Cybill Shepherd Undressed
Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born 18 February 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American actress,singer, and former fashion model, best known as the character Maddie Hayes on the groundbreaking ABC show Moonlighting. Named after her grandfather Cy and her father Bill, Cybill Shepherd won the 1966 "Miss Teenage Memphis" contest at age sixteen, resulting in modelling work through high school and after. She quickly made a name for herself as a curvy 'real woman', which was a departure from the trend at the time of Twiggy-type waifs.
This led to regular work as a magazine cover girl, and it was a 1970 Glamour magazine cover that caught the eye of film director Peter Bogdanovich. Upon seeing the cover in a supermarket check-out line, Bodganovich was reported to say "That's Jacy" referring to the role he was casting - and ultimately offered to Shepherd - in The Last Picture Show (1971). Her role as the teenage sexual ingenue would prove to be one of the most explosive and promising debuts of any film actress.
During the filming, the then 20-year-old was required to film a nude scene in a pool. Still photos obtained from that nude scene appeared in Playboy magazine without Shepherd's consent. She sued and won, setting a precedent regarding public figures. Also during the filming of The Last Picture Show, Shepherd began an affair with Bogdanovich that would last off and on for eight years. Shepherd also met Elvis Presley in 1972, and she mentions in her autobiography that they had a short, uneventful affair. Years later, in an interview with E! television, Shepherd spoke of the relationship with Presley, saying, "He was a wonderful lover, very sexy."
In John Waters's 1977 film Desperate Living, one female character says to another who is acting vain: "Who do you think you are? Cybill Shepherd?".
Cybill Shepherd is an accomplished singer, having made over ten albums, including a jazz offering with Stan Getz in 1978 that was widely praised. Her current CD was recorded at her house and is aptly titled At Home With Cybill. She has toured with her cabaret act in the United States and Europe as recently as 2004.
A popular talk show guest, her most famous appearance was on Late Night With David Letterman in 1989 when she walked out wearing only a white bath towel.
Throughout her career, Cybill Shepherd has been an outspoken activist for such issues as gay rights, abortion rights, and other politically relevant topics. She was present at the opening of the National Civil Rights Museum in her hometown of Memphis, for which she lent some financial support. It has been rumored for years that she is interested in running for political office.
In the episode of the popular TV cartoon Family Guy titled "The Fat Guy Strangler", Peter Griffin slays Cybill Shepherd, claiming her to be a dragon.
In 1972, Shepherd posed as a Kodak Girl for the camera manufacturer's once ubiquitous cardboard displays.
Shepherd has inspired two negative roles in films: Sharon Stone's character in Irreconcilable Differences (1984) and Annette Bening's character in American Beauty (1999). In an interview to Us magazine, she said she didn't care for Stone's character as she isn't a bimbo, but she in an interview to People magazine, she indicated that she liked Bening's character.