Kelly McGillis is an American actress best known for her role as Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood in the 1986 blockbuster film Top Gun.
Kelly Ann McGillis was born on July 9, 1957, in Newport Beach, California. Her father was a physician, and her mother was a homemaker. McGillis left high school before graduating to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She later earned her General Educational Development (GED) certificate and moved to New York City to attend the prestigious Juilliard School. In addition, she studied acting at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in California.
Like many aspiring actors, McGillis faced a challenging start, working various jobs such as waitressing while auditioning for roles. Her early work included stage performances, which eventually led to her first film role in Reuben, Reuben (1983). Her breakout role came when she starred alongside Harrison Ford in Witness (1985), a performance that earned her critical acclaim and industry recognition.
The success of Witness paved the way for her most iconic role in Top Gun (1986), where she portrayed flight instructor Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood opposite Tom Cruise's Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. The film achieved massive box office success and cemented McGillis as a prominent actress in Hollywood during the 1980s.
In July 2019, McGillis shared with Entertainment Tonight that she was not invited to participate in Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the original film. She explained that she had not seen the film's trailer and would not be involved in any of its promotional events. While Tom Cruise reprised his role as Maverick, the film featured Jennifer Connelly in a new romantic interest role, rather than bringing McGillis back as Charlie.
McGillis married Boyd Black in 1979, though the couple divorced in 1981. She later married Fred Tillman in 1989, with whom she had two daughters. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2002.
In 2009, during an appearance on the web series Girl Rock, McGillis publicly came out as gay. She stated that she had known about her sexual orientation for many years but had struggled to fully accept it. In 2010, she entered into a relationship with Melanie Leis, a sales executive, whom she had previously dated privately. The two ended their relationship a year later.
Throughout her career, McGillis has appeared in both film and television, with roles in projects such as The Accused, North, and several TV movies. Her continued work in acting over the decades has contributed to her net worth, which is estimated to be in the range of $4 million. In recent years, she has also participated in regional theater productions and teaching acting, maintaining a private, low-profile lifestyle away from the Hollywood spotlight.
| Birth Date: | 9 Jul, 1957 |
| Age: | 63 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Newport Beach |
| residence: | Hendersonville |
| Education: | Juilliard School Allan Hancock College |
| Gender: | Female |
| Description: | American actress |
| Net Worth 2021: | 4 million |
