Jennifer Beals
Born: 1963-12-19 in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) 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.
Filmography
2025
- Hello Out There as Judith
2022
- Luckiest Girl Alive as Lolo Vincent
2021
- Law & Order: Organized Crime as Cassandra Webb
- The Book of Boba Fett as Garsa Fwip
2020
- Sweet Thing ... (Producer)
2019
- The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- After as Karen Gibson
- Swamp Thing as Lucilia Cable
- The L Word: Generation Q as Bette Porter
2018
- The White Orchid as Vivian
- Hollywood: No Sex, Please!
2017
- Taken as Christina Hart
- Before I Fall as Mrs. Kingston
2016
- Manhattan Night as Lisa Wren
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self - Guest
- The Night Shift as Dr. Syd Jennings
- Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- A Wife's Nightmare as Liz
2013
- Motive as Sophia Balfour
- A Fuller Life as Self - Reader (segment "Crime Reporter")
- Cinemanovels as Clementine
2011
- The Chicago Code as Teresa Colvin
2010
- The Book of Eli as Claudia
- A Night for Dying Tigers as Melanie
- The Night Before the Night Before Christmas as Angela Fox
2009
- Castle as Sophia Turner
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- Lie to Me as Zoe Landau
- Queen to Play as L’Américaine
2008
- Starz Inside: Fashion in Film as Self
2007
- My Name Is Sarah as Sarah Winston
2006
- The Grudge 2 as Trish Kimble
- Troubled Waters as FBI Agent Beck
2005
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- Break a Leg as Juliet
- Desolation Sound as Elizabeth Storey
2004
- The L Word as Bette Porter
- Best Week Ever
- Catch That Kid as Molly Phillips
2003
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
- Runaway Jury as Vanessa Lembeck
2002
- Roger Dodger as Sophie
- 13 Moons as Suzi
- They Shoot Divas, Don't They? as Sloan McBride
2001
- The Anniversary Party as Gina Taylor
- Feast of All Saints as Dolly Rose
- Out of Line as Officer Jenny Capitanas
2000
- Militia as Julie Sanders
- Something More as Lisa
- A House Divided as Amanda Dickson
- Body and Soul as Gina
- Without Malice as Samantha Wilkes
1999
- Where Are They Now? as Self
- Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying as Jessica
- Wishful Thinking as Elizabeth
1998
- The Prophecy II as Valerie Rosales
- The Last Days of Disco as Nina
- The Spree as Xinia Kelly
1997
- The View as Self
- The Hunger as Jane
- Nothing Sacred as Justine Madsen Judd
1996
- The Daily Show as Self
- E! True Hollywood Story
- The Twilight of the Golds as Suzanne Stein
1995
- The Outer Limits as Robin Dysart
- Four Rooms as Angela
- Devil in a Blue Dress as Daphne Monet
- Let It Be Me as Emily Taylor
1994
- Pulp Fiction ... (Thanks)
- Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle as Gertrude Benchley
- The Search for One-eye Jimmy as Ellen
- Dead on Sight as Rebecca Darcy
1993
- Frasier as Dr. Anne Ranberg
- The Thief and the Cobbler as Princess YumYum (voice)
- Dear Diary as Self
- Night Owl as Julia
1992
- 2000 Malibu Road as Perry Quinn
- In the Soup as Angelica Pena
- Indecency as Ellie Shaw
- The Big Pardon 2 as Joyce Ferranti
- Terror Stalks the Class Reunion as Virginia
1991
- Blood and Concrete as Mona
1990
- Law & Order as Sofia Archer
- Sons as Transvestite
- Dr. M as Sonja Vogler
- The Madonna and the Dragon as Patty Meredith
1989
- Vampire's Kiss as Rachel
1988
- Split Decisions as Barbara Uribe
- The Gamble as Lady Olivia Candioni
- Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute as Self
1987
- Seitenblicke as self
1985
- The Bride as Eva
- That's Dancing!
- Cinderella as Cinderella
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