Cynthia Rhodes Biography

Cynthia Rhodes is an American Retired Actress, Singer, and Dancer who is best known for appearing in Staying Alive, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, and Runaway.

Rhodes portrayed Jackie in Staying Alive (1983), officer Karen Thompson in Runaway (1984), Tina Tech in Flashdance (1983), and Penny in Dirty Dancing (1987). She has made soundtrack appearances: “I’m Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Finding Out the Hard Way.” Rhodes also collaborated with an American synth-pop band from Los Angeles, California, known as Animotion (1989) and has appeared in her ex-husband’s music album “Christmas Spirit” (2012)

Cynthia Rhodes Age

Rhodes is 66 years old as of 2022. She was born on November 21, 1956, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. She celebrates her birthday on the 21st of November every year.

Cynthia Rhodes Height

Rhodes stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m).

Cynthia Rhodes Family

Rhodes was born to Edna Rhodes (mother) and Adrian Rhodes (father). Her both parents are Christians. There is no information regarding whether Rhodes has any siblings or not.

Cynthia Rhodes Ex-Husband / Divorce

Rhodes is neither in a relationship, married nor engaged to anyone at the moment. She was previously married to Richard Marx, a famous singer-songwriter. They tied the knot on January 8, 1989, and divorced after 2 and a half decades. The reason for their divorce is unknown. She confirmed their divorce on April 4, 2014, in an Us Weekly article. They first met in the year 1983 when Richard was working on the motion picture soundtrack for “Staying Alive”. Rhodes thought Richard was too young for her – only came to find out that he is 7 years older than her! They began dating 2 years after they met when they were reacquainted at a party and wedded after 4 years of dating.

Richard Marx

Richard is an American pop-rock singer-songwriter and adult contemporary. He has sold more than thirty million albums global-wide. He is 59 years old as of 2022 having been born on September 16, 1963. Rhodes is currently married to Daisy Fuentes (former MTV VJ and entrepreneur). They tied the knot on December 23, 2015. Richard has 3 half-siblings from his dad’s previous marriage. His parents are Dick Marx and Ruth.

Cynthia Rhodes Children

Rhodes and her ex-husband Richard Marx were blessed with 3 sons; Jesse Marx, Brandon Marx, and Lucas Marx. Lucas is a Musical artist of the Dance/Electronic music genre. He is 31 years old as of 2023 having been born in the year 1992. Jesse Marx is 29 years old as of 2022 having been born in the year 1994. Brandon Marx is 33 years old as of 2023 having been born in the year 1990.

Cynthia Rhodes Net Worth

Rhodes has an annual estimated net worth of $9 Million, which she earns through her career as a journalist Singer, and Dancer.

Cynthia Rhodes Career

Rhodes started her career in show business in the ’70s at Opryland USA where she was a dancer and singer. Growing up in a Baptist family, she tried her level best to maintain a clean-cut image in the media and in her acting roles. She used to refuse offers to pose for pictorials in Playboy magazine, as well as turn down scripts that required nudity. She had a small role in Xanadu (1980), a fantasy musical film.

Rhodes starred in “The Tubes Video,” a 52-minute long-form music video, in the year 1982. She was featured in the video as among the 3 backup dancers for the San Francisco-based rock band ‘The Tubes’ and includes hits like “Mondo Bondage,” “Talk to You Later,” “Sports Fans” and “Sushi Girl.”

She won her 1st non-dance-related role in the 1984 science fiction thriller Runaway of Michael Crichton with Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley, and Tom Selleck. Rhodes’s most prominent role was as Penny Johnson (dance instructor) in “Dirty Dancing” (the hit 1987 motion picture) with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Her last motion picture role was as Vickie Phillips opposite Jameson Parker, in Curse of the Crystal Eye (the sleeper action-adventure movie).

She has also made appearances as a dancer in several music videos such as “The Woman in You,” “Rosanna,” & “Don’t Mean Nothing.” Rhodes was among the pop group Animotion. Their single “Room to Move” from the movie  “My Stepmother Is an Alien” became number 9 on the Billboard charts. It did not take long before the group was disbanded. In the year 2002, Rhodes was the co-writer of “Perfect Day” (a smooth jazz track) along with Richard Marx (her then-husband). When coming to Rhodes education, she is a proud graduate of Glencliff High School.

Cynthia Rhodes Staying Alive

In the year 1983, Rhodes appeared in the Dance/Musical Film “Staying Alive,” which was directed by the famous actor, Sylvester Stallone. The film is a sequel to the 1977 hit movie Saturday Night Fever and it was released on July 15, 1983. Rhodes was cast opposite John Travolta “Tony Manero” in the film, portraying Jackie Cole, who was a bar band singer, an ensemble dancer, and sometimes the love interest of Travolta’s character. Rhodes (Jackie) stars as the girlfriend of Manero. She gets Manero an audition for a daring new show known as “Satan’s Alley.”

Cynthia Rhodes Flashdance

In the year 1983, Rhodes appeared in the Dance/Romance film “Flashdance,” which was released on April 15, 1983. Rhodes portrayed Tina Tech in the film and was a professional dancer.

Cynthia Rhodes Movies / Films

Rhodes has appeared in the following films;

• Curse of the Crystal Eye (1980)  – (portrayed Vickie Phillips)
• Dirty Dancing (1983) – (portrayed Penny Johnson)
• Runaway (1983) – (portrayed Officer Karen Thompson)
• Fantasy Island (1984) – (portrayed Marlise)
• Staying Alive (1984) – (portrayed Jackie Cole)
• Flashdance (1987) – (portrayed Tina Tech)
• Xanadu (1991) – (portrayed Ensemble dancer)