View for person of id: 3130
Jennifer Beals
Born: 19th Dec 1963 Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dept: Acting
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.
[ToDo] Show list of extra photos here.
Film and Tv Credits
Total number of credits listed: 100
Film: 68 (68%)
Television: 32 (32%)
Remaining genres not in graph: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Music, Action & Adventure, Adventure, Soap, History, News, Animation, Reality
Filmography
(No release date supplied. Possibly still in production.)
Based on the life of architect Louis Kahn ... view
Character:
Esther Kahn
2025
Minnie, a young journalist who embarks on a road trip across New Mexico with her cousin, Rex, a punk rock guitarist fresh out of rehab, is trying to f ... view
Character:
Judith
2022
A successful woman in New York City finds her life upended when she is forced to confront a dark truth that threatens to unravel her meticulously craf ... view
Character:
Lolo Vincent
Dec 2021 (first aired)
Legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand must navigate the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stak ... view
Character:
Garsa Fwip (4 ep.)
Apr 2021 (first aired)
The detectives of the Organized Crime Control Bureau work to dismantle New York City's most vicious and violent illegal enterprises. ... view
Character:
Cassandra Webb (5 ep.)
Dec 2019 (first aired)
In this sequel to The L Word, we continue to follow the intermingled lives of Bette Porter, Alice Pieszecki and Shane McCutcheon, along with a new gen ... view
Character:
Bette Porter (28 ep.)
Sep 2019 (first aired)
Kelly Clarkson presents the biggest newsmakers and names in film, television and music; as well as emerging new talent and everyday people who are bea ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
May 2019 (first aired)
CDC researcher Abby Arcane investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but she soon discovers that the swamp ... view
Character:
Lucilia Cable (9 ep.)
2019
Tessa Young is a dedicated student, dutiful daughter and loyal girlfriend to her high school sweetheart. Entering her first semester of college, Tessa ... view
Character:
Karen Gibson
2018
Deep rooted religious beliefs seemingly going back to the Pilgrim Fathers' puritanism dominate a society which is entertained by violence to no end on ... view
Character:
2018
A social services investigator helps a local sheriff solve the brutal murder of a beautiful blonde known only as The White Orchid. ... view
Character:
Vivian
2017
Samantha Kingston has everything. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, she wakes up with no future at all. Trapped into reliving the sam ... view
Character:
Mrs. Kingston
Feb 2017 (first aired)
The origin story of younger, hungrier, former Green Beret Bryan Mills as he deals with a personal tragedy that shakes his world. As he fights to overc ... view
Character:
Christina Hart (26 ep.)
2016
Porter Wren is a Manhattan tabloid writer with an appetite for scandal. On the beat he sells murder, tragedy, and anything that passes for the truth. ... view
Character:
Lisa Wren
2015
Based on the true life story of California gymnast Ariana Berlin. As she zoned in on her Olympic goals, 14 year old Ariana Berlin's life took a sharp ... view
Character:
Coach Valorie Kondos-Field
Jun 2015 (first aired)
A brilliant surgeon searches for proof of life after death. ... view
Character:
Dr. Carolyn Tyler (10 ep.)
2014
Liz, just returned home after a mental breakdown, has to welcome a relative stranger into her home when Caitlin, a young, vivacious woman, claims to b ... view
Character:
Liz
May 2014 (first aired)
The stories of the men and women who work the overnight shift at San Antonio Memorial Hospital. They are an irreverent and special breed, particularly ... view
Character:
Dr. Syd Jennings (7 ep.)
Feb 2014 (first aired)
After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program w ... view
Character:
Self - Guest (1 ep.)
