ruler, an autistic good driver, an aging southern belle who learns a little something, a United States Army lieutenant, an FBI agent up against a serial killer, an aging gunslinger, a compassionate Nazi, and the luckiest man in the world!

YEAR	BEST PICTURE	BEST ACTRESS	FOR HER ROLE IN
1984	AMADEUS	Sally Field	Places in the Heart
1985	OUT OF AFRICA	Geraldine Page	The Trip To Bountiful
1986	PLATOON	Marlee Matlin	Children of a Lesser God
1987	THE LAST EMPEROR	Cher	Moonstruck
1988	RAIN MAN	Jodie Foster	The Accused
1989	DRIVING MISS DAISY	Jessica Tandy	Driving Miss Daisy
1990	DANCES WITH WOLVES	Kathy Bates	Misery
1991	SILENCE OF THE LAMBS	Jodie Foster	Silence of the Lambs
1992	UNFORGIVEN	Emma Thompson	Howard's End
1993	SCHINDLER'S LIST	Holly Hunter	The Piano
1994	FORREST GUMP	Jessica Lange	Blue Sky

A few of the Actresses

MARLEE
MATLIN

"At some point we have to stop and say,
'There's Marlee', not, 'There's the deaf actress.'"


Children of a Lesser God



Star on the Hollywood walk of Fame

The Actress who brought us powerful performances and
shifted our view of how we see and hear those who are
deaf.  Never wanting to be seen as a victim or as a deaf
actress, she broke through barriers for future actors with
hearing problems.  She has written her memoirs in  a book-
I'll Scream Later
CHER

"I'm scared to death of being poor.
It's like a fat girl who loses 500 pounds but is always fat inside.
I grew up poor and will always feel poor inside."



To become famous with one name is just the ultimate in cool.  Cher is one of
those celebrities who regularly transformed right before our eyes, as an
actress, a singer, and a fashion muse.


Moonstruck 1987



Long before Alexander McQueen found a muse in Lady Gaga,
Bob Mackie found Cher! They had a fashion collaboration that skyrocketed
both of their careers and helped create the images we now associate with the 1980s.



 

Cher exemplified 1980s fashion with her own twist.

JESSICA
TANDY

"When he's late for dinner, I know he's either having an affair or is lying dead in the street.
I always hope it's the street."


With her husband of 52 years, Hume Cronyn

 
Though she was known more for the characters she played much later in life, Jessica Tandy
was a seasoned, lifelong performer with a filmography that stared in the 1930s.
Most people don't remember that she played Rod Taylor's character,
Mitch's overbearing mother Lydia in The Birds.



It was her role as Miss Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy that won her an Oscar for Best Actress.



With Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes

KATHY
BATES

"Every time an Oscar is given out, an agent gets his wings."



Not a fashion icon, but gave an unforgettable performance in Misery. "Mr. Man"

JODIE
FOSTER

"Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from."

The child star who was able to grow up! Jodie Foster left behind
her reputation as a child star and was given respect as a serious actress.
 With  two Oscar wins in the 1980s, she claimed her rightful place in Hollywood history.



Silence of the Lambs

EMMA
THOMPSON

"It's unfortunate, and I really wish I wouldn't have to say this,
but I really like human beings who have suffered.
They're kinder.



Emma Thompson is one of those actresses whose confidence is
a hallmark of her style and grace.  Not only is she genuinely talented, without
a need for the mask of celebrity, she wrote the screenplay for Nanny McPhee and was comfortable playing the
warty, witchy character herself!

HOLLY
HUNTER

"I really admire people who are extraordinarily tolerant and patient."

\
An Actress who admits she's had to work hard without the results of blockbuster hits,
Holly Hunter has given us some unforgettable characters like Edwina "Ed" McDunnough
in Raising Arizona (my favorite)and Ada McGrath, a mute Scotswoman sold into marriage.

 

Holly also became a red carpet sensation

   

JESSICA
LANGE

"For me, nothing has ever taken precedence over being a mother
and having a family and a home."



One of my favorite actresses of all time!  I remember seeing Frances
and thinking that Jessica Lange must have been either mentally ill herself, or channeling Frances
Farmer, the portrayal was that convincing.  (Not to mention, the fact that she played Big Edie
 to a tea in the HBO production of Grey Gardens)!








The Postman always rings twice


Places in the heart



I guess I don't understand why she doesn't get the praise
that some of her contemporaries do, but it could be because
she doesn't make her life in Hollywood her main identity.  Far from
embracing celebrity, Jessica Lange knows what matters and has
made her husband Sam Shepard and 3 children her first priority.
She is also a well respected Photographer and
has published a book of her work, 50 Photographs.

 

CULT CLASSICS OF THE 1980's



Dirty Dancing 1987

 

Footloose 1984



St. Elmo's Fire  1985



The Breakfast Club 1985

The Best Picture Winners



 

 I promise not to forget about the costume designers from the last two decades! Stay tuned for more Academy Award snapshots of the actresses, films and designers who helped create the style of their times!