Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963, height 5' 8½" (1,74 m)) is an American actress and a former teen model. She is known for her roles as Alexandra "Alex" Owens in the 1983 film Flashdance, and as Bette Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word. She earned an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for the former. She has appeared in more than 50 films. Beals was born on the South Side of Chicago, the daughter of Jeanne (née Anderson), an elementary school teacher, and Alfred Beals, who owned grocery stores. She is multiracial; her father was African American, and her mother is Irish American. She has two brothers, Bobby and Gregory.Her father died when Beals was nine years old, and her mother married Edward Cohen in 1981. Beals has said her biracial heritage had some effect on her, as she "always lived sort of on the outside", with an idea "of being the other in society". She got her first job at age 13 at an ice cream store, using her height at the time (she is now nearly 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)), to convince her boss she was 16. Beals was inspired to become an actress by two events: doing a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof and seeing Balm in Gilead with Joan Allen while volunteer-ushering at the Steppenwolf Theatre. Beals graduated from the progressive Francis W. Parker School. She also was chosen to attend the elite Goodman Theatre Young People's Drama Workshop. Beals attended Yale University, receiving a B.A. in American literature in 1987; she deferred a term so she could film Flashdance. While at Yale, Beals was a resident of Morse College. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jennifer Beals, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2022 · Luckiest Girl Alive as Lolo Vincent
- 2021 · The Book of Boba Fett as Garsa Fwip
- 2021 · Law & Order: Organized Crime as Cassandra Webb
- 2019 · The L Word: Generation Q as Bette Porter
- 2019 · Swamp Thing as Lucilia Cable
- 2019 · After as Karen Gibson
- 2018 · The White Orchid as Vivian
- 2017 · Before I Fall as Mrs. Kingston
- 2017 · Taken as Christina Hart
- 2016 · Manhattan Night as Lisa Wren
- 2015 · Full Out as Valorie Kondos-Field
- 2015 · Proof as Dr. Carolyn Tyler
- 2014 · A Wife's Nightmare as Liz
- 2014 · The Night Shift as Dr. Syd Jennings
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self - Guest
- 2014 · Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- 2013 · Cinemanovels as Clementine
- 2013 · A Fuller Life as Self - Reader (segment "Crime Reporter")
- 2013 · Motive as Sophia Balfour
- 2011 · The Chicago Code as Teresa Colvin
- 2010 · The Night Before the Night Before Christmas as Angela Fox
- 2010 · A Night for Dying Tigers as Melanie
- 2010 · The Book of Eli as Claudia
- 2009 · Queen to Play as L’Américaine
- 2009 · Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- 2009 · Castle as Sophia Turner
- 2009 · Lie to Me as Zoe Landau
- 2007 · My Name Is Sarah as Sarah Winston
- 2006 · Troubled Waters as FBI Agent Beck
- 2006 · The Grudge 2 as Trish Kimble
- 2005 · Desolation Sound as Elizabeth Storey
- 2005 · Break a Leg as Juliet
- 2005 · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- 2004 · Catch That Kid as Molly Phillips
- 2004 · Best Week Ever as
- 2004 · The L Word as Bette Porter
- 2003 · Runaway Jury as Vanessa Lembeck
- 2002 · They Shoot Divas, Don't They? as Sloan McBride
- 2002 · 13 Moons as Suzi
- 2002 · Roger Dodger as Sophie
- 2001 · Out of Line as Officer Jenny Capitanas
- 2001 · Feast of All Saints as Dolly Rose
- 2001 · The Anniversary Party as Gina Taylor
- 2000 · Something More as Lisa
- 2000 · Militia as Julie Sanders
- 2000 · Body and Soul as Gina
- 2000 · A House Divided as Amanda Dickson
- 2000 · Without Malice as Samantha Wilkes
- 1999 · Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying as Jessica
- 1999 · Wishful Thinking as Elizabeth
- 1999 · Where Are They Now? as Self
- 1998 · The Last Days of Disco as Nina
- 1998 · The Spree as Xinia Kelly
- 1998 · The Prophecy II as Valerie Rosales
- 1997 · Nothing Sacred as Justine Madsen Judd
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1997 · The Hunger as Jane
- 1996 · The Twilight of the Golds as Suzanne Stein
- 1996 · E! True Hollywood Story as
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1995 · Four Rooms as Angela
- 1995 · Let It Be Me as Emily Taylor
- 1995 · Devil in a Blue Dress as Daphne Monet
- 1995 · The Outer Limits as Robin Dysart
- 1994 · The Search for One-eye Jimmy as Ellen
- 1994 · Dead on Sight as Rebecca Darcy
- 1994 · Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle as Gertrude Benchley
- 1993 · Caro diario as Self
- 1993 · The Thief and the Cobbler as Princess YumYum (voice)
- 1993 · Frasier as Dr. Anne Ranberg
- 1993 · Night Owl as Julia
- 1992 · The Big Pardon 2 as Joyce Ferranti
- 1992 · In the Soup as Angelica Pena
- 1992 · Indecency as Ellie Shaw
- 1992 · 2000 Malibu Road as Perry Quinn
- 1992 · Terror Stalks the Class Reunion as Virginia
- 1991 · Blood and Concrete as Mona
- 1990 · Law & Order as Sofia Archer
- 1990 · The Madonna and the Dragon as Patty Meredith
- 1990 · Dr. M as Sonja Vogler
- 1990 · Sons as Transvestite
- 1988 · The Gamble as Lady Olivia Candioni
- 1988 · Vampire's Kiss as Rachel
- 1988 · Split Decisions as Barbara Uribe
- 1987 · Seitenblicke as self
- 1985 · The Bride as Eva
- 1985 · Cinderella as Cinderella
- 1985 · That's Dancing! as
- 1983 · Flashdance as Alex Owens
- 1982 · Faerie Tale Theatre as Cinderella
- 1980 · My Bodyguard as Clifford's Friend (uncredited)
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self
- Future · The L Word: New York as Bette Porter
- Future · Hello Out There as Judith