Born June 13, 1962, in New York City to her ad exec father and literary agent mother, twelve-year-old Ally Sheedy published a children's book, "She Was Nice to Mice", that earned her notice in New York City's publishing world. Aside from getting offers to pen reviews and articles for "The New York Times," "The Village Voice"and "Ms. Magazine," the pint-size scribe was spotted by an agent on a TV appearance to promote her book, thereby landing representation and her first experiences with showbiz: casting calls for commercials. Aside from commercials, Sheedy also appeared off-Broadway and in after-school specials.
Surprisingly, acting was not Sheedy's first love. It was ballet. But Sheedy found the stringent ballerina diet was not to her taste. Fittingly, upon graduating high school, Ally Sheedy packed her bags for Hollywood and the University of Southern California. She promptly landed roles in such TV movies as "Splendor in the Grass" and "Homeroom" and made her big-screen debut in the gritty teen prison drama Bad Boys (1983) with Sean Penn. That same year, she starred with Matthew Broderick in War Games, and the actress followed this up with the Rob Lowe vehicle Oxford Blues (1984). 1985 saw Sheedy's star shine brightest. She co-starred in both The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire alongside Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald and others. These films launched the Brat Pack phenomenon that would cast a long shadow over all those associated with this young crop of actors.
Unfortunately, Sheedy's subsequent films proved uneven: Maid to Order (1987), The Heart of Dixie (1989) and Man's Best Friend (1983) among the least celebrated. In the midst of her career slide, Sheedy battled an addiction to prescription sleeping pills. Undoubtedly the actress used her life experience to nail her part of a drug-addicted New York City photographer in 1998's acclaimed High Art. Since 1998 Sheedy has put forth lauded performances in several independent films. She also starred as the androgynous lead in the off-Broadway hit "Hedgewidge and the Angry Inch."
