Brooke Adams was educated at the prestigious New York High School for the Performing Arts and the School of the American Ballet in New York. Starting her career on the stage while still a juvenile, her film career took off when she became an adult with a well-received performance, opposite Richard Gere and Sam Shepard, in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven. Although she has starred in Philip Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and repeated her off-Broadway role in the film version of Kevin Wade's romantic comedy Key Exchange, her recent work has gotten sidetracked to mostly horror films and supernatural thrillers. She is married to actor Tony Shalhoub.
Turned down offer to be one of the original Charlie's Angels. Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1978" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 30. Sister of actress Lynne Adams. She adopted a daughter Josie (b. 1989) and has a daughter Sophie (b. 1993) with husband Tony Shalhoub. Met husband Tony Shalhoub in 1988 when performing together on Broadway in "The Heidi Chronicles". Sister-in-law of Michael Shalhoub. On stage at age 6 and on TV at 16.