Lori Singer

Lori Singer is an American actress, musician, and producer. Born on November 6, 1957, in Corpus Christi, Texas, she is recognized for her accomplishments as a cello prodigy as well as her prominent acting roles in film and television during the 1980s and 1990s. She is best known for starring as Ariel Moore in the drama film Footloose and playing Julie Miller in the television series Fame.

Singer was raised in a musical family by her mother, concert pianist Leslie Wright, and her father, Jacques Singer, a Polish-born conductor and protégé of Leopold Stokowski. She grew up alongside her fraternal twin brother, a violinist, and two older brothers. At age four, her family moved to Portland, Oregon, where her father served as lead conductor of the local symphony orchestra. Singer debuted as a cello soloist with the Oregon Symphony at age thirteen. She attended Lincoln High School and was admitted to the Juilliard School at fourteen, becoming the youngest graduate in the institution's history.

Following her graduation from Juilliard, Singer signed with Elite Model Management and continued her musical performances, winning the Bergen Philharmonic Competition in 1980. Inspired by her brother Marc, she transitioned into acting and was cast as high school student Julie Miller in the television series Fame in 1982. She appeared in the show's first two seasons and later performed in a live concert at Royal Albert Hall with her castmates, which was released as a live album.

Singer achieved film success in the mid-1980s. After winning Newcomer of the Year at ShoWest for the television movie Born Beautiful (1983), she earned the ShoWest Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award for her lead role in Footloose (1984). Her performance in Trouble in Mind (1985) earned her a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Her subsequent film credits included The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Summer Heat (1987), Warlock (1989), Equinox (1992), Sunset Grill (1993), and F.T.W. (1994).

In 1993, Singer appeared in Robert Altman's ensemble drama Short Cuts, sharing a Golden Globe Award and an award at the Venice International Film Festival for Best Ensemble. She later served as the lead character and creative contributor for the science fiction series VR.5 in 1995, and performed on the cello with Yo-Yo Ma in a 1997 episode of Inspired by Bach.

Singer continued her work in music and production in later years. She performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in 2008 and guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2011. She executive produced the acclaimed 2012 documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, which won three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. In 2017, she narrated and contributed music to the documentary God Knows Where I Am. Singer was married to lawyer Richard David Emery from 1980 until their divorce in 1996.