Late 1970s and 1980s Pfeiffer made her acting debut in 1978, in a one-episode appearance of
Fantasy Island. Other roles on television series followed, including
Delta House,
CHiPs,
Enos and
B.A.D. Cats, as well as in the made-for-CBS film
The Solitary Man (1979). Pfeiffer transitioned to film with the comedy
The Hollywood Knights (1980), with
Tony Danza, appearing as high school sweethearts. She subsequently played supporting roles in
Falling in Love Again (1980) with
Susannah York and
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981), none of which met with much critical or box office success. She appeared in a television commercial for
Lux soap, and took acting lessons at the
Beverly Hills Playhouse, before appearing in three 1981 television movies –
Callie and Son, with
Lindsay Wagner,
The Children Nobody Wanted and
Splendor in the Grass. Pfeiffer obtained her first starring film role as the female lead in
Grease 2 (1982), the sequel to the smash-hit musical film
Grease (1978). The film was a critical and commercial failure but Pfeiffer's performance was noted as a standout.
The New York Times remarked: "[A]lthough she is a relative screen newcomer, Miss Pfeiffer manages to look much more insouciant and comfortable than anyone else in the cast." Despite escaping the critical mauling, her agent later admitted that her association with the film meant that "she couldn't get any jobs. Nobody wanted to hire her." On her early screen roles, she asserted: "I needed to learn how to act ... in the meantime, I was playing bimbos and cashing in on my looks." The film was considered excessively violent by most critics, but became a commercial hit and gained a large
cult following in subsequent years. Pfeiffer received positive reviews for her supporting turn;
Richard Corliss of
Time Magazine wrote, "most of the large cast is fine: Michelle Pfeiffer is better ..." while
Dominick Dunne, in an article for
Vanity Fair titled "Blonde Ambition", wrote, "[s]he is on the verge of stardom. In the parlance of the industry, she is hot." Following
Scarface, she played Diana in
John Landis' comedy
Into the Night (1985), with
Jeff Goldblum; Isabeau d'Anjou in
Richard Donner's fantasy film
Ladyhawke (1985), with
Rutger Hauer and
Matthew Broderick; Faith Healy in
Alan Alda's
Sweet Liberty (1986), with
Michael Caine; and Brenda Landers in a segment of the 1950s sci-fi parody
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), all of which, despite achieving only modest commercial success, helped to establish her as an actress. She finally scored a major box-office hit as Sukie Ridgemont in the 1987
adaptation of
John Updike's novel
The Witches of Eastwick, with
Jack Nicholson,
Cher, and
Susan Sarandon. The film received positive reviews and grossed over $63.7 million domestically, equivalent to $ million in dollars, becoming one of her earliest critical and commercial successes. Praising their comic timing,
Roger Ebert wrote that Pfeiffer and her female co-stars each "have a delicious good time with their roles", while the
Los Angeles Times film critic
Sheila Benson said Pfeiffer makes her character "a warm, irresistible character." Pfeiffer was cast against type, as a murdered gangster's widow, in
Jonathan Demme's
mafia comedy Married to the Mob (1988), with
Matthew Modine,
Dean Stockwell and
Mercedes Ruehl. For the role of Angela de Marco, she donned a curly brunette wig and a
Brooklyn accent, and received her first
Golden Globe Award nomination as
Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, beginning a six-year streak of consecutive Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes. Pfeiffer then appeared as chic restaurateuse Jo Ann Vallenari in
Tequila Sunrise (1988) with
Mel Gibson and
Kurt Russell, but experienced creative and personal differences with director
Robert Towne, who later described her as the "most difficult" actress he has ever worked with. At Demme's personal recommendation, She won the
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and received a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Pfeiffer then accepted the role of
Susie Diamond, a hard-edged former call girl turned lounge singer, in
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), which also starred
Jeff Bridges and
Beau Bridges as the eponymous Baker Boys. She underwent intense voice training for the role for four months, and performed all of her character's vocals. The film was a modest success, grossing $18.4 million in the US and Canada (equivalent to $ million in dollars ). Her portrayal of Susie, however, drew unanimous acclaim from critics. Critic
Roger Ebert compared her to
Rita Hayworth in
Gilda and to
Marilyn Monroe in
Some Like It Hot, adding that the film was "one of the movies they will use as a document, years from now, when they begin to trace the steps by which Pfeiffer became a great star". During the 1989–1990 awards season, Pfeiffer won as Best Actress at the
Golden Globes, the
National Board of Review, the
National Society of Film Critics, the
New York Film Critics Circle, the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the
Chicago Film Critics Association. Pfeiffer's performance as Susie is considered to be the most critically acclaimed of her career. The scene in which her character seductively performs "
Makin' Whoopee" atop a grand piano is considered to be a memorable scene in modern cinema.
