Actress who rose to stardom next to Tom Cruise looks completely unrecognisable

06 August 2023 , 07:02

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This actress played alongside Tom Cruise in a fan favourite (Image: Getty Images)

Many know the story of how little-known actor Tom turned into Tom Cruise — a living Hollywood legend. Fans would likely think they'd recognise the actress who starred with him during his breakout role, but recent pictures are proving otherwise.

She played a prostitute in a movie where Tom was a Chicago teen coming of age. It's been 40 years since she hit the limelight, though, and time changes everyone. Now, the 73-year-old has a long legacy and hefty acting resumé.

Even true fans may have had trouble recognizing Shera Danese from Risky Business now. However, they'll never be able to forget the movie brothel that she had a hand in.

Shera Danese looks totally different 40 years later (Getty Images)

She once played a prostitute in Risky Business (Getty Images)

Nowadays, Shera has a full head of white hair. She still has a beautiful glow, but has certainly aged from her younger self. The life outside of her character could not contrast more with her offscreen life. On red-carpet events, she dresses classy and elegantly. In one photo, she wears a black and green outfit with a perfectly matching silver necklace with emerald jewels.

In another, she wears a long, patterned dress. Shera accessorises with silver jewellery and sparkly grey flats.

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Shera had a key role in Risky Business (Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Shera comes into play in the movie when Tom Cruise's character, Joel, gets up to no good in his teenage antics. His adolescent adventure, though, spirals out of control when he gets himself into a more trouble than he can handle. After him and his friends get high, one of them crashes his parents' Porsche.

In order to cover the repairs, they have the brilliant idea to turn Joel's house into a brothel for some quick money. Shera is one of the prostitutes who is a part of the whole business.

Shera was married to Peter Falk (Getty Images)

The stardom from Risky Business couldn't last forever. Shera moved on to other big roles including appearances in Alpha Dog and John Q. Work isn't everything, though. Shera also had a happy marriage with actor Peter Falk, known for his roles in Columbo and Princess Bride, before he died.

The pair met while he was in her hometown in Pennsylvania, working on the movie Mikey & Nicky. For Shera, it was practically love at first site. She told The LA Times: "He saw me walking down the street and that was it."

Alex West