Feb 2014 (first aired)
Photographer and director Sam Jones sits down with the myriad professionals of television and movies, and other celebrities (great skateboarders, for ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
2013
The estranged daughter (Lauren Lee Smith) of a recently deceased filmmaker gains a new understanding of her father when she offers to create a retrosp ... view
Character:
Clementine
2013
Friends and admirers of iconoclastic film director Sam Fuller read from his memoirs in this unconventional documentary directed by Fuller's only child ... view
Character:
Self - Reader (segment "Crime Reporter")
Feb 2013 (first aired)
A team of Vancouver investigators, led by homicide detective Angie Flynn, sets out to uncover the motive of each puzzling murder by discovering the ki ... view
Character:
Sophia Balfour (1 ep.)
Feb 2011 (first aired)
The series follows officers of the Chicago Police Department as they fight crime on the streets and try to expose political corruption within the city ... view
Character:
Teresa Colvin (13 ep.)
2010
When Santa sets off on his Christmas duties a day early, crashes into the Fox family's house, ends up with amnesia and loses his magic sack of present ... view
Character:
Angela Fox
2010
The night before Jack (Gil Bellows) is slated to begin a five-year prison sentence for murder, his wife, Melanie (Jennifer Beals), and assorted siblin ... view
Character:
Melanie
2010
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankin ... view
Character:
Claudia
Original title: Joueuse
2009
Hélène, a housekeeper at a ritzy hotel in Corsica, is devoted to her family but lacks any passion in her own life. When she sees a handsome couple p ... view
Character:
L’Américaine
Jul 2009 (first aired)
Bravo network executive Andy Cohen discusses pop culture topics with celebrities and reality show personalities. ... view
Character:
Self - Guest (1 ep.)
Mar 2009 (first aired)
After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New Yo ... view
Character:
Sophia Turner (2 ep.)
Jan 2009 (first aired)
The world's leading deception researcher, Dr. Cal Lightman, studies facial expression, body language and tone of voice to determine when a person is l ... view
Character:
Zoe Landau (6 ep.)
2008
From the supermodels of Paris to the superstars of Hollywood, this special explores the connecting thread between fashion and film. ... view
Character:
Self
2007
Sarah is depressed and lonely after her best friend dies. She follows a handsome man, Charlie, into a church where he attends AA meetings. Sarah lets ... view
Character:
Sarah Winston
2006
Intrepid FBI agent Beck, assigned to solve the case of a multimillionaire couple's missing daughter. As clues begin to reveal themselves, Beck draws a ... view
Character:
FBI Agent Beck
2006
A young woman encounters a malevolent supernatural force while searching for her missing sister in Tokyo, a mean high school prank goes horribly wrong ... view
Character:
Trish Kimble
2005
Noir thriller from Vancouver plays out a destructive friendship between a depressed housewife and her childhood friend to an ugly conclusion. ... view
Character:
Elizabeth Storey
2005
A talented but struggling actor is willing to go to any length to get a job - including "breaking a leg" - especially those of other actors! ... view
Character:
Juliet
Jan 2005 (first aired)
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson, who is the third regul ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
2004
A determined twelve-year-old mountain climber takes drastic action to save her injured father by planning a high-stakes bank heist, using her skills a ... view
Character:
Molly Phillips
Jan 2004 (first aired)
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Jan 2004 (first aired)
A group of lesbian friends struggle with romance and careers in Los Angeles. ... view
Character:
Bette Porter (71 ep.)
Jan 2003 (first aired)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC. ... view
Character:
Self - Guest (1 ep.)
