During her glory days in the 1980s-1990s Kate Capshaw was arguably a force to reckon with in the entertainment scene. With a rich acting experience of 17 years in both movies and TV series, the former actress has had an impressive legacy in the industry. Continue reading to find out more about Kate Capshaw and her acting career.
What did Kate Capshaw do before going into acting
Before coming into the limelight, Kate was a teacher. She taught in two schools: Rock Bridge School and Southern Boone County High School. It is said that she quit her teaching career to follow her passion in acting,
In 1976 kate got married to a high school principal, Bob Capshaw whom she shared a beautiful daughter with. Unfortunately, their marriage did not last long. She later married Steven Spielberg after 11 years of being a divorced mother. The two have been together since 1991. The couple met in 1984, while filming Kate’s break out movie Indiana Jones.
Kate Capshaw acting career
In 1978, Capshaw moved to New York City with her family for a change of scenery and opportunities, she said in the Spokesman-Review interview.
Upon arriving in the city, Capshaw sought out her friend who was an agent, asking that he’d represent her, but the conversation didn’t go as planned.
He said, ‘Oh Kate. You’re a little too old and parts are just not out there for your age group and you really should just go back to school,’ she told Entertainment Tonight of the conversation.
But she proved him wrong by climbing up the acting ladder a few years later. Although many have attributed her success to Spielberg, this is far fetched as Kate was undeniably a very good actress with stunning looks and wits to go with it. Some of her iconic roles in movies include.
1. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom was Capshaw first break out movie. The movie was cast and directed by Spielberg who later became her husband years after the movie release. In the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Kate starred alongside 2023 Oscar nominee Ke Huy Quan. In the film, she played Willie Scott, a lounge singer in Shanghai who gets wrapped up in Jones' adventure. Her good acting earned her fame and made her a household name in the 1980s.
2. Space camp (1986)
Just two years after the release of Indiana Jones, Kate went on to star in the hit movie Space camp. The movie tells the story of four teenagers - Kathryn, Kevin, Rudy, and Tish - and 12-year-old Max who go to Space Camp at Huntsville, Alabama, for three weeks during the summer to learn about the NASA space program and mimic Astronaut training. Kate Capshaw plays the role of their instructor Andie Bergstrom, a NASA-trained astronaut who is frustrated that she has not yet been assigned to a Space Shuttle mission. Her bitterness is increased by the fact that her husband who is also an astronaut had walked on the moon.
3. Black rain (1989)
Black rain follows the story of Nick Conklin an NYPD detective who has come under fire from Internal Affairs, who believes he and his former partner stole money from evidence used in a drug bust. In an attempt to redeem his name, he gets tangled up with a Japanese crime lord. In the movie Kate Capshaw plays the role of Joyce, a nightclub hostess from Chicago who helps Nick by providing information on things happening in the Japanese crime world.
Also Read: 10 Iconic Steven Spielberg Movies Of All Time