Lea Thompson

**Lea Katherine Thompson**, born on May 31, 1961, is an American actress, singer, dancer, and director. She is most famous for her role as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the _Back to the Future_ trilogy (1985–1990), Beverly Switzler in _Howard the Duck_ (1986), and Amanda Jones in _Some Kind of Wonderful_ (1987). She made her film debut in _Jaws 3-D_ in 1983, after which she continued to make films like _All the Right Moves_ (1983), _Red Dawn_ (1984), _Dennis the Menace_ (1993), and _The Beverly Hillbillies_ (1993). She transitioned to TV in the 1990s, when she played the title character in the sitcom _Caroline in the City_. From 2011 to 2017, she co-starred as Kathryn Kennish in the ABC Family-turned-Freeform series _Switched at Birth_. Prior to her acting career, she was a professional ballet dancer, having been offered scholarships to the San Francisco Ballet, the Pennsylvania Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre. However, she decided to stop dancing and focus on acting after being told she was 'too stocky' for ballet. Thompson has also directed several episodes and TV films and has appeared in Broadway plays. She also had a career as a singer, performing in Celebrity Duets in 2006.