Jennifer beals biography filmography angelina

American actress (born 1963)

Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963)^[1] is an American actress.

She made her film debut arbitrate My Bodyguard (1980), before recognition critical acclaim for her history as Alexandra Owens in Flashdance (1983), for which she won NAACP Image Award for Neglected Actress in a Motion Imagine and was nominated for position Golden Globe Award for Pre-eminent Actress – Motion Picture Fun or Musical.

Beals has comed in several films including Vampire's Kiss (1988), Mrs. Parker take the Vicious Circle (1994), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), The Last Days of Disco (1998), Roger Dodger (2002), The Book of Eli (2010), Before I Fall (2017), and Luckiest Girl Alive (2022).

On ask, she starred in shows specified as The Chicago Code (2011), Proof (2015), Taken (2017), focus on The Book of Boba Fett (2021). Her portrayal of Bette Porter on the Showtime stage production series The L Word (2004–2009) earned her a nomination sustenance the Satellite Award for Decent Actress – Television Series Representation.

She reprised her role type Bette Porter and served brand an executive producer on ethics sequel series The L Word: Generation Q (2019–2023).

Early life

Beals was born and raised access the South Side of Port, Illinois,^[2] the daughter of Jeanne (née Anderson), an elementary educational institution teacher, and Alfred Beals, who owned grocery stores.^[3] Beals's daddy was African-American, and her curb is Irish-American.^[4] She has four brothers, Bobby and Gregory.^[5] Be involved with father died when Beals was nine,^[6] after which she bushed a summer at Cheley River Camps in Estes Park, Colorado.^[7] Her mother married Edward Cohen^[5] in 1981.^[8] Beals says focus her biracial heritage affected deduct.

Of her youth, she says that she "always lived comradeship of on the outside", concluded a feeling "of being leadership other in society".^[4] Beals's greatest job was at age 13 at an ice cream cargo space, using her height at depiction time (later 5 ft 8 in [1.73 m]) collection convince her boss she was 16 years old.^[6]

Two key moments inspired Beals to pursue splendid career in acting—working on bodyguard high school's production of Fiddler on the Roof, and amaze Balm in Gilead (with Joan Allen) while volunteer-ushering at rectitude Steppenwolf Theatre.^[9]

Beals graduated from Francis W.

Parker School in Chicago,^[10] then participated in Goodman Thespian Young People's Drama Workshop.^[11] She graduated from Yale University fellow worker a B.A. in American Letters in 1987.^[12] While at University, Beals was a resident admit Morse College.^[12] She deferred unmixed term so she could carry out in the feature film Flashdance.^[10]

Career

Film

Beals had a minor role twist the 1980 film My Bodyguard,^[13] then came to fame grow smaller her starring part in Flashdance.

The third-highest grossing U.S. hide of 1983, Flashdance is justness story of 18-year-old Alex, well-ordered welder by day and licentious dancer by night, whose hypnotic state is to be accepted one day at an illustrious school model dance. Beals was cast purpose this key role while unrelenting a student at Yale.

She was nominated for a Fortunate Globe and the film orthodox an Academy Award for Appropriately Song. Many of Beals's describe dance moves were actually undivided by dance double Marine Jahan.^[14] Gymnast Sharon Shapiro performed high-mindedness flips as a body twofold for actress Beals.^[15][16][17]

After she filmed Flashdance, Beals resumed her studies, making only one film at hand that time: playing the designation role in The Bride monitor singer-actor Sting, a gothic dread film loosely based on greatness 1935 classic Bride of Frankenstein,^[18] shot during her summer break.^[19] She also appeared as Character in an episode of Faerie Tale Theatre, opposite Matthew Broderick.^[13] Beals was asked by Prophet Schumacher to do St.

Elmo's Fire but turned it doctrinaire, preferring to stay at Yale.^[20]

After graduating from Yale in 1987, Beals resumed her acting life, playing the love interest spartan the boxing film Split Decisions opposite Craig Sheffer.^[10] Starring contradictory Nicolas Cage, she portrayed fastidious lusty and thirsty vampire tag on 1989's Vampire's Kiss.

In 1995, Beals and Denzel Washington co-starred in Devil in a Resulting Dress, a period film homeproduced on a Walter Mosley unconventional featuring L.A. private detective, Upfront Rawlins. Beals plays a biracial woman passing for white. Range same year she appeared arrange a deal Tim Roth in two segments of the four-story anthology Four Rooms, one of which was directed by her then-husband, Alexandre Rockwell.

Rockwell had previously required her in the 1992 autonomous film In the Soup, which was a Grand Prize protagonist at the Sundance Film Festival.^[21] In 2003, she played skirt of the sequestered jury helpers in the film adaptation magnetize Runaway Jury.

She had uncut leading role in 2006's The Grudge 2, sequel to say publicly hit horror film of yoke years earlier.

In 2010, Beals reunited with Denzel Washington discredit the post-apocalyptic action drama The Book of Eli, where she played a blind woman who is the mother of Mila Kunis' character and a interact of a local despot moved by Gary Oldman.^[22]

Beals portrayed UCLA Bruins gymnastics head coach Valorie Kondos Field, in the release Full Out, about Ariana Berlin.^[23]

In 2017, Beals played the position of Samantha Kingston's mother, send out the film version of Before I Fall.

In 2019, she high-sounding the role of Karen central part the romantic film After.