2003
After a workplace shooting in New Orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer Wendell Rohr against shady jury consultant Rankin Fitch, w ... view
Character:
Vanessa Lembeck
2002
Sloan McBride is an 1980s music star who is trying to hold on to her career. She hires Jenny as her assistant and Jenny seems to be the perfect employ ... view
Character:
Sloan McBride
2002
Things aren't looking so good for television clown Banana's career, and the fact that his estranged wife, Suzi, has just been arrested for assaulting ... view
Character:
Suzi
2002
A smooth-talking ad executive attributes his remarkable success with women to his ability to manipulate their emotions from the moment he first meets ... view
Character:
Sophie
2001
Henry, a hitman hired to take out a socialite, finds himself falling for Jenny, a parole officer, instead. ... view
Character:
Officer Jenny Capitanas
2001
Set in nineteenth-century New Orleans, the story depicts the gens de couleur libre, or the Free People of Colour, a dazzling yet damned class caught b ... view
Character:
Dolly Rose
2001
While celebrating their reconciliation and six years of marriage, American actress Sally Nash and British novelist Joe Therrian receive their close fr ... view
Character:
Gina Taylor
2000
When Sam and his friend fall for the same woman, their friendship is put at risk. ... view
Character:
Lisa
2000
When deadly anthrax missiles are stolen by a militia, ATF agent Ethan Carter must go undercover and join the group to save the country from disaster. ... view
Character:
Julie Sanders
2000
Charlie Davis, an ambitious small-town boxer with dreams of making it as a professional, travels to Reno with his unwavering friend Tiny. On his climb ... view
Character:
Gina
2000
In the aftermath of the terrible Civil War which has devastated the South, Amanda America Dixon returns home to find she has become the sole heir to a ... view
Character:
Amanda Dickson
2000
Paul Venters is a self-centered plastic surgeon who is soon to be married to beautiful Susan, but doesn't get along very well with his fiancée's fami ... view
Character:
Samantha Wilkes
1999
A passenger of a hijacked airliner who happens to be an airplane engineer works to deactivate a chemical weapons bomb after the hijackers kill the pil ... view
Character:
Jessica
1999
Elizabeth, a vet assistant, falls for Max, who brings in an abused dog. His jealousy burdens their relationship as does talk of marriage. Lena wants M ... view
Character:
Elizabeth
Jun 1999 (first aired)
Where Are They Now? was a television series on VH1 that featured past celebrities and updated on their current professional and personal status. Each ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
1998
Two young women and their friends spend spare time at an exclusive nightclub in 1980s New York. ... view
Character:
Nina
1998
A policeman becomes obsessed with a female cat burglar, who convinces him to join her in crime. ... view
Character:
Xinia Kelly
1998
The archangel Gabriel returns to try to destroy the human race he despises so much, with the help of a suicidal teen and the opposition of the angel D ... view
Character:
Valerie Rosales
Sep 1997 (first aired)
Father Ray, a card-playing, cocktail-sipping, blues-loving priest, ministers to his parishioners at St. Thomas, a large urban church in an inner-city ... view
Character:
Justine Madsen Judd (7 ep.)
Aug 1997 (first aired)
ABC Daytime's morning chatfest, currently featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro discu ... view
Character:
Self (2 ep.)
Jul 1997 (first aired)
The Hunger is a British/Canadian television horror anthology series, co-produced by Scott Free Productions, Telescene Film Group Productions and the C ... view
Character:
Jane (1 ep.)
1996
A woman discovers her unborn baby has a genetic predisposition to homosexuality, unwittingly exposing deep-seated prejudices within her family. ... view
Character:
Suzanne Stein
Aug 1996 (first aired)
E! True Hollywood Story is an American documentary series on E! that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and also well-known pub ... view
Character:
Unknown/various (1 ep.)
Jul 1996 (first aired)
The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture. ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
1995
It's Ted the Bellhop's first night on the job...and the hotel's very unusual guests are about to place him in some outrageous predicaments. It seems t ... view
Character:
Angela
Character:
Emily Taylor
1995
In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a my ... view
Character:
Daphne Monet
Mar 1995 (first aired)
Anthology series of composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end, with occasional recurring story elements that were of ... view
Character:
Robin Dysart (1 ep.)
