Jennifer Beals
66 movies · 21 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Dec 19, 1963 (age 62)
- Place of birth
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
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.
Read the full biography
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
Jennifer Beals: movies and TV shows
Acting (85)
- Upcoming Joy Will Prevail
as Esther Kahn
- Upcoming Murder in Cold Country
as Maya Lewis
- 2026
- 2025 Hello Out There
as Judith
- 2022 Luckiest Girl Alive
as Lolo Vincent
- 2021
- 2021
- 2019
- 2019
- 2019 After
as Karen Gibson
- 2018
- 2018 The White Orchid
as Vivian
- 2017 Before I Fall
as Mrs. Kingston
- 2017
- 2016 Manhattan Night
as Lisa Wren
- 2015 Full Out
as Coach Valorie Kondos-Field
- 2015
- 2014 A Wife's Nightmare
as Liz
- 2014
- 2013 Cinemanovels
as Clementine
- 2013
- 2011
- 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
- 2009
- 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
- 2004 Catch That Kid
as Molly Phillips
- 2004
- 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
- 1998 The Last Days of Disco
as Nina
- 1998 The Spree
as Xinia Kelly
- 1998 The Prophecy II
as Valerie Rosales
- 1997
- 1997
- 1996 The Twilight of the Golds
as Suzanne Stein
- 1996
- 1995 Four Rooms
as Angela
- 1995 Let It Be Me
as Emily Taylor
- 1995 Devil in a Blue Dress
as Daphne Monet
- 1995
- 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 Jennifer Beals
- 1993 The Thief and the Cobbler
as Princess YumYum (voice)
- 1993
- 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
- 1992 Terror Stalks the Class Reunion
as Virginia
- 1991 Blood and Concrete
as Mona
- 1990
- 1990 The Madonna and the Dragon
as Patty Meredith
- 1990 Dr. M
as Sonja Vogler
- 1990 Sons
as Transvestite
- 1989 Vampire's Kiss
as Rachel
- 1988 The Gamble
as Lady Olivia Candioni
- 1988 Split Decisions
as Barbara Uribe
- 1985 The Bride
as Eva
- 1985 Cinderella
as Cinderella
- 1983 Flashdance
as Alex Owens
- 1982
- 1980 My Bodyguard
as Clifford's Friend (uncredited)
Behind the camera (4)
- 2020 Sweet Thing
Producer
- 2019
- 2016 Manhattan Night
Co-Producer
- 1994 Pulp Fiction
Thanks
Talk shows and appearances (17)
- 2019 The Kelly Clarkson Show
1 episode
- 2014 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
1 episode
- 2014 Off Camera with Sam Jones
1 episode
- 2013
- 2009 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
1 episode
- 2008
- 2005 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
1 episode
- 2004 Best Week Ever
1 episode
- 2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live!
1 episode
- 1999 Where Are They Now?
1 episode
- 1997 The View
2 episodes
- 1996 The Daily Show
1 episode
- 1990 The Word
1 episode
- 1988
- 1987 Seitenblicke
1 episode
- 1985
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards
2 episodes