Stepmother to her husband, Ken Dixon's, two children.

Gave birth to her first child, a girl, in October, 2005.

In Flashdance (1983), the birth date filled out in the application form is her actual birth date in real life.

While still a teenager, before she went into show business, she worked as a babysitter for one of her neighbors - Steve Edwards.

Is a close friend of Quentin Tarantino. He often stayed at her home while struggling as an director before making Pulp Fiction.

In the film The Anniversary Party (2001), Beals plays a character who takes photographs of performers which she then gives away, usually to the subjects of the photos. Beals actually does this.

Spouse: Ken Dixon (14 June 1998 - present) 1 child; Alexandre Rockwell (1986 - 1996) (divorced)

In Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), she plays a woman passing for white who is actually the daughter of an interracial couple. In real life, this is Beals`s racial background, too.

Film debut was in the 1980 film, My Bodyguard (1980), in which she is uncredited.

Turned down the opportunity to play herself in "It`s Like, You Know..." (1999).

She put her career on hold to graduate from Yale.

While at Yale, she was classmates with David Duchovny, who suggested her for a part on "The X Files" (1993) (which went to Gillian Anderson).

Has an African-American father and an Irish mother.

In Flashdance (1983), the birth date that she fills out on the application form is her actual birth date in real life.

Good friends with Elizabeth Berkley. The each appeared in a Joe Eszterhas-written film (Berkley: Showgirls (1995); Beals: Flashdance (1983)), and they appeared together in Roger Dodger (2002).

She and her character on The L Word, Bette Porter, are both Yale graduates with an African-American father and a Caucasian mother.

Was offered the part of Apollonia for Purple Rain, which starred 80s music star Prince. She turned it down because she wanted to concentrate on college.

Worked at Baskin-Robbins as a teenager.

She was the original choice for the lead role in Pretty in Pink, but it went to Molly Ringwald.

Is a close friend of Quentin Tarantino. He often stayed at her home while struggling as a director before making Pulp Fiction.

Daughter of Alfred Beals (an African-American grocery store owner) and Jeanne Cohen (an Irish elementary school teacher).