Brooke's mother and father divorced when she was an infant. Though Teri raised her, she told The Sunday Times that she always wanted her businessman father to "be proud of [her]."
In fact, both the art of acting and Frank were Brooke's lifelines in the midst of her momager mother's lifelong battle with alcohol addiction. Teri's unpredictable behavior eventually led to emotional abuse.
"Making movies was always my safety net," she told the publication.
Teri allowed Brooke to pose nude for a Playboy publication at age 10 (yes, really), play a child sex worker at age 11 (a role that saw her endure grueling 12-to-15-hour workdays, painful antique footwear, and nine consecutive slaps across the face at the hands of costar Susan Sarandon), and lead other films boasting sexual themes (The Blue Lagoon, Endless Love). However, Frank disapproved of these decisions but never vocalized his displeasure.
Brooke told The Sunday Times that her father was deep "in denial."
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When Brooke was accepted into Princeton University in 1983, her father was shocked. According to Brooke, he said, "I can't believe you turned out so well."
After a years-long battle with prostate cancer, Frank Shields died in 2003. He was just 61 years old.
As Brooke went into labor with her daughter Rowan Francis that same year (Frank died just weeks before Brooke gave birth), she wore her father's ring displaying the family crest on a chain around her neck.
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