This fresh-faced, tall blonde lead literally soared to fame as "Supergirl" (1983). Slater later turned in creditable performances in "The Legend of Billie Jean" (1985), as a youth unjustly accused of murder, and "Ruthless People" (1986), as a ditsy kidnapper. After stalling a bit in such mild fare as "Sticky Fingers" (1988) and "Happy Together" (1989), Slater enjoyed her biggest popular success to date in "City Slickers" (1991) as the one female member of the big cattle drive. Her subsequent feature work was in generally forgettable fare, except for the family film "Lassie" (1994).

On the small screen, Slater made her debut as a suicidal teen in the "ABC Afterschool Special" entitled "Amy and the Angel" (1982). She attempted a regular berth on the short-lived ABC drama "Capital News" (1990), as a novice newspaper reporter. Slater, who was also in the cast of Linda Yellen's improvisational TV-movies "Chantilly Lace" (Showtime, 1993) and "Parallel Lives" (Showtime, 1994), has continued to act onstage.