1994
While working on a documentary on his old neighborhood, a young film school graduate shifts the focus of his production onto the disappearance of a lo ... view
Character:
Ellen
1994
A graduate student discovers her nightmares are actually visions of real-life murders committed by a man known as the Clock Killer. Joined by an unbel ... view
Character:
Rebecca Darcy
1994
Dorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit, like hers, was fueled by alcohol and flirted w ... view
Character:
Gertrude Benchley
Original title: Caro Diario
1993
Nanni Moretti recalls in his diary three slice of life stories characterized by a sharply ironic look: in the first one he wanders through a deserted ... view
Character:
Self
1993
Princess Yum Yum falls in love with Tack and saves him from being executed. Later, when the protective orbs of the palace get stolen, Tacka and Yum Yu ... view
Character:
Princess YumYum (voice)
Sep 1993 (first aired)
After many years spent at the “Cheers” bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle to work as a radio psychiatrist after his policeman father gets sho ... view
Character:
Dr. Anne Ranberg (2 ep.)
1993
New York: Every night the mysterious "Night Owl" goes on the air with her moody radio show. She seems to have an inexplicable influence on some men; s ... view
Character:
Julia
Original title: Le Grand Pardon II
1992
The mobster Raymond Bettoun gets out of prison and joins his son Maurice in Miami, a drug trafficker who is about to launch a huge operation. But he ... view
Character:
Joyce Ferranti
1992
An aspiring young filmmaker gets involved with an eccentric gangster for the financing of his first film. ... view
Character:
Angelica Pena
1992
One of three friends who work in an advertising agency has a nervous breakdown. Upon her recovery, she embarks upon an affair with her former employer ... view
Character:
Ellie Shaw
Aug 1992 (first aired)
2000 Malibu Road is a prime time American soap opera that aired on CBS in the summer of 1992. The series stars Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Beals, Brian B ... view
Character:
Perry Quinn (6 ep.)
1992
A beautiful young detective goes to the rescue of a teacher kidnapped by a former student. ... view
Character:
Virginia
1991
A dimwitted thug encounters a strung-out, suicidal young woman and an unlikely relationship develops as they work together to make a break for new hor ... view
Character:
Mona
Sep 1990 (first aired)
In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someo ... view
Character:
Sofia Archer (1 ep.)
Original title: Tinikling ou La madonne et le dragon
1990
Exposé of two news photographers covering the People's Revolution in the Philippines. ... view
Character:
Patty Meredith
1990
In the not-too-distant future Berlin is shocked by a series of spectacular suicides; a policeman's investigations lead him to a beautiful, enigmatic w ... view
Character:
Sonja Vogler
1990
A trio of stepbrothers accompany their paralysed father on a jaunt to Normandy where the old boy saw combat and romantic action during the war. ... view
Character:
Transvestite
1989
A publishing executive is visited and bitten by a vampire and starts exhibiting erratic behavior. He pushes his secretary to extremes as he tries to c ... view
Character:
Rachel
Original title: La partita
1988
When Francesco returns home with the assumption that his father's wealth will be there to keep him content, he discovers that his father has lost ever ... view
Character:
Lady Olivia Candioni
1988
When a boxer is killed because he wouldn't take a dive, his brother tries to find a way to avenge him even if only symbolically. ... view
Character:
Barbara Uribe
1988
Wembley Stadium hosts a concert featuring stars from the fields of music, comedy and film, in celebration of the 70th birthday of imprisoned ANC leade ... view
Character:
Self
Character:
self (1 ep.)
1985
Doctor Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster, a woman called Eva, who promptly rejects the male creature. In turn, the doctor becomes obsessed w ... view
Character:
Eva
1985
An oppressed young woman finds happiness when she secretly attends the royal ball. ... view
Character:
Cinderella
1985
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30 ... view
Character:
1985
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30 ... view
Character:
Self (archive footage)
1983
Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and e ... view
Character:
Alex Owens
Sep 1982 (first aired)
A live-action children's television anthology series retelling popular fairy tales. ... view
Character:
Cinderella (1 ep.)
1980
Clifford Peache, an easygoing teenager, is finding less than easy to fit in at his new high school, where a tough-talking bully terrorizes his classma ... view
Character:
Clifford's Friend (uncredited)
Jan 1944 (first aired)
An annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign, bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Associatio ... view
Character:
Self (1 ep.)
Self - Nominee (1 ep.)