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Pam Grier (left), Cybill Shepherd, Mia Kirshner and Katherine Moennig are all return players in ‘The L Word's’ fifth season, hitting Showtime on Jan. 6. (Photos by Paul Michaud/Showtime)
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When Kelly McGillis guest stars on the fifth season of “The L Word” she is joining a long list of actresses who were famous in the past and used the lesbian drama to give their careers a boost. Here are some others and the roles that made them famous.
Jennifer Beals: Everyone remembers that Beals played a struggling dancer in her 1983 debut “Flashdance,” but few remember that she played a struggling alcoholic in the short-lived ’90s soap opera “2000 Malibu Road” alongside a then-struggling Drew Barrymore.
Pam Grier: Before “The L Word,” Quentin Tarantino rescued Grier from obscurity with his movie “Jackie Brown,” a role reminiscent of her blaxploitation heyday in films like “Coffy,” “Foxy Brown” and “Black Mama, White Mama.”
Marlee Matlin: She won an Oscar for her first role in 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God,” but she was soon starring in TV shows like “Reasonable Doubts,” “The West Wing” and even an episode of “Seinfeld.”
Cybill Shepherd: Her sitcom “Cybill” was a gay favorite, and her role as a P.I. on “Moonlighting” made her an ’80s icon, but her first acclaim was for her debut as scheming high school student Jacy in 1971’s “The Last Picture Show,” which also included her first nude scene. |
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HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > FEATURE
By: BRIAN MOYLAN COMMENTS
 
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a military attorney who Chaiken describes as “very tough and hard bitten with a few peccadilloes of her own.” Davis is played by Kelly McGillis, a major star in the ’80s with lead roles in “Witness,” “Top Gun” and “The Accused.” McGillis is just the latest actress to revitalize her career with a turn on the show (see sidebar).
Another surprising guest star this year is Clementine Ford who will play Molly Kroll, Phyllis’ daughter. The surprise is that Ford is Cybill Shepherd’s real-life daughter.
Just when everyone was starting to get bored with homebody Shane, the character is back to her old tricks and a bigger player than ever. And this year, she’s the only player on the show.
“Papi never really gave Shane a run for her money,” Chaiken says about the character from the fourth season, played by Janina Gavankar, who won’t be returning this year. “We were just finished with that story. She was great to have for season four, but we weren’t inclined to tell any more stories about her.”
That said, Chaiken isn’t ready to bow out after five good seasons of the show. “I don’t feel out of stories, I don’t feel that ‘The L Word’ is spent,” she says. “I’m still interested in these characters and these stories and there is not really another show out there telling these stories, so I’d like it not to go away just yet.”
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