# Cynthia Rhodes
**Cynthia Rhodes** (born 1956) is an American retired actress, singer, and dancer best known for playing dance instructor Penny Johnson in *Dirty Dancing* (1987), Tina Tech in *Flashdance* (1983), Jackie in *Staying Alive* (1983), and officer Karen Thompson in *Runaway* (1984). She left screen acting after her 1989 marriage to the singer [Richard Marx](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-marx), with her final film appearing in 1991.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) • [2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956, Nashville, Tennessee[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) |
| First screen work | Ensemble dancer in *Xanadu* (1980) and *One from the Heart* (1982)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) |
| Signature role | Penny Johnson, Patrick Swayze's dance partner in *Dirty Dancing* (1987), a film that grossed nearly $214 million on a $6 million budget[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) • [2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) |
| Music career | Member of the pop group Animotion, singing on "Room to Move" and "Calling It Love"; dancer in videos including Toto's "Rosanna"[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) |
| Marriage | Married singer Richard Marx in January 1989; divorced in 2014 after twenty-five years; three sons[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) |
| Last film | *Curse of the Crystal Eye* (1991)[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) |
## Early life and start in show business
Rhodes was born in [Nashville, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/nashville-tennessee), to Adrian and Edna Rhodes, was raised Baptist, and attended Glencliff High School.[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) She began her professional career as a singer and dancer at Opryland, U.S.A., the Nashville theme park, in the early 1970s, and branched into television while still working there.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) Before her film career she also worked as a dancer for the rock band [The Tubes](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-tubes).[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php)
## Screen career
**Musical and dance films.** Rhodes made her film debut as an ensemble dancer in *Xanadu* (1980) and appeared in [Francis Ford Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-ford-coppola)'s *One from the Heart* (1982).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) After a small role as Tina Tech in the surprise hit *Flashdance* (1983), she landed one of the female leads opposite [John Travolta](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-travolta) in *Staying Alive* (1983), [Sylvester Stallone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sylvester-stallone)'s sequel to *Saturday Night Fever* (1977).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) *Flashdance* grossed more than $200 million on a budget of $7 million, and *Staying Alive* grossed nearly $65 million on a budget of $22 million, though both films drew heavy criticism.[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) In *Flashdance* she dances the "Manhunt" number, and a film choreography analysis notes that she is a trained gymnast as well as a dancer.[3](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2009-05-29-analysing-the-choreography-of-flashdance-feature-story-by-chris)
**Non-musical roles.** Her first non-musical part came as [Tom Selleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-selleck)'s partner, officer Karen Thompson, in [Michael Crichton](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-crichton)'s science-fiction film *Runaway* (1984).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/)**Dirty Dancing.** Her most notable role was Penny Johnson, the resident dance instructor at a Catskills resort and [Patrick Swayze](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-swayze)'s partner, in *Dirty Dancing* (1987), directed by Emile Ardolino.[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) In the story, Penny's pregnancy is what opens the way for Jennifer Grey's character Baby to take her place in the dance program.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) The film grossed nearly $214 million on a $6 million budget and won an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy.[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) A 2023 retrospective on *Flashdance* noted that Rhodes, as the supporting actress in that film, connects it to *Dirty Dancing* in the line of 1980s dance movies.[4](https://www.newedgetimes.com/what-an-80s-feeling-flashdance-turns-40/)
Her final screen credit was *Curse of the Crystal Eye* (1991).[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php)
## Music and music videos
As a singer she was a member of the pop group Animotion, performing on the songs "Room to Move" and "Calling It Love".[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php)
## Retirement and personal life
Rhodes met Richard Marx in 1983, when he was about twenty years old; they began dating two years later and married in January 1989.[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide)'s profile states that she has seemingly retired from screen acting since that marriage.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/) The couple divorced in 2014 after twenty-five years of marriage.[2](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php)
## References
1. [Cynthia Rhodes – Actress, Singer, Dancer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/cynthia-rhodes/)
2. [Cynthia Rhodes Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/cynthia-rhodes-33665.php)
3. [Analysing the choreography of Flashdance, Eye For Film](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2009-05-29-analysing-the-choreography-of-flashdance-feature-story-by-chris)
4. [What an '80s Feeling: 'Flashdance' Turns 40, New Edge Times](https://www.newedgetimes.com/what-an-80s-feeling-flashdance-turns-40/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Q to Ri*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license