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Jennifer Beals

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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. ​


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Born:
Dec 19, 1963 In Chicago - Illinois - USA
Movie/TV Credits:
83
First Appeared:
In the movie My Bodyguard 1980-07-11
Latest Project:
Movie Luckiest Girl Alive 2022-09-30
Known For
Poster of A Wife's Nightmare
Poster of The Twilight of the Golds
Poster of Let It Be Me
Poster of Night Owl
Filmography
Movie Luckiest Girl Alive Lolo Vincent 2022-09-30
Movie After Karen Gibson 2019-04-11
Series The L Word: Generation Q Bette Porter 2019-12-08
Series Swamp Thing Lucilia Cable 2019-05-31
Movie The White Orchid Vivian 2018-02-01
Movie Before I Fall Mrs. Kingston 2017-03-02
Series Taken Christina Hart 2017-02-27
Movie Manhattan Night Lisa Wren 2016-05-20
Series Proof Dr. Carolyn Tyler 2015-06-16
Movie Full Out Valorie Kondos-Field 2015-09-11
Movie The Laws Of The Universe - Part 0 Inkar (voice) 2015-09-26
Movie A Wife's Nightmare Liz 2014-12-27
Movie A Fuller Life Self - Reader (segment "Crime Reporter") 2013-08-28
Series Motive Sophia Balfour 2013-02-03
Movie Cinemanovels Clementine 2013-09-06
Series The Chicago Code Teresa Colvin 2011-02-07
Movie The Book of Eli Claudia 2010-01-14
Movie The Night Before the Night Before Christmas Angela Fox 2010-11-20
Movie A Night for Dying Tigers Melanie 2010-09-10
Series Lie to Me Zoe Landau 2009-01-21
Movie Queen to Play L’Américaine 2009-08-05
Series Castle Sophia Turner 2009-03-09
Movie My Name Is Sarah Sarah Winston 2007-05-28
Movie The Grudge 2 Trish Kimble 2006-10-12
Movie Troubled Waters FBI Agent Beck 2006-12-21
Movie Break a Leg Juliet 2005-04-21
Movie Desolation Sound Elizabeth Storey 2005-06-27
Series Best Week Ever Unknown 2004-01-23
Series The L Word Bette Porter 2004-01-18
Movie Catch That Kid Molly Phillips 2004-02-06
Movie Runaway Jury Vanessa Lembeck 2003-01-16
Movie 13 Moons Suzi 2002-08-30
Movie Roger Dodger Sophie 2002-05-09
Movie They Shoot Divas, Don't They? Sloan McBride 2002-10-05
Movie The Anniversary Party Gina Taylor 2001-06-09
Movie Feast of All Saints Dolly Rose 2001-11-11
Movie Out of Line Jenny Capitanas 2001-11-20
Movie A House Divided Amanda Dickson 2000-07-30
Movie Body and Soul Gina 2000-09-01
Movie Without Malice Samantha Wilkes 2000-01-01
Movie Militia Julie Sanders 2000-10-17
Movie Something More Lisa 2000-11-28
Series Where Are They Now? Unknown 1999-06-07
Movie Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying Jessica 1999-12-27
Movie Wishful Thinking Elizabeth 1999-07-12
Movie The Prophecy II Valerie Rosales 1998-01-20
Movie The Last Days of Disco Nina 1998-05-29
Movie The Spree Xinia Kelly 1998-04-18
Series The View Unknown 1997-08-11
Series Nothing Sacred Justine Madsen Judd 1997-09-18
Movie The Search for One-eye Jimmy Ellen 1996-06-21
Series The Daily Show Unknown 1996-07-22
Movie The Twilight of the Golds Suzanne Stein 1996-10-10
Series E! True Hollywood Story Unknown 1996-08-21
Movie Devil in a Blue Dress Daphne Monet 1995-09-29
Series The Outer Limits Unknown 1995-03-26
Movie Let It Be Me Emily Taylor 1995-11-17
Movie Four Rooms Angela 1995-12-09
Movie Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Gertrude Benchley 1994-09-07
Movie Dead on Sight Rebecca Darcy 1994-10-12
Series Frasier Dr. Anne Ranberg 1993-09-16
Movie Night Owl Julia 1993-08-19
Movie The Thief and the Cobbler Princess YumYum (voice) 1993-09-23
Movie Caro diario Self 1993-10-12
Series 2000 Malibu Road Perry Quinn 1992-08-23
Movie Terror Stalks the Class Reunion Virginia 1992-06-12
Movie Indecency Ellie Shaw 1992-09-16
Movie In the Soup Angelica Pena 1992-10-23
Movie The Big Pardon 2 Joyce Ferranti 1992-12-09
Movie Blood and Concrete Mona 1991-09-13
Movie Sons Transvestite 1990-01-01
Movie Dr. M Sonja Vogler 1990-05-24
Movie The Madonna and the Dragon Patty Meredith 1990-09-01
Series Law & Order Unknown 1990-09-13
Movie Split Decisions Barbara Uribe 1988-06-11
Movie The Gamble Lady Olivia Candioni 1988-10-28
Movie Vampire's Kiss Rachel 1988-09-17
Movie That's Dancing! 1985-01-18
Movie The Bride Eva 1985-08-16
Movie Cinderella Cinderella 1985-08-14
Movie Flashdance Alex Owens 1983-04-14
Series Faerie Tale Theatre Cinderella 1982-09-11
Movie My Bodyguard Clifford's Friend (uncredited) 1980-07-11