1990s in 1990 In 1990, Pfeiffer formed her own film production company, Via Rosa Productions, with business partner Kate Guinzburg, whom she had met on the set of
Sweet Liberty (1986). The company was under a picture deal with
Touchstone Pictures, a film label of
The Walt Disney Studios. That year, Pfeiffer began earning $1 million per film, and took on the part of the Soviet book editor Katya Orlova in the
film adaptation of
John le Carré's
The Russia House, with
Sean Connery, a role that required her to adopt a Russian accent. For her efforts, she was rewarded with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Pfeiffer then landed the role of damaged waitress Frankie in
Garry Marshall's
Frankie and Johnny (1991), a film adaptation of
Terrence McNally's
Broadway play
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, which reunited her with her
Scarface co-star,
Al Pacino. The casting was seen as controversial by many, as Pfeiffer was considered far too beautiful to play an "ordinary" waitress;
Kathy Bates, the original Frankie on Broadway, also expressed disappointment over the producers' choice. Pfeiffer herself stated that she took the role because it "wasn't what people would expect of [her]". Pfeiffer was once again nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for her performance. Pfeiffer took on the role of
Selina Kyle–Catwoman in
Tim Burton's superhero film
Batman Returns (1992), opposite
Michael Keaton and
Danny DeVito, after
Annette Bening dropped out because of her pregnancy. For the role, she trained in martial arts and
kickboxing. Pfeiffer received unanimous critical acclaim for her portrayal, which is often referred to as the greatest performance of Catwoman of all time by critics and fans.
Premiere retrospectively stated: "Arguably the outstanding villain of the Tim Burton era, Michelle Pfeiffer's deadly kitten with a whip brought sex to the normally neutered franchise. Her stitched-together, black patent leather costume, based on a sketch of Burton's, remains the character's most iconic look. And Michelle Pfeiffer overcomes
Batman Returns heavy-handed feminist dialogue to deliver a growling, fierce performance."
Batman Returns was a big box office success, grossing over $267 million worldwide. The first film her company produced was the independent drama
Love Field, which was released in 1992. Reviewers embraced the film and
The New York Times felt that Pfeiffer was "again demonstrating that she is as subtle and surprising as she is beautiful". For her portrayal of an eccentric
Dallas, Texas housewife, she earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Drama and won the
Silver Bear for Best Actress at the
43rd Berlin International Film Festival. In
Martin Scorsese's period drama
The Age of Innocence (1993), a
film adaptation of
Edith Wharton's 1920
novel, Pfeiffer starred with
Daniel Day-Lewis and
Winona Ryder, portraying a Countess in upper-class
New York City in the 1870s. For her role, she received the
Elvira Notari Prize at the
Venice Film Festival, and a
Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture. That year, she was awarded the Women in Film Los Angeles'
Crystal Award. Following the formation of her producing company, Via Rosa Productions, Pfeiffer saw a professional expansion as a producer. While she continued to act steadily throughout the decade, she and her producing partner Guinzburg experienced a winning streak of producing back to back films next under their header. She starred with
Jack Nicholson in the 1994 horror film
Wolf, portraying the sardonic and willful interest of a writer who becomes a wolf-man at night after being bitten by a creature. The film was released to a mixed critical reception;
The New York Times wrote: "Ms. Pfeiffer's role is underwritten, but her performance is expert enough to make even diffidence compelling."
