In 1983, Flashdance became the third highest-grossing film in the United States. Initially, no one believed in the project, and it ended up being the great success of the 80s decade alongside the unforgettable Dirty Dancing (1987).
Flashdance stars Jennifer Beals (60) and Michael Nouri (79), who recently confessed to People magazine that after portraying Nick Hurley, his career stalled. Despite this being his third venture into the big screen. "Usually, when you have a big success, you want to continue with something else, something equally good or better to stay in the market. And that didn't happen," stated the veteran actor who achieved great success in the 90s in the musical Victor/Victoria alongside Julie Andrews (89) and Liza Minnelli (78), who replaced the former due to vocal cord issues.
After filming, he was offered a script that was never completed, and later he was called for a series titled Bay City Blues alongside Sharon Stone, but it only lasted 13 episodes. "I went from Bay City Blues to a series of TV shows, independent films, etc., but nothing of the magnitude of Flashdance," he stated, but also expressed gratitude that as he has gotten older, the phone has never stopped ringing. Something most actresses cannot say.
In recent years, Michael Nouri is much more recognized for television series, with notable appearances in The OC, Damages, and NCIS. When his close ones found out that he recently auditioned for Bradley Cooper's (48) new film, the actor told them, "yes, I have to do it, and I am willing to do it. I have to set aside my ego."
After working as a waiter and insurance salesman, Nouri was fortunate to enter the entertainment world in the late 60s. Son of an immigrant from Baghdad, his distinctive physique was quite exotic to casting directors, which worked in his favor. From 1976 to 1978, he was married to Lynn Goldsmith (76), a renowned celebrity portrait photographer who documented the lives of Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones.
A decade later, he married Vicky Light, an actress and entrepreneur who has been serving as the president of The Light Company Talent Management since 2013 and is a co-founder of Inspiration Station Productions in Los Angeles, specializing in developing film and television projects. Vicky and Michael were together from 1986 to 2001. The actor has two daughters, Jennifer and Hannah, who live in New Zealand and Hawaii, respectively. Both have given him three grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 18. Little else is known about the actor's private life, as he has always been very reserved in words.
On the other hand, Jennifer Beals became a big star thanks to Flashdance, although she only received $25,000 for her work. Two years later, she starred in The Bride, and her fee multiplied by twenty to $500,000. While studying at Yale University, she had David Duchovny as a classmate, who suggested her for the role of Agent Scully in The X-Files (1993), which eventually went to Gillian Anderson.
During her student days, she dated Robert Simonds (62), who would later become the founder of STX Entertainment, valued at one point at $3.5 billion. However, in 1986, she married Alexander Rockwell, who directed her in several films. A decade later, they divorced, and she remarried in 1998 to businessman Ken Dixon, with whom she has a daughter, Ella (19). He brought two children from a previous relationship. Since then, the couple has maintained a strong relationship.
Within the industry, Jennifer is close friends with Elizabeth Berkley (52), Jodie Foster (62), Marlee Matlin (59), and Quentin Tarantino (61), a director who is deeply grateful to her because he stayed at the actress's house while struggling to make a name for himself in Hollywood just before filming Pulp Fiction (1994). Among her passions are photography, she loves salsa dancing and belly dancing, is a triathlete, and specializes in Kickboxing and San-Soo kung fu.