The actress who played “Baby” in the beloved movie Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey, was expected to see a significant boost in her career possibilities.
That was not to be, though. Instead, a terrible accident changed everything and forced her to give up the movie industry forever.
The terrible period in her life that left Jennifer Grey severely traumatized was finally discussed by the sixty-two-year-old Jennifer Grey after many years.
It’s a low-budget movie without a big name director or celebrity cast.
But when Dirty Dancing opened in theaters in August 1987, the actors and producers realized they had accomplished something truly great.
The primary actor, Patrick Swayze, achieved quick success. He became well-known as a sex icon and teenage hero before going on to appear in big-budget films like Donnie Darko and Ghost.
But when the movie first came out, his co-star Jennifer Grey wasn’t feeling well, so she swiftly disappeared from sight. Jennifer Grey disappeared amidst the chaos and celebrations just as quickly as she had appeared.
In addition, the actress spent a considerable amount of time away from the spotlight.
Nonetheless, in a recent interview with People Magazine, she revealed every detail of the accident that changed her life.
First, let’s take a look at Jennifer Grey’s life leading up to the tragic event that happened in the summer of 1987.
Jennifer Gray began taking dancing classes at a young age. Her father most likely urged her to seek a career in entertainment when she was born in New York in 1960. Her father, Joel Gray, was an actor, director, photographer, dancer, and vocalist.
Jennifer attended the Dalton School to study dancing and acting. After graduation in 1978, she began seeking acting roles, and she went on to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. But it wasn’t a rose-colored dance in her life. Jennifer had to work as a waitress to pay the bills.
She did, however, manage to get a couple of TV commercials, including one for Dr. Pepper. Her first motion picture role was in 1984’s “Reckless.” A few years later, she had an incredible breakout role in “Dirty Dancing,” where she played Frances “Baby” Houseman.
The cherished film’s narrative is based on scriptwriter Eleanor Bergstein’s early years. Jennifer became well-known overnight and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Sad event
Unfortunately, she was never able to enjoy the enormous success.
Just before the movie’s August 1987 premiere, Grey and her then-boyfriend Matthew Broderick were residing in Ireland.
But Broderick was driving on the wrong side of the road when he struck another car, and the pair was involved in a horrifying auto accident. A woman and her daughter were killed instantly when they were in the other car.
Eventually, Broderick’s charges of careless driving were withdrawn. In contrast, Jennifer Grey only suffered minor bumps and bruises, but her psychological scars remained.
A few days later, Dirty Dancing had its premiere. Nevertheless, Grey was unable to enjoy the success of the film.
In the middle of such severe sadness and survivor’s guilt, it just didn’t feel right to be heralded as the next big thing. “It didn’t feel good to be the toast of the town,” Grey reportedly said, according to the Daily Mirror.
The actress’s anguish from the accident will never fully go away.
“My ambition and my head were never the same,” she told People.
The most awful nose job ever
Her struggle with survivor’s guilt caused her to disappear for a while in the early 1990s, but she reappeared in a single Friends episode in 1995.
By then, she had undergone plastic surgery, and her face was radically altered.
“I entered the operating room as a celebrity and left anonymous,” she said in 2012.
It was like being undercover or covered by witness protection. The worst nose job I’ve ever seen. I’ll always be this once-famous actress that nobody knows about because of a nose job.
Jennifer’s Hollywood career was sporadic after that.
By 2010, Jennifer had made a successful comeback to the mainstream media. She was a hit with the public once more after winning “Dancing with the Stars.” She said that was something that was important to her.
I feel like I’ve starved myself out of concern for what people may think of me. “This is like having a delicious steak after 23 years on a diet,” the actor said to People.
In 2018, Grey took another step toward the limelight she had previously left behind. She is expected to star in the upcoming motion picture Untogether and comedy Red Oaks.
Jennifer, we’re so happy to see you back to your passionate, happy self!
Who else has a strong need to go back in time to 1987 at this point? Watch the classic scene from Dirty Dancing down below. What beautiful memories!
