Julianne Phillips

Julianne Phillips (born May 6, 1960) is an American model and actress. She first attracted attention for being the first wife of Bruce Springsteen. She is also best known for her portrayal of Francesca "Frankie" Reed on the television drama series Sisters.

Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Her parents are William Phillips, an insurance broker, and his wife, Ann. Julianne was the youngest of six children in a Roman Catholic family. Phillips is a graduate of Lake Oswego High School and Brooks College.

Early career

She began work as a model in Manhattan in the early 1980s. By 1982 she was represented by the Elite Modeling Agency, which characterized her as a "perfect ten package," earning as much as $2,000 a day. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she appeared in a .38 Special music video. This led to her first notable acting roles, in 1984's made-for-TV movies Summer Fantasy and the Robert Urich vehicle His Mistress. She also appears at the end of the Bruce Springsteen music video "Glory Days".

Marriage and divorce

Phillips ultimately became best known for being the girlfriend, and later the first wife, of musician Bruce Springsteen. Phillips met him in October 1984, and they were married in Lake Oswego, Oregon, on May 13, 1985, surrounded by intense media attention.

The marriage did not endure. Springsteen's 1987 album Tunnel of Love described some of his unhappiness in the relationship. During the subsequent Tunnel of Love Express Tour, Springsteen took up with backup singer and fellow New Jersey resident Patti Scialfa. The couple's breakup is perceived to have inspired several Springsteen songs, including most notably "Light of Day," which Springsteen wrote for the film of the same name.

Acting career

Phillips continued her acting career during and after the marriage. She appeared in Odd Jobs (1986), Sweet Lies (1988) and Seven Hours to Judgment (1988), and starred opposite Chevy Chase in Fletch Lives and John Ritter in Skin Deep, both in 1989. Two years later she began the role of Frankie Reed, the business-oriented character on the popular television drama, Sisters; it became her best-known role. She left the show at the end of its fifth season in 1995 but returned for its final episode in 1996. She then briefly returned to movies, appearing in Big Bully (1996), Colin Fitz Lives! (1997), Allie & Me (1997) and the made-for-TV disaster film Tidal Wave: No Escape (1997).

1997–present

Phillips has not acted in either television or film roles since 1997. She resides in Los Angeles. According to a USA Today profile in 2006, she spent time in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and El Salvador. She briefly returned to the public in 2001 when she was interviewed on an episode of the biographical documentary series Intimate Portrait that profiled her Sisters co-star Sela Ward.

In 2014, Phillips returned to the public again when she was reunited with former Sisters co-stars Sela Ward, Swoosie Kurtz, and Patricia Kalember for a special edition issue of Entertainment Weekly. The reunion was documented on the NBC morning news program Today.