EXCLUSIVEShe starred in an iconic 1980s teen comedy (and there's a Tom Cruise connection)... can you guess who she is?
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A star of one of the most beloved comedies of the 1980s was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this Thanksgiving week.
She made her big screen debut opposite Tom Cruise in a movie that turned out to be a flop in spite of its legendary director and A-list leading man.
However, one year later at the age of 18, this actress became a famous face all over America thanks to her role in an iconic high school comedy.
In the intervening decades, she has continued featuring in movies, including one this year that saw her cast opposite a major Marvel name.
When she spotted running errands in Los Angeles this week, the now 57-year-old actress sported a stylish short-cropped grey hairdo.
But can you guess who she is?
A star of one of the most beloved comedies of the 1980s was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this Thanksgiving week
Mia Sara, who played the title character's girlfriend in the smash hit 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off, was the actress seen just before Thanksgiving.
She draped her still enviably lithe frame in a fashionable outfit that included a flannel top, sleek black leather boots and a set of leggings to match.
Born Mia Sarapochiello in Brooklyn, she landed her big break aged 16 with the 1985 fantasy film Legend starring her as a princess and Tom Cruise as a man from the woods.
The movie was anchored by Hollywood heavyweights - not just Tom but also director Ridley Scott - and yet turned out to be a flop at the box office.
However, one year later, Mia became recognizable all over the country as Sloane Peterson, the girlfriend of mischievous high school senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick).
Ferris gets his famous day off by pretending to be sick, and manages to get Sloane to join him by feeding the school the fake story that her grandmother has died.
Upon its release, Ferris Bueller's Day Off became a thunderous box office success and remains one of the best-loved high school comedies to emerge from Hollywood.
Shortly after the movie came out, Mia showered praise on both Tom Cruise and Matthew Broderick, whom she noted 'had much more experience' than she did.
It was Mia Sara, who played the title character's girlfriend in the smash hit 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off alongside Matthew Broderick (left)
She landed her big break aged 16 with Ridley Scott's 1985 fantasy film Legend starring her as a princess and Tom Cruise as a man from the woods
When she spotted running errands in Los Angeles this week, the now 57-year-old actress sported a stylish short-cropped grey hairdo
She continued acting on TV Programs like CSI: NY and movies like Dorothy & The Witches of Oz until 2013, when she took a hiatus that ultimately lasted longer than a decade
'Tom was dedicated and I learned a lot of good work habits from him. And I respected Matt because I had seen him on Broadway. He was one of my favorites,' she told UPI.
In the 1990s she featured in such movies as the Melanie Griffith drama A Stranger Among Us - directed by Sidney Lumet of 12 Angry Men fame - as well as the smash hit Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie Timecop.
She continued acting on TV Programs like CSI: NY and movies like Dorothy & The Witches of Oz until 2013, when she took a hiatus that ultimately lasted longer than a decade.
As early as 2010, she had remarked that she was 'mostly retired' as she had become a 'mother with a really noisy, difficult house to maintain!'
The New York native also noted: 'I'm a poet, so for the last couple of years that's what I've been focusing on,' in an interview with Total Film.
Mia now has a daughter called Amelia, 19, by her second and current husband Brian Henson, who is the son of The Muppets creator Jim Henson
Mia now has a daughter called Amelia, 19, by her second and current husband Brian Henson, who is the son of The Muppets creator Jim Henson.
She also has a 27-year-old son called Dashiell by her first husband Jason Connery, whose father was none other than James Bond legend Sean Connery.
After 11 years away from the movies, she mounted her grand return this year in the science fiction drama The Life Of Crank, based on a novella by Stephen King.
Mia features amid a star-studded cast including Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mark Hamil, Jacob Tremblay, Karen Gillan and Nick Offerman.
The movie earned a warm response from the critics when it premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, and will be out in theaters next summer.
