Gremlins star Phoebe Cates is unrecognisable after quitting showbiz 38 years on from hit horror film

GREMLINS first graced our screens almost four decades ago and the majority of its cast look completely unrecognisable since filming. 

The horror-comedy, which first aired in 1984, centred around Billy and his new pet, who Billy’s dad brings back from China with three specific rules that he must obey.

However, when Billy doesn’t follow the instructions, it creates major problems as an array of monsters are released.

Phoebe Cates was a fantastic addition to the Gremlins cast when she took on the role of Kate Beringer. 

Before appearing in the film, Phoebe had an established acting profile thanks to her role as Linda Barrett in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

After Gremlins, Phoebe continued acting throughout the '80s and some of the '90s.

She reprised her role as Kate in Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990, but decided to retire from acting in 1994.

Since then, Phoebe, now 58, has only participated in two acting roles.

In 2001, she appeared in The Anniversary Party as Sophia Gold and also lent her voice to the hugely popular video game Lego Dimensions.

She later dusted off her role as Kate Beringer to reprise it for the third time.