Rebecca De Mornay is a 66-year-old American actress best known for playing Lana in 1983's Risky Business, with a most-cited net worth estimate of $11 million and an active 2026 stage and streaming career.
She was born Rebecca Jane Pearch on August 29, 1959, in Santa Rosa, California, trained at the Lee Strasberg Institute, and built a four-decade career spanning Backdraft, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Jessica Jones.
She has two adult daughters and, as of mid-2026, is starring off-Broadway in John Patrick Shanley's The Pushover.
Quick Facts Table
| Fact | Detail |
| Full birth name | Rebecca Jane Pearch |
| Known as | Rebecca De Mornay |
| Born | August 29, 1959, Santa Rosa, California |
| Age (as of July 2026) | 66 (turns 67 on August 29, 2026) |
| Height | Approximately 5'5" (165 cm) — see note below |
| Occupation | Actress, producer |
| Training | Lee Strasberg Institute; Zoetrope Studios apprentice |
| Breakthrough role | Lana in Risky Business (1983) |
| Marriages | Bruce Wagner (1986–1990) |
| Children | Two daughters, with Patrick O'Neal |
| Estimated net worth | $11 million (most-cited figure) |
Who Is Rebecca De Mornay?
Rebecca De Mornay was born Rebecca Jane Pearch in Santa Rosa, California. Her parents, Wally George and Julie Eager, divorced when she was a toddler.
Her mother remarried Richard De Mornay, and Rebecca took his surname at age five. After his death, her mother moved the family to England and then Austria, where Rebecca graduated summa cum laude from a German-speaking high school.
She trained at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York and became an apprentice at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios. That apprenticeship led to her film debut in One from the Heart (1981).
How Old Is Rebecca De Mornay, and How Tall Is She?
De Mornay was born on August 29, 1959. As of July 2026, she is 66 years old and will turn 67 later this summer.
Her height is one of the most inconsistently reported facts online. Here's how the sources actually compare:
| Source type | Height reported |
| IMDb / specialist estimate sites (CelebHeights) | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| Various uncited bio-mill sites | 5'4" to 5'7" |
| Best-supported estimate | 5'5" (165 cm) |
Rebecca De Mornay's Career: From Risky Business to Broadway
Breakout and 1980s–90s film career
De Mornay's career-defining role came in 1983, when she played Lana opposite Tom Cruise in Risky Business. The film made her an instant name in Hollywood.
She followed it with a run of acclaimed roles across the decade:
- The Slugger's Wife (1985) as Debby Huston
- Runaway Train (1985) as Sara
- The Trip to Bountiful (1985) as Thelma
- Backdraft (1991) as Helen McCaffrey
- The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) as Peyton Flanders — arguably her most iconic villain role
For The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, she won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Best Actress award from France's Cognac Festival du Film Policier.
1990s–2010s: range and television work
De Mornay kept working steadily through the following two decades, moving between film and television:
| Year(s) | Project | Role |
| 1993 | The Three Musketeers | Milady de Winter |
| 1995 | Never Talk to Strangers | Sarah Taylor |
| 1997 | The Shining (miniseries) | Wendy Torrance |
| 2003 | Identity | Officer Rita |
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers / Lords of Dogtown | Supporting roles |
| 2007 | John from Cincinnati (HBO) | Cissy Yost |
| 2015–2019 | Jessica Jones (Netflix) | Dorothy Walker |
| 2016–2021 | Lucifer | Penelope Decker |
2026 Update: what Rebecca De Mornay is doing now
This is the part most bio pages leave out entirely. As of mid-2026, De Mornay is actively working in two mediums at once:
- Theater: She starred as Evelyn in the world premiere of John Patrick Shanley's The Pushover at Chain Theatre in New York, which ran from April 3 through May 2, 2026.
- Film: She appeared in the 2025–2026 streaming thriller Saint Claire, based on the novel Clare at 16.
- Public life: In a July 2026 interview with Page Six, De Mornay reflected warmly on Tom Cruise, her Risky Business co-star and former partner, saying she remains "really, really proud" of his career.
She also appeared on the red carpet at the opening of Proof at El Portal Theater in North Hollywood in 2026, signaling continued involvement in the Los Angeles theater scene alongside her New York stage work.
