Kelly McGillis, 68, Looks Stunning Decades After ‘Top Gun’ Made Her Famous

by

Kelly McGillis, famous for playing Charlie in the 1986 hit movie Top Gun, has experienced many transformations throughout her life and career. Starting her acting journey in the late 1970s, she gradually took on small parts before gaining more attention. She first became widely recognized in 1985 with the film Witness, where her performance as an Amish mother earned her nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award.

The following year, her career took off after she appeared with Tom Cruise in Top Gun, playing the flight instructor Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood. The part instantly made her famous and turned her into a beloved star of 1980s movies.

Although she had a successful career, Kelly McGillis wasn’t asked to return for Top Gun: Maverick. She later explained that she believed this was due to her age and appearance. In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Tonight, she stated, “I’m older and have gained weight, and I look my age. That doesn’t fit the image they were going for. I’d rather be comfortable with who I am at this stage in my life than worry about things like that.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Revista aja ! (@revista.aja)

Mary McDonnell McGillis has experienced significant personal changes throughout her life. She was first married to Boyd Black, a fellow student at Juilliard, in 1979, but they divorced two years later. She then married Fred Tillman in 1989, and they had two daughters together before divorcing in 2002. In 2009, McGillis publicly came out as a lesbian, explaining to SheWired that understanding and accepting her sexuality had been a long journey. She revealed she had struggled with her identity since the age of twelve, initially believing it was something she needed to be punished for.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kelly Mcgillis fan (@kellymcgillisfan)

Kelly McGillis worked consistently in film and television throughout the 1980s and 90s. After appearing in Morgan’s Ferry, she took a break from acting in the early 2000s, returning in 2006 with the TV movie Supergator. She later had a role in the fifth season of Showtime’s The L Word. By 2013, she had relocated to Hendersonville, North Carolina, and began teaching acting at the New York Studio for Stage and Screen in Asheville.

McGillis has been in a number of different projects lately, including appearances in Grand Street, Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, Z Nation, and Sisters of Mercy. In 2018, she starred in the thriller Maternal Secrets (also known as Mother of All Secrets), and her performance won her a Best Supporting Actress award at the California Women’s Film Festival and a nomination at the Southampton International Film Festival. She also lent her voice to the character of Rachel in the animated series Charlie that same year.

McGillis has been open about her past struggles with how she saw her body and her self-worth. In a 2021 interview with It Came From…, she talked about watching herself in an older film and realized, “I really struggled with those feelings. It was surprising to see that, because when I made the film, I felt like I was overweight and unattractive, and I wondered why I thought so negatively about myself at the time.”

McGillis lives life to the fullest, happily embracing where she is now. Still a well-respected actress, teacher, and advocate, she uses her life story to motivate others. Her path, from being a Hollywood star to finding inner peace, proves that true change isn’t about achieving fame – it’s about self-love throughout all of life’s stages.

Read More

2026-02-06 11:14