Jami Gertz

Jami Gertz

Gertz arrives at the Opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, February 9, 2008, in Los Angeles, CA.
Born Jami Beth Gertz
(1965-10-28) October 28, 1965
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A
Occupation Actress
Years active 1981–present
Spouse(s) Antony Ressler (1989–present; 3 children)

Jami Beth Gertz (born October 28, 1965) is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Sixteen Candles, Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero and Quicksilver, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs with Sarah Jessica Parker, and 1996's Twister, as well as for her roles as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing, and as Debbie Weaver in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors.

Early life

Gertz was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lived in the city's nearby suburb of Glenview.[1] Her parents are Sharyn and Walter Gertz, who was a builder and contractor,[2][3] and she has two brothers, Michael and Scott. Gertz, who is Jewish, was raised in Conservative Judaism.[4][5][6] She graduated from Maine East High School.[7]

Career

She was discovered in a nationwide talent search by Norman Lear and studied drama at NYU.[8] As a child actor, Gertz was in one episode of Diff'rent Strokes along with Andrew Dice Clay. She also had a recurring role on The Facts of Life as Blair's friend and fellow schoolmate Boots St. Clair. Gertz made her film debut in the 1981 romance film Endless Love, which was followed by a co-starring role in the 1982–83 TV series Square Pegs. After its cancellation, she appeared in the teen movie Sixteen Candles in 1984. She gained more significant attention with a starring role in 1987's Less Than Zero, as the friend of a doomed drug addict played by Robert Downey, Jr. She also starred in the 1987 film The Lost Boys as Star, the "half vampire" girlfriend, with Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric.

After working in Paris as a scent designer for Lanvin, Gertz returned to the United States and landed a key supporting role in the 1996 blockbuster Twister after other films including 1986's Solarbabies and Crossroads also the 1989 film Listen to Me with Kirk Cameron and 1992's Jersey Girl. In the 1994 episode of Seinfeld, "The Stall", she appeared as one of Jerry's girlfriends who works as a phone sex operator and can't "spare a square" of toilet paper to Elaine in the restroom. Gertz later played the recurring character Dr. Nina Pomerantz during the 1997 season of ER. She reportedly was offered, but declined, the role of Rachel Green, during pre-production of Friends.[9]

In 2000, Gertz took up a recurring role on the Fox hit Ally McBeal as Kimmy Bishop, John Cage's love interest. Gertz was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She returned to this role in one more episode as a guest star in the show's final season in 2002. Also in 2002, she portrayed comedian Gilda Radner in the television movie Gilda Radner: It's Always Something.[4] Gertz's character on Still Standing, Judy Miller, is named after a character Radner portrayed on Saturday Night Live. Still Standing, a television sitcom in which Gertz co-starred with Mark Addy and which originally aired from 2002 to 2006, was her longest-running and most successful television show to date.

In 2003 Gertz starred as Brandy, a wanted criminal's girlfriend, in Undercover Christmas, and in 2005 Gertz played the lead role in the TV film Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story. In 2009–10 she had a recurring role as Marlo Klein, wife of Ari Gold's newest business partner Andrew Klein, an agent at Miller-Gold Talent Agency, on HBO's Entourage. In 2011, she returned to broadcast television with a guest role in the Modern Family episode "Slow Down Your Neighbors". In 2011, she earned a producers' credit on the Academy Award-nominated film A Better Life which was put in limited release throughout the month of June and early July before arriving on DVD in October.

From 2012 to 2014, Gertz starred in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors where she played the mother of a human family that moves into a neighborhood populated by residents from another planet.

Personal life

Gertz and her husband Antony Ressler (b. July 16, 1959) have three sons: Oliver Jordan Ressler (b. May 6, 1992), Nicholas Simon Ressler (b. February 17, 1995), and Theo Ressler (b. 1998). Gertz and her husband are members of the investment group led by Mark Attanasio that purchased the MLB franchise Milwaukee Brewers. Gertz-Ressler High Academy, a member of The Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools, is named for Jami and her husband.[10]

In 2011, the Giving Back Fund named Gertz and her husband the number-one donor to charity of any celebrity in 2010.[11]

Gertz and her family currently reside in the exclusive Beverly Park community and have a vacation home in Malibu, California.[12][13]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1981 On the Right Track Big Girl
1981 Endless Love Patty
1984 Alphabet City Sophia
1984 Sixteen Candles Robin
1985 Mischief Rosalie
1986 Quicksilver Terri
1986 Crossroads Frances
1986 Solarbabies Terra
1987 Lost Boys, TheThe Lost Boys Star
1987 Less Than Zero Blair
1989 Listen to Me Monica Tomanski
1989 Silence Like Glass Eva Martin
1989 Renegades Barbara
1990 Don't Tell Her It's Me a.k.a., The Boyfriend School Emily Pear
1990 Sibling Rivalry Jeanine
1992 Jersey Girl Toby
1996 Twister Dr. Melissa Reeves
1999 Seven Girlfriends Lisa
2001 Lip Service Kat
2006 Keeping Up with the Steins Joanne Fielder
2013 Dealin' with Idiots Rosie