Rebecca De Mornay's Net Worth:
The most frequently cited figure is $11 million, sourced to Celebrity Net Worth's public-data model. But that figure isn't the only one circulating.
| Estimate | Source pattern |
| $11 million | Most repeated across independent celebrity-finance sites |
| $9 million | Older estimate (circa 2012) |
| $16–$25 million | Higher outlier estimates, uncited |
| $3 million | Lower outlier estimate, uncited |
Rebecca De Mornay's Personal Life: Relationships and Family
Relationship timeline
| Years | Partner | Status |
| 1981–1982 | Harry Dean Stanton | Dated |
| 1982–1985 | Tom Cruise | Dated (met on Risky Business) |
| 1986–1990 | Bruce Wagner | Married |
| Early–mid 1990s | Leonard Cohen | Engaged; she co-produced his 1992 album The Future |
| 1995–2002 | Patrick O'Neal | Long-term relationship, never married |
Her daughters
De Mornay has two daughters with Patrick O'Neal, son of actor Ryan O'Neal:
- Sophia De Mornay-O'Neal, born November 16, 1997, now 28. She has followed her mother into acting, including a 2024 film debut in Peter Five Eight.
- Veronica De Mornay-O'Neal, born March 31, 2001, now 25. She has also worked in acting, including a 2010 appearance on Celebrity Ghost Stories.
De Mornay has kept both daughters largely out of the spotlight, occasionally sharing glimpses of them on social media.
Why Rebecca De Mornay Still Matters in Hollywood
De Mornay's career sits at an interesting intersection of entities worth knowing if you're researching classic American film: the Lee Strasberg Institute method-acting lineage, Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios, and the early-1980s "brat pack adjacent" wave that Risky Business helped launch alongside Tom Cruise's career.
Her willingness to keep working steadily in theater in her sixties — rather than fading from view after her 1980s and '90s peak — puts her alongside a small group of veteran performers still building new credits decades into their careers. For readers interested in how other long-career actors have sustained decades-spanning fame, Terence Hill's career longevity offers a useful comparison point from international cinema.
For more actor and entertainer profiles built with the same fact-checked approach, see the full biographies archive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Rebecca De Mornay?
Rebecca De Mornay was born on August 29, 1959, making her 66 years old as of July 2026. She turns 67 later this summer. Her age is confirmed by Wikipedia and IMDb using consistent birth records.
How tall is Rebecca De Mornay?
The best-supported estimate is 5'5" (165 cm), based on IMDb and specialist height-estimation sources. De Mornay has never publicly confirmed her exact height. Other online figures ranging from 5'4" to 5'7" are uncited guesses.
Is Rebecca De Mornay married?
No, Rebecca De Mornay is not currently married. Her only confirmed marriage was to writer Bruce Wagner from 1986 to 1990. She was later in a long-term relationship with Patrick O'Neal, but the two never married.
Who did Rebecca De Mornay date?
De Mornay's confirmed relationships include Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Cruise, husband Bruce Wagner, fiancé Leonard Cohen, and partner Patrick O'Neal. She met Cruise while filming Risky Business in 1982. This timeline is documented across Wikipedia and multiple entertainment outlets.
What is Rebecca De Mornay's net worth?
The most frequently cited estimate is $11 million, based on public career and salary data. Other online estimates range from $3 million to $25 million with no clear sourcing. Because celebrity net worth isn't independently audited, treat any single figure as approximate.
Does Rebecca De Mornay have children?
Yes, she has two daughters, Sophia (born 1997) and Veronica (born 2001), with former partner Patrick O'Neal. Both have pursued acting careers of their own. De Mornay has kept their upbringing largely private.
What is Rebecca De Mornay's most famous role?
Her most famous role is Lana in Risky Business (1983) opposite Tom Cruise, which launched her career. She's also widely recognized for playing villain Peyton Flanders in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). Both roles remain her most-cited credits by critics and fans.
Is Rebecca De Mornay still acting in 2026?
Yes, she is actively working in 2026. She starred in the Off-Broadway play The Pushover in New York from April to May 2026 and appeared in the streaming thriller Saint Claire. She has also made public red-carpet appearances at Los Angeles theater events this year.
References