Wolf was a commercial success, grossing $65 million (equivalent to $ million in ) at the domestic box office and $131 million worldwide (equivalent to $ million). Pfeiffer's next role was that of high school teacher and former
United States Marine LouAnne Johnson in the drama
Dangerous Minds (1995), co-produced by her company. She appeared as her character in the music video for the soundtrack's lead single, "
Gangsta's Paradise" by
Coolio, featuring
L.V.; the song won the 1996
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, and the video won the
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video. While
Dangerous Minds received negative reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $179.5 million around the globe. In 1996, Pfeiffer portrayed Sally Atwater in the romantic drama
Up Close & Personal, with
Robert Redford, took on the titular role in the drama
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, which was adapted by her husband David Kelley from Michael Brady's play of the same name, and served as an executive producer and starred as the divorced single mother architect Melanie Parker in the romantic comedy
One Fine Day, with
George Clooney. Subsequent performances included Rose Cook Lewis in the film adaptation of
Jane Smiley's
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
A Thousand Acres (1997) with
Jessica Lange and
Jennifer Jason Leigh; Beth Cappadora in
The Deep End of the Ocean (1998) about a married couple who find their son who had been kidnapped nine years before;
Titania the Queen of the Fairies in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1999) with
Kevin Kline,
Rupert Everett and
Stanley Tucci; and Katie Jordan in
Rob Reiner's comedy drama
The Story of Us (1999) with
Bruce Willis.
A Thousand Acres and
The Deep End of the Ocean were also produced by Via Rosa Productions. Pfeiffer voiced
Tzipporah, a shepherdess who becomes the wife of Moses (voiced by
Val Kilmer), in
DreamWorks Animation's
The Prince of Egypt (1998), a musical adaptation based on the
Book of Exodus. She also recorded the film's theme song "
When You Believe", for which songwriter
Stephen Schwartz won the
Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The Prince of Egypt was released to critical and commercial success, but
Kenneth Turan found the film's modernization of Pfeiffer's character into a "feisty
protofeminist" to be problematic.
2000s Pfeiffer began to dissolve her film production company, Via Rosa Productions, in 1999, and moved into semi-retirement to spend more quality time with her children and family. Pfeiffer handed her producing partner Guinzburg one final film to produce under the Via Rosa Productions header. The film was called
Original Sin (2001). It was originally intended to star Pfeiffer, who later changed her mind as she was looking to work less for a while. The film was produced by her company, but instead starred
Angelina Jolie and
Antonio Banderas. In
What Lies Beneath (2000), a
Hitchcockian thriller directed by
Robert Zemeckis, Pfeiffer and
Harrison Ford starred as a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past. While critical response towards the film was mixed, it opened atop the box office, and went on to gross $291 million worldwide. She then accepted the role of Rita Harrison, a highly strung lawyer helping a father with a
developmental disability, in the drama
I Am Sam (2001), with
Sean Penn. Despite grossing $97.8 million worldwide, the film was unfavorably reviewed by critics;
Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote: "Pfeiffer, apparently stymied by the bland clichés that prop up her screechy role, delivers her flattest, phoniest performance ever." Meanwhile,
SF Gate observed: "In one scene, she breaks down in tears as she unburdens herself to him about her miserable life. It's hard not to cringe, watching this emotionally ready actress fling herself headlong into false material." Pfeiffer took on the role of a murderous artist, named Ingrid Magnussen, in the drama
White Oleander (2002), with
Alison Lohman (in her film debut),
Renée Zellweger and
Robin Wright. The film was a critical and commercial success in its arthouse release.
Stephen Holden of
The New York Times wrote that "Ms. Pfeiffer, giving the most complex screen performance of her career, makes her Olympian seductress at once irresistible and diabolical."
