In 1995, Pfeiffer starred in Up Close & Personal, a romantic drama loosely based on the life of journalist Jessica Savitch, opposite Robert Redford. She also produced and starred in A Thousand Acres, a drama based on the novel by Jane Smiley, which was a modern retelling of King Lear, where she played the eldest of three sisters who inherit their father’s farm. She received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actress for her role.
In 1996, Pfeiffer lent her voice to the animated film The Prince of Egypt, where she played Tzipporah, the wife of Moses. She also starred in The Deep End of the Ocean, a drama based on the novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard, where she played a mother whose son is kidnapped and returns nine years later. She received a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress in a Drama for her role.
In 1997, Pfeiffer starred in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a comedy based on the play by William Shakespeare, where she played Titania, the queen of the fairies. She also starred in The Story of Us, a romantic comedy with Bruce Willis, where they played a married couple who decide to separate after 15 years. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role. She also produced and starred in The Deep End of the Ocean, a drama based on the novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard, where she played a mother whose son is kidnapped and returns nine years later. She received a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress in a Drama for her role.
2000s: Selective Roles and Hiatus
Pfeiffer began the new millennium with a starring role in What Lies Beneath, a supernatural thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis, opposite Harrison Ford. She played Claire Spencer, a woman who suspects that her husband is having an affair and that their house is haunted by a ghost. The film was a box office hit and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Pfeiffer’s performance but criticized the plot and the direction. She also received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress for her role.
