Who Is The Girl In Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom?
For those who have seen "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" — the fifth and final chapter in the "Indiana Jones" saga — the film keys in once again the tumultuous relationship between Indy (Harrison Ford) and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). But since 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" takes place before 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in the Indiana Jones Timeline, Indy's first film romance — or at least flirtations of a romance — came with the spunky showgirl Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw).
Directed by Steven Spielberg, "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom" is set in 1935, a year before the events of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Unlike Marion, Willie's pairing with Indy was by pure accident. The film begins with Willie singing the classic Cole Porter song "Anything Goes," which serves as a foreshadowing of the adventure the story has in store.
After a razzle-dazzle opening sequence in Club Obi-Wan where Indy was poisoned by his nemesis, Loa Che (Roy Chiao), the adventurous archaeologist leaps from one of the windows of the club with Willie because she secured the antidote to save his life. But instead of parting ways, Indy and Willie are joined by Indy's young associate Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) for a grand adventure that takes them to India and a frightening encounter with the villainous Thuggee high priest Mola Ram (Amrish Puri).
While Willie was one of Capshaw's first film roles, it was hardly her last cinematic adventure. Here's a look at the life and highlights of the screen work of Capshaw after she joined the cast of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and instantly became a part of film history.
1984 was Capshaw's breakthrough year with four films
Born Kathleen Sue Nail on November 3, 1953, Nail attended college at the University of Missouri, where met and married fellow student Robert Capshaw in 1976. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980.
Kate Capshaw's screen career also kicked off in 1981, when she originated and played the character Jinx Avery Mallory for over 30 episodes in the ABC daytime drama "The Edge of Night." Capshaw's breakthrough in the film business came in 1984 with major roles in four films, beginning with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." A supporting turn in the Eddie Murphy and Dudley Moore comedy "Best Defense" followed, along with lead turns opposite Dennis Quaid in the sci-fi adventure "Dreamscape," and John Shea in the romantic drama "Windy City."
In a 1984 interview with PM Magazine, Capshaw recalled how she was traveling with her then-boyfriend back from a magazine photo shoot in the desert when the sudden tidal wave of fame hit her in the wake of success of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."
"We were in the backseat of the car and looking at the Sunday Times and just catching up on the weekend, and it's very quiet and he puts his paper down and looks at me and he goes, 'Katie, do you realize that in a few months, millions of people will have seen you?'" Capshaw told PM Magazine. "And I was reading my newspaper and I went, 'Ohhhh' and I just burst into tears. The tears were streaming down my face ... I think that's a true response [to fame] — you're either giggling or crying, but that's how I feel."
Capshaw's career kept roaring through the late '80s and '90s
Following her banner year in theaters in 1984, Kate Capshaw's good fortunes continued throughout the last half of the '80s with roles in such hit films as the 1986 drama "Power" opposite Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, and Richard Gere; and the sci-fi family film "SpaceCamp," starring alongside Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, and Leaf Phoenix — the first name the actor used before changing it back to his Joaquin in 1995.
Capshaw wrapped up the decade with a major supporting turn in the 1989 crime drama "Black Rain," starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia. The film was especially a thrill for Capshaw in that she worked with iconic director Ridley Scott. "Ridley is, aside from having one of the greatest visions ... cinematically, he is a very gentle director to work with," Capshaw told interviewer Bobbie Wygant in 1989. "He's very intense and he's, you know, always thinking, and you know, figuring out what to do next ... for a director who is very visual, he had a very good [sense] of communication with the actors."
The '90s brought more high-profile opportunities to Capshaw, including a role in the Warren Beatty-Annette Bening romantic comedy drama "Love Affair" in 1994. The next year, Capshaw starred opposite Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne in the crime thriller "Just Cause," and Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, and Anne Bancroft in the romantic drama "How to Make an American Quilt."
Capshaw has been married for more than 30 years to Spielberg
As the '90s drew to a close, Kate Capshaw only would appear in a few more films, and officially wrapped up her acting career in 2002 with the television movie drama "Due East." While Capshaw hasn't appeared on screen in more than 20 years, she remains a prominent figure in Hollywood because of her marriage to Steven Spielberg.
While Capshaw and Spielberg worked together on 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," their professional relationship blossomed into a personal one and the two married on October 12, 1991. Counting their birth children, adoptions and children from previous marriages, Kate Capshaw and Spielberg have seven children combined: Jessica Capshaw, as well as Max, Theo, Sasha, Sawyer, Mikaela, and Destry Spielberg.
While Kate Capshaw has been retired from acting for more than two decades, she still remains close to the industry and has frequently appeared on television as an audience member or presenter at awards shows like the Oscars.