Cynthia Rhodes

For the athlete, seeCynthea Rhodes.

Cynthia Rhodes
Born	(1956-11-21)November 21, 1956 Nashville, Tennessee,U.S.
Occupations	Actress singer dancer
Years active	1970–1991
Spouse	Richard Marx ​ ​ (m.1989;div.2014)​
Children	3

Cynthia Rhodes(born November 21, 1956) is a retired American actress, singer and dancer. Her film roles include Tina Tech inFlashdance(1983), Jackie inStaying Alive(1983), officer Karen Thompson inRunaway(1984), and Penny inDirty Dancing(1987).

Career

Born inNashville, Tennessee,Rhodes began her show business career working atOpryland USAas a singer and dancer while attendingGlencliff High Schoolduring the 1970s.Raised in aBaptistfamily, Rhodes tried to maintain a clean-cut image in her acting roles and in the media, turning down scripts that required nudity and refusing offers to pose for pictorials inPlayboymagazine. Sylvester Stallone, the director ofStaying Alive,stated that Rhodes "would sooner quit the business before doing anything to embarrass her parents."

Rhodes played a small role in the fantasy musicalXanadu(1980).In 1982 she appeared in a video production called "The Tubes Video" directed byRussell Mulcahyand choreographed byKenny Ortega.This 52-minute long-form music video featured Rhodes as one of three backup dancers for the San Francisco-based rock bandThe Tubesand includes hits such as "Talk to You Later", "Sushi Girl", "Sports Fans" and "Mondo Bondage".Her next role was as Tina Tech in the musical filmFlashdance.AfterFlashdance,Rhodes was cast oppositeJohn TravoltainSylvester Stallone's 1983 filmStaying Alive,a sequel to the 1977 hit filmSaturday Night Fever.Rhodes's character, Jackie, was an ensemble dancer, bar band singer, and sometime love interest of Travolta's character. While poorly reviewed, the film was commercially successful.

Rhodes garnered her first non-dance related role inMichael Crichton's 1984 science fiction thrillerRunawaywithTom Selleck,Kirstie AlleyandGene Simmons.Her most notable role was as dance instructor Penny Johnson in the hit 1987 motion pictureDirty DancingwithJennifer GreyandPatrick Swayze.Rhodes's final motion picture role was the character of Vickie Phillips, playing oppositeJameson Parker,in the sleeper action-adventure movieCurse of the Crystal Eye.

Rhodes also appeared as a dancer in a number of music videos, including "Rosanna"by the bandToto,"The Woman in You"by theBee Gees,and "Don't Mean Nothing"byRichard Marx.She was a dancer for theglam rockbandThe Tubeswhen they toured in the early 1980s. Rhodes later joined the pop groupAnimotion,replacing their lead singerAstrid Plane,for the recording of their third album of original material. Though the group's single "Room to Move" (from the filmMy Stepmother Is an Alien) rose to No. 9 on the Billboard charts, the album failed to match the group's earlier success, peaking at only No. 110 on the pop charts; shortly thereafter, the group disbanded. In 2002, Rhodes co-wrote thesmooth jazztrack "Perfect Day" with then-husbandRichard MarxforDecember,trumpeterChris Botti's holiday album.

Personal life

Rhodes was married to singer-songwriterRichard Marx.They met in 1983 while Marx was working on the motion picture soundtrack forStaying Alive.Rhodes, who was seven years older than Marx, thought Marx was much too young for her to date at the time.Marx and Rhodes did not start their relationship until two years later, when they were reacquainted at a party. After a four-year courtship, the couple married on January 8, 1989.After marrying Marx and giving birth to three boys, Rhodes retired from her performing career to raise her family. In anUs Weeklyarticle dated April 4, 2014, Marx's representative confirmed that he and Rhodes were divorcing after 25 years of marriage.

Discography

with Animotion

• Animotion(1989)

Soundtrack appearances

• "Finding Out the Hard Way", "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up"with Frank Stallone(fromStaying Alive) (1983)
• "Room to Move"with Animotion(fromMy Stepmother Is an Alien) (1988)

Music video appearances

• Rosanna(1982) -Toto
• Don't Mean Nothing(1988) -Richard Marx
• Christmas Spirit(2012) -Richard Marx

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Xanadu	Ensemble dancer
1983	Flashdance	Tina Tech
1983	Staying Alive	Jackie Cole
1984	Fantasy Island	Marlise	Episode: "Goin' on Home/Ambitious Lady"
1984	Runaway	Officer Karen Thompson
1985	Pee-wee's Big Adventure	Jamie
1987	Dirty Dancing	Penny Johnson
1991	Curse of the Crystal Eye	Vickie Phillips

External links

• Cynthia RhodesatIMDb
• Cynthia RhodesatAllMovie
• Cynthia Rhodes: Actress, Dancer, & Singer