Mimi Rogers (born Miriam Spickler, January 27, 1956 in Coral Gables, Florida) is an American movie actress and
competitive poker player.
Her breakthrough role was opposite Tom Berenger in Someone to Watch Over Me (1987). Since then, her career has largely been focused on independent films, most notably the controversial The Rapture (1991). Although she continues to do independent films, Rogers is certainly not averse to Hollywood. She has appeared in sci-fi films such as Lost in Space (1998), as well as the cult television series The X-Files (1998-99). She also appeared as the mother of Elizabeth Hurley's character in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). She was also in the television show The Geena Davis Show.
Famous for her voluptuous physique (38DD-26-36 according to Celebrity Sleuth magazine), she was fully nude for virtually the entire 93 minutes of Full Body Massage (1995), which, for some, remains her most indelible role. Also notable was her nude scene at the age of 48 in The Door in the Floor written by John Irving. As well as her nude roles as an actress, in March 1993 she did a nude layout (and an interview) in Playboy magazine.
Her father was Jewish and a Holocaust survivor, while her mother was Christian. Rogers later became a member of the Church of Scientology. Her first husband, Jim Rogers, was also a Scientologist. They were married from 1977
until 1980. Her second husband was actor Tom Cruise; they were married from 1987 until 1990. She introduced Cruise to Scientology. According to Tilman Hauser's list of Scientology celebrities, Rogers' status in the church is unknown, but it is believed that she is no longer active but still retains many of the beliefs. She also led others besides Cruise to the church, including Sonny Bono and football player John Brodie, for whom she served as auditor.
She is presently involved with producer Chris Ciaffa; they have two children, Lucy and Charles.
Having played high stakes poker as a teenager, she took up competitive poker in 2003, and finished in the money in her first major tournament at the World Poker Tour's 240 player Shooting Stars main event No-Limit Texas hold 'em tournament in San Jose, California on March 4, 2004. She is also in the board of directors of the World Poker Tour. She is currently in a new sitcom on Fox called The Loop.
It's fair to say that after 20 years and over 50 film appearances, Mimi Rogers should be praised for her variety of roles and acting capabilities, not for a brief marriage to a Hollywood star. In the early 1980s she began to carve a niche for herself in Hollywood, appearing on television and in films. It was her role in Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) that got her noticed and was her springboard to stardom. Cemented by a marriage to Tom Cruise, an already established young actor, Mimi went on to appear in Hider in the House (1989), Desperate Hours (1990) and The Doors (1991). After her marriage to Cruise ended in 1990, she appeared in a controversial movie analyzing religion in America. The Rapture (1991), directed by Michael Tolkin, proved a hit and delighted audiences, creating many a debate over the film's subject material. She played a bored telephone exchange operator who swaps a sinful life of sex and swinging with other couples for a devout religious one, ending unexpectedly in disaster. A subsequent photo spread and interview in Playboy magazine in 1993 provided fans with an insight into her life with Cruise and her film career so far. Despite her successes, few meaty, interesting roles came her way in the '90s. Shooting Elizabeth (1992), opposite Jeff Goldblum, the family movie Monkey Trouble (1994), Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog (1995) and Full Body Massage (1995) (TV) were just a few of the films that she appeared in. Working consistently, she rejuvenated her career in the unexpected hit Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), playing Miss Kensington, an attractive female agent of 1960s London and the mother of Elizabeth Hurley's character. Next Mimi was seen in the big-screen remake of the '60s sci-fi TV series Lost in Space (1998) and several guest appearances on the hugely popular television series "The X Files" (1993), playing a scheming FBI agent. A role in the Canadian indie-horror Ginger Snaps (2000) did her career no harm. Soon she was opposite Geena Davis in "The Geena Davis Show" (2000) from 2000-01 and playing an extremely rich Manhattan socialite in the direct-to-video Cruel Intentions 2 (2000) (V).
More recently Mimi has appeared on cable television, including leading roles in Charms for the Easy Life (2002) (TV) (which she also executive produced) and Cave In (2003) (TV) (a true-life disaster drama in which she played the Chief Superintendent of a mine). In 2004 she gave a revealing performance in The Door in the Floor (2004), a critical success. "The Loop" (2006), a Chicago-based sitcom, will soon be airing in America, featuring Mimi as a flirtatious office worker. Also in 2006 Mimi will be appearing in an original horror film, Penny Dreadful (2006), playing a psychiatrist in peril. In 2003 she married her longtime partner Chris Ciaffa, with whom she had a daughter in 1995. A poker novice, Mimi also travels around competing in tournaments, some televised. A lengthy filmography and critically praised acting reveal that there is far more to Mimi Rogers than a celebrity marriage. At the age of fifty she is still one of the busiest actresses in Hollywood, and looking as good as ever.