Kenneth Turan of the
Los Angeles Times described her as "incandescent", bringing "power and unshakable will to her role as mother-master manipulator" in a "riveting, impeccable performance". She earned Best Supporting Actress Awards from the
San Diego Film Critics Society and the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, as well as a
Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2003, Pfeiffer lent her voice for the character of goddess of chaos
Eris in
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, an animated film featuring
Brad Pitt as the voice of
Sinbad the Sailor. She had struggles with finding the character's villainies. Initially the character was "too sexual", then she lacked fun. After a third rewrite, Pfeiffer called producer
Jeffrey Katzenberg and told him "You know, you really can fire me," but he assured her that this was just part of the process. Following the release of the film, she took a four-year hiatus from acting, during which she remained largely out of the public eye to devote time to her husband and children. '' in 2007 Pfeiffer returned to cinemas in 2007 with villainous roles in two summer blockbusters,
Hairspray and
Stardust, which was hailed as a successful comeback by the media. In the former, a film adaptation of the
Broadway musical of the same name, she starred alongside
John Travolta,
Christopher Walken and
Queen Latifah as Velma Von Tussle, the racist manager of a television station. Although a fan of Pfeiffer's work in the musicals
Grease 2 and
The Fabulous Baker Boys, director
Adam Shankman cast Pfeiffer largely based on her performance in
Batman Returns, claiming she was his first and only choice for Velma. Although she had fun with the part, Pfeiffer described Velma as the most difficult role she had played at the time, because of her character's racism; but she was drawn to the film's important message of anti-bigotry, accepting that "in order to do a movie about racism, somebody has got to be the racist". Pfeiffer's performance was also critically acclaimed, with film critic
David Edelstein of
NPR calling her "sublime". The cast of
Hairspray was nominated for the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture, and won the
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast, the
Hollywood Film Festival Award for Ensemble of the Year, and the
Palm Springs International Film Festival Award for Ensemble Cast. In the fantasy adventure
Stardust, Pfeiffer plays
Lamia, an ancient witch who hunts a fallen star (
Claire Danes) in search of eternal youth. The film received mostly positive reviews but performed moderately at the box office, earning $135.5 million globally.
The New York Times film critic
Stephen Holden described Pfeiffer as "as deliciously evil a witch as the movies have ever invented", writing that she "goes for broke with the relish of a star who figures she has nothing to lose." Pfeiffer starred in
Amy Heckerling's romantic comedy
I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007), with
Paul Rudd and
Saoirse Ronan, portraying Rosie, a forty-year-old divorced mother working as a scriptwriter and producer for a television show who falls in love with a much younger man (Rudd). Her reported salary was $1 million, with an advance on fifteen percent of the gross. However, the film was only distributed on
home video markets domestically. Reviews for
I Could Never Be Your Woman were moderately positive, with critic
James Berardinelli finding Pfeiffer and Rudd to "have adequate chemistry to pull off the romance," in what he described as an "enjoyable romantic comedy that has enough going for it to make it worth a recommendation." Pfeiffer starred in
Personal Effects, with
Ashton Kutcher, playing two grieving people coping with the pain and frustration of their loss whose bond spawns an unlikely romance. The drama premiered at
Iowa City's Englert Theatre in December 2008. Her next film, an adaptation of
Colette's
Chéri, reunited her with the director (
Stephen Frears) and screenwriter (
Christopher Hampton) of
Dangerous Liaisons (1988). Pfeiffer played the role of aging retired
courtesan Léa de Lonval, with
Rupert Friend in the title role, with Kathy Bates as his mother.
Chéri premiered at the 2009
Berlin International Film Festival, where it received a nomination for the
Golden Bear award.
The Times of London reviewed the film favorably, describing Hampton's screenplay as a "steady flow of dry quips and acerbic one-liners" and Pfeiffer's performance as "magnetic and subtle, her worldly nonchalance a mask for vulnerability and heartache".