Television

Year Title Role Notes
19811982 Square Pegs Muffy Tepperman Season 1 - 20 episodes
1983 Diff'rent Strokes Lindsay Season 5, Episode 24 "My Fair Larry"
1983 For Members Only Monica Mitchell Television film
1984 Dreams Martha Spino Season 1 - 12 episodes
19831984 The Facts of Life Boots St. Claire Season 5, Episode 3 "Gamma Gamma or Bust"
Season 5, Episode 7 "Advance Placement"
Season 5, Episode 16 "All or Nothing"
Season 5, Episode 19"Star at Langley"
1984 Family Ties Jocelyn Clark Season 2, Episode 17 "Double Date"
19911992 Sibs Lily Ruscio Season 1 - 22 episodes
1994 Seinfeld Jane Season 5, Episode 12 "The Stall
1994 This Can't Be Love Sarah Television film
1994 Dream On Jane Harnick Season 5, Episode 1 "The Taking of Pablum - Part 1"
Season 5, Episode 2 "The Taking of Pablum - Part 2"
1994 Related by Birth Lily Television short
1995 Dream On Martin's Lover Season 6, Episode 7 "Take Two Tablets, and Get Me to Mt. Sinai"
1995 Hudson Street Allison Season 1, episode 10 "Bells & Whistles"
1997 ER Dr. Nina Pomerantz Season 3, Episode 12 "Post-Mortem"
Season 3, Episode 14 "Who's Appy Now?"
Season 3, Episode 16 "Faith"
Season 3, Episode 18 "You Bet Your Life"
Season 3, Episode 19 "Calling Dr. Hathaway"
Season 3, Episode 21 ""Make a Wish"
2001 True Love Television film
20002002 Ally McBeal Kimmy Bishop Season 4, Episode 4 "Without a Net"
Season 4, Episode 5 "The Last Virgin"
Season 4, Episode 6 "'Tis the Season"
Season 4, Episode 7 "Love on Holiday"
Season 5, Episode 8 "Playing with Matches"
Nominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
2002 Gilda Radner: It's Always Something Gilda Radner Television film
2003 Undercover Christmas Brandi O'Neill Television film
2005 Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story Marilyn Gambrell Television film
20022006 Still Standing Judy Miller Leading role; 4 seasons - 88 episodes
Nominated: Young Artist Award for Most Popular Mom & Pop in a Television Series (shared with Mark Addy)
2006 Shark Sara Metcalfe Season 1, Episode 10 "Sins of the Mother"
2007 Lost Holiday: The Jim & Suzanne Shemwell Story Suzanne Shemwell Television film
20092010 Entourage Marlo Klein Season 6, Episode 2 "Amongst Friends"
Season 6, Episode 4 "Running on E"
Season 6, Episode 6 "Murphy's Lie"
Season 6, Episode 8 "The Sorkin Notes"
Season 7, Episode 10 "Lose Yourself"
2011 Modern Family Laura Season 2, Episode 11 "Slow Down Your Neighbors"
20122014 The Neighbors Debbie Weaver Leading role; 2 seasons - 44 episodes
2016 This Is Us Marin Rosenthal Season 1, Episode 6 "Career Days"

References

  1. "Growing Up Glenview". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  2. "Jami Gertz Biography (1965-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  3. "Jami Gertz: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  4. 1 2 Pfefferman, Naomi (2002-04-25). "JewishJournal.com". JewishJournal.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  5. "Jami Gertz on 'The Neighbors' – The Arty Semite – Forward.com". Blogs.forward.com. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  6. Walfish, Josh. Actress Jami Gertz discusses being Jewish in entertainment industry, The Daily Northwestern, May 9, 2013. Accessed July 24, 2013.
  7. Rackl, Lori. Jami Gertz talks ‘Neighbors’, Chicago Sun-Times, September 25, 2012. Accessed July 24, 2013.
  8. O'Conner, Patricia T. "Jami Gertz - About This Person - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  9. Miller, Victoria Leigh. "How Jennifer Aniston Almost Missed Out on Her Emmy-Winning 'Friends' Role". Yahoo! Contributor Network. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  10. Almendrala, Anna (15 June 2011). "'A Better Life' Hits Home For Inner-City Students At Movie Screening (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  11. "The Giving Back Fund | The Giving Back 30 2008". Givingback.org. 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  12. "21 Beverly Park Terrace, Los Angeles-Beverly Crest, California 90210 | Los Angeles". Losangeles.blockshopper.com. 2009-11-27. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
  13. "Los Angeles real estate news, data and statistics, home sales and real estate listings | Los Angeles". Losangeles.blockshopper.com. Retrieved 2013-11-06.

External links

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