Molly Ringwald was born in Roseville, California, to Adele Edith, a chef, and Robert Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist. Her ancestry includes German, English, and Swedish. She starred in a stage production of “Alice in Wonderland”, at the age of 5, playing the dormouse. For the youth of the 1980s, Molly Ringwald became well-known as a teen icon for his roles in director John Hughes‘s romantic comedy films, including “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” (1985), and “Pretty in Pink” (1986). She later starred in “The Pick-up Artist” (1987), “Fresh Horses” (1988), and “For Keeps” (1988).

She starred in some films in the 1990s, being the most notable “Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story” (1992) and “The Stand” (1994).  In the mid-1990s, Ringwald, who had been educated at the Lycée Français de Los Angeles and is fluent in French, moved to Paris and starred in several French movies. Ringwald married Valéry Lameignère, a French writer, in Bordeaux, France, in 1999 and they divorced in 2002. After that, she returned to the United States and became to appear in American movies and television again.

In the following decades, the adult Molly complained about not being cast by directors and producers and to be forgotten by her fans. Between the 2000s to 2015, Ringwald participated in some films and series, in minor roles, for example, in 2000, she appeared in an episode of Showtime’s The Outer Limits, “Judgment Day and also appeared in the ensemble restaurant-themed film “In the Weeds”, and in 2001 she had a cameo in the commercially successful “Not Another Teen Movie” that she got a nomination at “MTV Movie Award”.

In early 2013, Ringwald released Except Sometimes, a jazz record. It follows a tradition in jazz for the Ringwald family set by her father.

Since 2017, Ringwald currently has a recurring role as the main character Archie Andrews’ mother Mary Andrews on The CW television series “Riverdale”. After initially only appearing as a guest, Ringwald has taken a more prominent role in the series following the death of Luke Perry who played Archie’s father.

Ringwald has stated that she was very aware of her public image during her teen years and that she tried to be a good role model for her fans.

Ringwald is part of the “Brat Pack” and she was ranked number one on “VH1’s 100 Greatest Teen Stars”.