Roger Ebert in the
Chicago Sun-Times wrote that it was "fascinating to observe how Pfeiffer controls her face and voice during times of painful hurt".
Kenneth Turan in the
Los Angeles Times praised the "wordless scenes that catch Léa unawares, with the camera alone seeing the despair and regret that she hides from the world. It's the kind of refined, delicate acting Pfeiffer does so well, and it's a further reminder of how much we've missed her since she's been away."
2010s Following a two-year sabbatical from acting, Pfeiffer made part of a large ensemble cast in
Garry Marshall's ensemble romantic comedy ''
New Year's Eve (2011), her second collaboration with Marshall after Frankie and Johnny
. The film, also starring Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Sofía Vergara, among many others, saw her take on the supporting role of Ingrid Withers, an overwhelmed secretary befriending a deliveryman (Efron). While the film was panned by critics, it made $142 million worldwide. In 2012, she appeared with Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks in the drama People Like Us, as the mother of a struggling New York City corporate trader (Pine). Rolling Stone found her to be "luminous" in the film, and The New York Times
, positively pointing out Pfeiffer and Banks, noted that their performances "partly compensate for the holes in a story whose timing is hard to swallow". People Like Us'' debuted to $4.26 million, described as "meager" by
Box Office Mojo, and only made $12 million in North America. Pfieffer reunited with Tim Burton, her
Batman Returns director, in
Dark Shadows (2012), based on the
gothic television soap opera
of the same name. In the film, co-starring
Johnny Depp,
Eva Green,
Helena Bonham Carter and
Chloë Grace Moretz, she played
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the matriarch of the Collins family. Critical response towards the film was mixed, but writers acclaimed the actors' performances—most notably Depp and Pfeiffer's.
IGN found her to be "commanding" in her role and felt that the main characters were "played by one of Burton's best ensemble casts yet". While
Dark Shadows grossed a modest $79.7 million in North America, it ultimately made $245.5 million globally. In
Luc Besson's mob-comedy
The Family (2013), co-starring Robert De Niro,
Tommy Lee Jones,
Dianna Agron and
John D'Leo, she played the "tough mother" in a Mafia family wanting to change their lives under the
witness protection program. Although reviews for the film were mixed,
THV11 said on the cast's portrayals: "The core actors of
The Family were really solid, and the whole film comes together to make a solid movie." An article in
HuffPost said that "De Niro, Pfieffer and Jones all brought 100% to their roles." The film grossed $78.4 million worldwide. Pfeiffer stated that her lack of acting throughout the 2000s was due to several reasons, including family matters and her approach to choosing roles. She stated she was intending to "work a lot" once her children left for college, mentioning that she felt her best performance was "still in her", saying how that's what she felt kept her going. In the independent drama
Where Is Kyra? (2017), Pfeiffer starred as a sensitive and fragile woman who loses her mother and "faces a crisis in which she must find a means for survival, all the while hiding her struggles from her new lover". The film premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017, and received a limited release on April 6, 2018, to critical acclaim; Her role as Kyra was called the "performance of her life" by
Village Voice's Bilge Ebiri, and "the performance of her career", by
Rolling Stone. Pfeiffer landed the role of
Ruth Madoff for the
HBO Films drama
The Wizard of Lies (2017), based on the book of the same name. The film, directed by
Barry Levinson, reunites her with actor Robert De Niro, who played her husband, disgraced financier
Bernard Madoff.
The Wizard of Lies premiered on
HBO on May 20, 2017, garnering favorable reviews from critics and an audience of 1.5 million viewers, HBO's largest premiere viewership for a film in four years.
