"Pretty Woman" Roles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ralph Bellamy

Ralph Bellamy's acting career began in 1931 and fifty-nine years later "Pretty Women" was his final performance. He was to die in 1991 at age 87 with more than 90 film credits to his name. He portrayed Jim Morse, the owner of the troubled shipbuilding company that was the target of the corporate raider.

Here's a relevant quote from the film:

[Edward and Vivian dining with David and James Morse.]
Edward: "Mr. Morse, you asked for this meeting. What can I do for you?"
James Morse: "Leave my company alone."

Answer: Héctor Elizondo

Once the hotel manager, Barnard Thompson, discovered that Vivian was associated with their valuable customer Edward Lewis, he decided to treat Vivian as if she were Edward's niece. He helped her acquire her wardrobe after her earlier failed attempt.

Vivian: "I got a dress."
Barney: "Well, I'd rather hoped you'd be wearing it."

Of Puerto Rican heritage, American actor Héctor Elizondo portrayed the hotel manager at the Regent Beverly Wiltshire Hotel who also helped Vivian learn some table etiquette. With an award-winning career starting in the early 1960s in film, TV and theatre, his role as Dr. Phillip Watters in the TV medical drama series "Chicago Hope" (1994-2000) was perhaps his best known.

Answer: Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts starred opposite Richard Gere in this iconic romantic comedy. Portraying the Hollywood prostitute Vivian, she entered into a business arrangement with Gere's character which morphed into a romantic relationship. She was the cast member with the most awards and nominations for her performance.

[Edward pulls up in a Lotus Esprit to ask for directions]
[...]
Edward: "You can't charge me for directions."
Vivian: "I can do anything I want to, baby. I ain't lost."

Answer: Laura San Giacomo

Vivian's roommate and wise-cracking best friend was Kit De Luca (portrayed by Laura San Giacomo). An example of her character was when she went to speak to Vivian at the hotel.

Barney: [on the phone] "It's Barnard Thompson here, Miss Vivian. Could you come down to the front desk? There's someone here who wants to speak to you. She says her name is Miss De Luca."
Kit: [to Barney] "Lemme talk to her. Lemme-lemme just talk to her."
Kit: [with the phone] "Yo, Viv, babe. Would you come down here? The sphincter police won't let me through."

Laura San Giacomo's first credited film was the 1989 film "Sex, Lies and Videotape" for which she was nominated for various awards. "Pretty Woman" came next however she is possibly best known for her role as Maya Gallo in the TV sitcom "Just Shoot Me!" (1997-2003).

Answer: Richard Gere

Richard Gere portrayed the second romantic lead. He was the wealthy corporate raider Edward Lewis who hired Vivian to be his escort for the week while he was pursuing his next business target. At one point he flew Vivian by private jet to see an opera in San Francisco. After watching the performance, the following conversation took place:

Old Lady: "Did you enjoy the opera, dear?"
Vivian: "Oh, it was so good, I almost peed my pants!"
Old Lady: "What?"
Edward: "She said she liked it better than 'Pirates of Penzance'."

Gere's career has been mostly in film from 1975 with occasional forays into TV, such as the 2019 British thriller series "MotherFatherSon" and the 2024 spy thriller series "The Agency".

Answer: Elinor Donahue

Vivian had two shopping experiences of note. The first saw an unnamed snobbish saleswoman (portrayed by Dey Young) refuse to serve Vivian. The second was set up by the hotel manager Barny in advance. This woman was his friend Bridget portrayed by Elinor Donahue. One snippet of conversation went:

Vivian: "Bridge? He's not really my uncle."
Bridget: "They never are, dear."

Elinor Donahue achieved stardom through her role as Betty Anderson, the elder daughter in the TV family series "Father Knows Best" (1954 - 1960). TV was her main medium although she also appeared in films from 1943 with "Pretty Woman" being her second last.

Answer: Jason Alexander

Philip Stuckey (portrayed by Jason Alexander) was Edward Lewis' corporate lawyer, who saw Vivian as a problem when Edward appeared to lose his predator focus. At the beginning of the film, Edward's limo is blocked in so he asks to borrow Philip's expensive sports car, a Lotus Esprit. Philip comes across as a bit reluctant to lend the vehicle. Speaking afterwards:

Edward: "Oh, by the way, Phil! About your car."
Philip: "Oh, God. What?"
Edward: "It corners like it's on rails."

Jason Alexander gained star status for his role as George Constanza in the sitcom "Seinfield" (1989-1998). He has appeared since 1981 in many films, in TV series and on stage.

Answer: Alex Hyde-White

Alex Hyde-White had a minor part in the film as David Morse, a grandson of Jim Morse being groomed to take over the business. The actor was notable for being one of the last of the contract players with Universal Pictures. In the Golden Age of Hollywood (1927-1948) film production was dominated by a few studios who used contracts to secure their acting talent.

Perhaps Hyde-White's most notable film project saw him portray Reed Richards (a.k.a. Mr Fantastic) in the superhero film "The Fantastic Four" (1994). The film was not officially released although pirated copies became available. This low-budget film was produced so that Bernd Eichinger could keep the film rights to Marvel Comics flagship comic series. He bought into them decades before the main Marvel Comics films started appearing. Hyde-White was to make a cameo appearance in the 2025 reboot "The Fantastic Four: First Steps".

Answer: Amy Yasbeck

Stuckey's wife Elizabeth (played by Amy Yasbeck) was a minor character in the film. At times she had problems getting her husband's attention as, for example, in this exchange:

Elizabeth: "Philip, I'm gonna rip off all my clothes and do a naked belly dance for the polo players."
Philip: [distracted] "Have fun."

Amy Yasbeck is an American actress best known for her role as Casey (Chappel) Davenport from Season 6 on the TV sitcom "Wings" (1994-1997). Her real-life partner John Ritter portrayed her on-screen husband Stuart Davenport, although he abandoned her in the series. Ritter died in 2003 with Yasbeck pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital and doctors involved.

Answer: Judith Baldwin

We meet an ex-girlfriend of Edward's early in the film at a party. The following gives a flavour of the kind of relationship they had had:

Edward: "When you and I were dating, did you speak to my secretary more than you spoke to me?"
Susan: "She was one of my bridesmaids."

Susan was portrayed by American actress Judith Baldwin. She has appeared in both film and TV, mostly in the occasional episode rather than as a main character. An exception was her role as Beth Logan in the long-running "The Bold and the Beautiful" soap opera. She introduced the character but left the series after 27 episodes. Nancy Burnett took over that role.