When Cynthia Rhodes wasn’t “Staying Alive” on the dance floor with John Travolta, she was “Dirty Dancing” with Patrick Swayze.
Rhodes, who will turn 67 in November 2023, had a great career with famous dance movies from the 1980s. However, she chose to step away from the spotlight at the height of her fame.
Keep reading to find out why this talented actress, singer, and dancer retired so early!
Cynthia Rhodes was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She started her acting career with a small role in the 1980 musical fantasy film **Xanadu**, which starred the late Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.
Her role as Tina Tech, a dancer in the 1983 film **Flashdance**, led to a bigger part later that year as John Travolta’s love interest in **Staying Alive**, the sequel to **Saturday Night Fever**, directed by Sylvester Stallone.
In 1987, she played her most famous role as Penny Johnson, a dance instructor at a resort hotel in **Dirty Dancing**.
In her role as Penny, Cynthia Rhodes shows off her amazing dance skills with graceful and flashy Mambo moves alongside the late Patrick Swayze. She also shares some very emotional and heartbreaking scenes with him.
Rhodes described her character Penny as having an “edge.” Penny both charmed and shocked viewers as she dealt with a difficult storyline involving a botched illegal abortion.
The film includes a socially relevant subplot about reproductive rights, with Rhodes at the center of it all. This helped position the three lead characters—Swayze as Johnny, Jennifer Grey as Baby, and Rhodes as Penny—for stardom.
“She’s from South Philly and she’s had a rough life,” Rhodes said about her character. “She’s got a sweetness about her, but it’s hidden because she’s been through a lot, and she has sort of put up a wall.” Rhodes added, “In the end, I think she finally realizes that life does go on.”
Life went on for Cynthia Rhodes, but not in the way her fans hoped.
After training for ten hours a day to prepare for her role as Penny, Rhodes found dancing to be “really hard.” She shared, “That’s why I keep saying I’m never going to dance again. I’m tired of dancing. My bones are hurting, and my back hurts all the time.” She added, “Every time I say, ‘That’s it, I don’t want to dance anymore,’ I get another film. I’m not going to turn down work! I feel very fortunate to be in films that involve dancing. But I just want a chance to do some dramatic work without dancing. Just give me a straight acting part.”
In the same year that *Dirty Dancing* was released, the 31-year-old Rhodes, who had many role options and admirers, appeared in the music video for “Don’t Mean Nothing” by Richard Marx. He is also known for the song “Right Here Waiting,” which was famously written for Rhodes in 1989.
In 1989, Rhodes married the Grammy Award-winning singer Richard Marx, and the couple welcomed their first child, Brandon, in 1990. They later had two more sons, Lucas in 1992 and Jesse in 1994.
According to Marx, Rhodes, who had previously trained for the Olympics, decided to retire in 1990 to focus on raising their children. He mentioned that this choice was also due to the “intense physical pain” her dance moves caused her.
“I thought, ‘This won’t last; she’s definitely going to want to come back to work and do films.’ But she found fulfillment in being a mom that completely overshadowed any desire she had to make movies,” Marx, now 59, explained. “Even if you’re her biggest fan, as good as you think she was as a dancer, singer, or actress, you should see her as a mom.”
Rhodes, who began dancing at just three years old, found that she was much happier being a mom and giving her body the rest it needed.
“The thing was, I used to never be sore. In fact, I was a gymnast. Now it’s frustrating… I never used to stretch, but now I have to stretch before I dance. I love to dance, but if I never did it again, I wouldn’t be sorry,” Rhodes said.
Since then, she hasn’t looked back. The last time she appeared on screen was in the 1991 film *Curse of the Crystal Eye.*
The former Hollywood starlet divorced Marx in 2014, and he married MTV’s first Latina host, Daisy Fuentes, the following year.
As for her sons, all three are following in the footsteps of their famous parents. Brandon is now a music producer and singer, while Lucas has made a name for himself as a singer and actor, appearing in TV series like *The Chicago Code*, *The Mob Doctor*, *Chicago P.D.*, and *Parenthood*. The youngest son, Jesse, has joined a metal band and is working on his own music.
Dancing requires a high level of athleticism, so while we miss seeing Cynthia Rhodes, we completely understand why she chose to leave Hollywood.
What are your favorite films featuring her?
At 48, Charlize Theron’s see-through gown for Oscars after party ignites reactions from fans
Being a celebrity these days must be difficult, as every action and choice is closely examined and shared for the entire world to debate.
Maybe that has always been the case—leading a life in the public eye has always entailed drawing attention from cameras and flashing lights—but the emphasis is sharper now than it was decades ago because of sensationalized social media headlines and viral material.
A-list celebrities are scrutinized not only for their words and deeds but also for their attire, and this is especially true during the awards season. The 96th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles last weekend, and as was to be expected, it was a highly publicized event.
A who’s who of stars and movie industry heavyweights graced the red carpet, and you can bet your bottom dollar that their costume selections were dissected like participants in a massive fashion design test on the internet.
One celebrity whose appearance was subjected to an especially close examination was Charlize Theron, who attracted attention with her shimmering black outfit.
CHARLIZE THERON attends the Radhika Jones-hosted 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California on March 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Lionel Hahn/Getty Images))
As soon as the 48-year-old’s images appeared on social media, others started to leave disparaging comments. Her choice to wear a see-through outfit that exposed her panties was praised by some. Others weren’t as much.
“You look amazing in all of the pictures, are there any bad ones?”Someone penned something.
Stunningly beautiful, another person said.
A third made the joke, “This woman is stunningly gorgeous.”
“This woman is just amazing, with great dedication to acting, producing, and social assistance,” remarked a fourth.
As is usually the case when public figures reveal themselves to the public, Theron’s appearance was praised by a number of critics as well.
Someone wrote, “Not a good choice.”
Another said, “You look great, but this clothing is awful [sic].”
A third said, “Yuk—too thin.”
“I am her fan, but I don’t like her hair here. She’s so skinny and the dress, hmm, no,” commented another.
Theron has already given candid speeches about her style choices and encouraged others to always follow their emotions.
She said to People last year, “I think there should be no faux pas.”
“I truly believe that it’s not a faux pas if you just go by how you feel and how much you love it.”
The actress commented at the time, “I mean, there are a lot of dresses that I know people didn’t like, but I’m like, I looked at myself in the mirror that night and I was feeling myself,” in reference to the ensembles that sparked a strong reaction from critics.
Charlize Theron looked amazing at the Oscars, in my opinion! Share your opinions with us in the comments section.
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