Tolucan Times remarked that Pfeiffer "steals the show as Madoff's wife, Ruth, and is a remarkable lookalike", while
Los Angeles Times asserted: "As Ruth, Pfeiffer convincingly portrays a pampered woman left with utterly nothing —she's lost her homes, status and, most important, her relationship with her sons." She received a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Movie, in addition to a
Golden Globe Award nomination. '' at the
2017 Venice Film Festival In
Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film
Mother! (2017), Pfeiffer portrayed one of the mysterious guests who interrupt the tranquil life of a couple, played by
Jennifer Lawrence and
Javier Bardem. Although
Mother! divided critics and audiences, reviewers praised Pfeiffer unanimously, and some found her performance worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Vulture remarked: "Out of the main actors, it's Pfeiffer who is able to root the character in meaning — she bracingly marries the exploration of Biblical creation, mythological overtones, and hellish domestic commentary. There's a gravity to Pfeiffer's performance that allows her to succeed where the other main actors fail, save for brief spurts — she straddles the boundaries between embodying a symbol and granting the character enough interiority to feel like a flesh and blood woman, too." Pfeiffer played a widowed socialite in
Kenneth Branagh's
Murder on the Orient Express (2017), the fourth screen adaptation of
Agatha Christie's 1934
novel of the same name. Featuring an
ensemble cast, the
mystery film follows world-renowned detective
Hercule Poirot (Branagh) attempting to solve a murder, while stranded with several suspects on the
Orient Express during the 1930s. She also recorded the original song "Never Forget" for the film's soundtrack. The film grossed $351.7 million worldwide and received decent reviews from critics, with praise for the performances, but criticism for not adding anything new to previous adaptations. Although some critics found its large cast underused, Pfeiffer's performance was praised, with
Richard Roeper of the
Chicago Sun-Times saying she delivered the film's best performance.
The New Yorkers
Anthony Lane found that only Pfeiffer appears to be enjoying their material, while Mick LaSalle of the
San Francisco Chronicle credited the film with reminding audiences that she is one of the industry's best actresses. David Edelstein of
Vulture described the actress as "a hoot and a half ... stealing every scene". Pfeiffer debuted in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe as
Janet van Dyne, the original
Wasp, in the
Ant-Man (2015) sequel
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
Varietys
Owen Gleiberman described her performance as "lovely" and "wistful", while Josh Spiegel of
/Film believed the film suffers from a lack of the actress. In 2019, Pfeiffer briefly reprised the role in
Avengers: Endgame, and starred alongside
Angelina Jolie and
Elle Fanning in the dark fantasy sequel
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, playing the villainous Queen Ingrith. Despite the film earning mixed reviews,
The Plain Dealer's Laura DeMarco felt that both Jolie and Pfeiffer "clearly relish their roles."
2020s Pfeiffer headlined the dark comedy
French Exit (2020), based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by
Patrick deWitt, directed by
Azazel Jacobs. In the film, which co-stars
Lucas Hedges and
Tracy Letts, Pfeiffer played a widow who moves to
Paris, France, with her son (Hedges) and cat, who happens to be her reincarnated husband (Letts). The film premiered at the
New York Film Festival, to a positive reception. Peter Debruge of
Variety remarked that she gave a performance "for which she'll be remembered." Pfeiffer received a
Golden Globe Award nomination for
Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her performance. Pfeiffer portrayed former First Lady
Betty Ford in the anthology drama television series
The First Lady, which premiered on
Showtime in April 2022. The following year, she reprised the role of Janet van Dyne in
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Manohla Dargis declared her the film's M.V.P. Pfeiffer is attached to star alongside
Annette Bening in the psychological thriller,
Turn of Mind, set to be directed by
Gideon Raff. In 2022, she was cast in ''Wild Four O'Clocks'', penned and directed by
Peter Craig, and produced by
Marc Platt and
Adam Siegel. In 2025, she starred in the Christmas film comedy
Oh. What. Fun. as a Texan housewife whose feelings of being taken for granted by her family drive her to appear on a morning talk show. The film received negative reviews, with reviewers agreeing that Pfeiffer's performance was failed by the script. Pfeiffer currently stars in
Taylor Sheridan's
The Madison, as well as in the
Apple TV+ series ''
Margo's Got Money Troubles'', alongside
Elle Fanning. ==Acting style and reception==