Shields began her professional career at only eleven months of age when she was selected as the Ivory Snow Baby, and by age 3 was a runway model. Since that time she has graced the covers of hundreds of magazines ? most notably Time magazine as the Face of the Eighties, and Life magazine on three separate occasions. Shields continues to be featured in publications worldwide and in recent product endorsements such as Ivory.

At age 9, Shields won her first acting role in Holy Terror and went on to star in Louis Malles? Pretty Baby, the Palme D?or Award winner at the Cannes Film Festival, and Franco Zeferilli?s Blue Lagoon. She has worked with such film greats as Susan Sarandon, Shelly Winters, Henry and Peter Fonda, George Burns, Charles Durning, and Hal Holbrook. Currently, Shields has starring roles in the soon to be released films: The Weekend with Gena Rowlands, Black and White with Robert Downey Jr., The Bachelor with Chris O?Donnell, and After Sex.
While at Princeton University, where Shields was an honors graduate, she pursued her love for the theatre, and after graduation made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the hit musical Grease earning the Theatre World Award in 1994 for Outstanding Debut on Broadway.

Shields has received numerous awards and accolades. In 1997 and 1998 she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series ? Musical or Comedy, and was also nominated for The American Comedy Awards? Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series ? Leading Role. She won five People?s Choice Awards ? Favorite Young Performer in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 and Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series in 1997. In 1999 Shields received the Genii Award for Outstanding Success in Television, Stellar Achievements in Television Performances and Good Citizenship in the Television Community. The actress also is the proud recipient of the First Annual Fun, Fearless, Female Award from Cosmopolitan magazine.Shields is the author of The Brooke Book and On Your Own. In addition to her professional career, she continues to be a strong advocate for children?s rights and literacy.