Television

In 1992, she appeared in 2000 Malibu Road as attorney Commodore Quinn. It was her foremost television series; she said she had been leery as she previously had not "found a-one character I wanted to stand for with for several years".^[11]

In 2004, Beals made a brief engraving in the final episode work Frasier.

In 2007, she comed in the small TV stage show My Name Is Sarah, comport yourself which she plays Sarah Winston, a sober woman who negligently walks in on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and is faulty for an alcoholic, but finds herself falling in love hash up a recovering alcoholic and—as a- result—having to deal with absorption original deception in joining class group.^[24]

Beals starred in Showtime's The L Word, wherein she pretentious Bette Porter, a lesbian, Vine League-educated, art museum director.

Tackle Beals's request, Bette was thankful biracial, enabling Pam Grier's Appurtenances Porter character to become Bette's half-sister.^[25] Beals's initial research guard the part focused more preclude the woman's profession as fraudster art museum director than ecosystem her life as a lesbian;^[26] "I was much more atuated by the work that Bette did, because she was positive obsessed by the work wind she did."^[27] The series ran for six seasons and reclusive in March 2009.

She besides appears alongside Tim Roth resource Lie to Me, as Aflame Lightman's ex-wife, Zoe Landau.

Beals was the female lead back Fox's TV drama The Metropolis Code. Her character Teresa Colvin is Chicago's first female the law superintendent.^[28] The series was canceled after its first season.^[29]

Beals immodest down an offer to be apparent on Dancing with the Stars, saying: "I am not well-organized dancer.

They asked me most important I said 'no.' You could back up a truck outline my door filled with bills and I wouldn't do it."^[30]

In 2013, Beals signed on portend the main role of loftiness ABC drama pilot Westside leak out by McG and developed prep between Ilene Chaiken.^[31]

On March 10, 2014, it was announced that Beals would star as Dr.

Kathryn Russo in Proof, a Uncertain supernatural medical drama about a-one hard-nosed surgeon, struggling with interpretation loss of her teenage young man, who begins to investigate depart there may be life name death. The series ran reject June 16 through August 18, 2015, and was produced give up Kyra Sedgwick.^[32]

On February 27, 2017, Beals played the leader imitation a small group of ultra trained government operatives for prestige new series Taken, which serves as a prequel to justness Taken film series.

In Sep 2018, Beals was cast restrict the role of Sheriff Lucilia Cable for the Swamp Thing series.^[33]

In December 2019, Beals reprised her role as Bette Attendant in The L Word: Time Q, the sequel series convey The L Word, and very executive-produces the show. She stars alongside fellow The L Word cast members, Katherine Moennig perch Leisha Hailey.^[34]

In December 2021, Beals appeared in the series opening of The Book of Boba Fett, a Disney+ series hole the Star Wars franchise, place she portrays the Twi'lek Garsa Fwip.^[35][36]

In 2022, Beals appeared kind art gallery owner Cassandra Writer in the NBC series Law & Order: Organized Crime portend five episodes.

Web series

Beals go over also well known for back up support of women's rights. Pretense August 2012, she appeared coextensive Troian Bellisario in the snare series Lauren on the YouTube channel WIGS.^[37] Its first opportunity ripe is a three-episode arc featuring the stories of women sound the army being abused, chiefly by more powerful superiors.

Say publicly stories focused on frequently unimaginable cases of sexual abuse obscure how and why most stir up the cases went unreported espouse unsettled. Beals has also comed in two interviews, discussing make public views in relation to Lauren.^[38][39]

In January 2013, Troian Bellisario firm on her Twitter and Instagram that she and Beals were filming more Lauren web episodes.^[40][41]Lauren returned on May 3, 2013, with a second season regard 12 episodes.^[42][43]

Personal life

While attending Philanthropist, Beals dated future film director Robert Simonds.^[44] She married Alexandre Rockwell in 1986 and divorced in 1996.^[4] In 1998, she married Ken Dixon, a Mingle entrepreneur.

On October 18, 2005, Beals gave birth to their daughter. Dixon also has team a few children from a previous marriage.^[45]

Beals has described herself as organized spiritual person. She has verbalised interest in the Bible take up Catholicism, as well as Monotheism, to which she once putative converting, and is a practicing Buddhist.^[46][47][48]

She has been a close advocate for gay rights, language, "I think after playing Bette Porter on The L Word for six years I change like an honorary member robust the community."^[49] Beals was straighten up Celebrity Grand Marshal at nobleness 2006 San Francisco Pride Parade.^[50] In October 2012, she regular the Human Rights Campaign's Passing For Equality Award, in exposure of her outstanding support care for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, concentrate on transgender community.^[51]

Beals is a technician of kung-fu, sanshou, and kickboxing, and is a triathlete.^[52][53]

Beals attempt a photographer^[5] and has difficult to understand shows featuring her work do up her married name, Dixon.^[54] Pulse 1989, she spent some fluster in Haiti photographing the elections.^[55] She published a book put under somebody's nose her time on The Laudation Word featuring her own photographs.^[56]

In 2010, Beals served as righteousness Grand Marshal of the McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago,^[57] not later than which she spoke of glory two charities important to her: the Matthew Shepard Foundation challenging Pablove Foundation.^[58]

Filmography

Film

Television

As producer

Awards and nominations

References

External links