Please share this news with your friends on Facebook. Like me, they probably watched Dirty Dancing and wondered what happened to the gorgeous Jennifer Grey!
My Late Mom Left $5 Million Inheritance to My Greedy Brother and Aunts & I Only Got an Envelope with an Address
While my mom battled cancer, I was her caregiver, nursing her until her final days. But when she passed away, my mom split her money between my money-hungry brother and aunts. But it turns out that there was more to the story.
It turns out that inheritance, loss, and family are the ultimate recipes for drama. Let me tell you all about what happened after my mom passed away.
My mom battled with cancer for the longest time. When I look back now, it was something that had been around throughout my early life and then carried on when I enrolled at the community college close to home. Mom was always my best friend, so naturally, I was going to be there every step of the way while she battled this illness.
I just remember the days bleeding into nights when she was sick — something that was in a constant loop. But I also remember that the spoon-feeding and the hand-holding gave her as much comfort as they gave me. And then, on the other side of this story, my brother and aunts only showed up when they needed something. Usually, to have their bills paid.
Cancer patient at home. | Source: Pexels
Or, like the one aunt (while my mom was on a steady decline), she wanted mom’s “contacts” to sort out a new house for her. Because my mom owned a real estate agency. The audacity was unbelievable.
Anyway, Mom tried her hardest, but the illness took over in the end. Now, fast forward to the day of the will reading. All the relatives, the lawyer, and I were sitting in a room like something straight out of a Hallmark movie — think of wood everywhere and a chipped tea set on the scratched surface of an impossibly old coffee table.
I was sipping a cup of weak tea from one of the chipped teacups when the lawyer dropped the bomb. Mom’s savings, about all $5 million of it, was to be split between my brother and my aunts. I choked back the tea, thinking what was happening in the name of heaven. Because I got nothing. Zip. Nada.
Now, I’m sitting there, with tears streaming down my face and onto the white skirt I was wearing — mascara drops staining my clothing. And this greedy bunch did not even bother to hide their smirks.
I was baffled.
Pink and White Tea Set. | Source: Pexels
How on earth could my mom have done this to me? I thought, wiping my nose with the face of my hand. And then, as a classic overthinker, I began to wonder whether I cared enough for her during those final months.
But then, the lawyer stood up and handed me an envelope.
“Your Mom,” he said, “loved you more than anyone.”
Of course, the room gets quiet, and the greedy bunch all look hungrily at the letter. Dearest Lily, it said on the front.
I opened the letter, and an address and a key were written on a single piece of paper.
Now, I’m sitting there and thinking, What the heck, Mom?
But I decided to check it out. Maybe she wanted me to clear out a storage room or something. The lawyer decided to tag along, tight-lipped about everything. So, we got to the address, which turned out to be this hidden gem of a house. A beautiful home with even my favorite flowers planted along the walkway.
Beautiful House | Source: Pexels
Mom had left me a fully paid-for home! And it was clear that she had left her imprint on the place because there were photos of us inside. And another letter on the glass table in the entrance hall — this letter was to spill the beans.
It turns out my mom knew all about how my brother and aunts were the biggest money drains. But she wanted me to have a place to build a future and a family. To make new memories in a place that clearly has her spirit.
As for the money? Well, the letter said that she handed it to them, fully aware that they would blow through it. She wanted to teach them the value of things and focus on family ties. Which was bound to happen when the money was long gone.
But now, I’m standing in my new kitchen, drinking coffee from the coffee machine I always wanted, and I realize that mom’s love was never in the money — no. It was in this home, and I knew that this gift would be more valuable to me than anything else.
Hey, Mom? You still know the best.
Person using a coffee machine | Source: Pexels
What “mom knows best” stories do you have?
But in the meantime, here’s another story for you: When Cora hears a radio advertisement about Mothers and Daughters, she feels compelled to spend time with her husband’s daughter, Mia. But as she prepares for their bonding trip, Cora gets more than she bargained for. If Mia’s not the daughter, who is she?
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