Jennifer Beals
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.
TV Shows(32)
The Book of Boba Fett
Garsa Fwip
2021
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Cassandra Webb
2021
The L Word: Generation Q
Bette Porter
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
2019
Swamp Thing
Lucilia Cable
2019
Taken
Christina Hart
2017
Proof
Dr. Carolyn Tyler
2015
The Night Shift
Dr. Syd Jennings
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
2014
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Self
2014
Motive
Sophia Balfour
2013
The Chicago Code
Teresa Colvin
2011
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
Castle
Sophia Turner
2009
Lie to Me
Zoe Landau
2009
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self
2005
Best Week Ever
2004
The L Word
Bette Porter
2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
Where Are They Now?
Self
1999
Nothing Sacred
Justine Madsen Judd
1997
The View
Self
1997
The Hunger
Jane
1997
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
The Daily Show
Self
1996
The Outer Limits
Robin Dysart
1995
Frasier
Dr. Anne Ranberg
1993
2000 Malibu Road
Perry Quinn
1992
Law & Order
Sofia Archer
1990
Seitenblicke
self
1987
Faerie Tale Theatre
Cinderella
1982
Golden Globe Awards
Self
1944
Movies(67)
Hello Out There
Judith
2025
Luckiest Girl Alive
Lolo Vincent
2022
After
Karen Gibson
2019
Hollywood: No Sex, Please!
2018
The White Orchid
Vivian
2018
Before I Fall
Mrs. Kingston
2017
Manhattan Night
Lisa Wren
2016
Full Out
Coach Valorie Kondos-Field
2015
A Wife's Nightmare
Liz
2014
Cinemanovels
Clementine
2013
A Fuller Life
Self - Reader (segment "Crime Reporter")
2013
The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
Angela Fox
2010
A Night for Dying Tigers
Melanie
2010
The Book of Eli
Claudia
2010
Queen to Play
L’Américaine
2009
Starz Inside: Fashion in Film
Self
2008
My Name Is Sarah
Sarah Winston
2007
Troubled Waters
FBI Agent Beck
2006
The Grudge 2
Trish Kimble
2006
Desolation Sound
Elizabeth Storey
2005
Break a Leg
Juliet
2005
Catch That Kid
Molly Phillips
2004
Runaway Jury
Vanessa Lembeck
2003
They Shoot Divas, Don't They?
Sloan McBride
2002
13 Moons
Suzi
2002
Roger Dodger
Sophie
2002
Out of Line
Officer Jenny Capitanas
2001
Feast of All Saints
Dolly Rose
2001
The Anniversary Party
Gina Taylor
2001
Something More
Lisa
2000
Militia
Julie Sanders
2000
Body and Soul
Gina
2000
A House Divided
Amanda Dickson
2000
Without Malice
Samantha Wilkes
2000
Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying
Jessica
1999
Wishful Thinking
Elizabeth
1999
The Last Days of Disco
Nina
1998
The Spree
Xinia Kelly
1998
The Prophecy II
Valerie Rosales
1998
The Twilight of the Golds
Suzanne Stein
1996
Four Rooms
Angela
1995
Let It Be Me
Emily Taylor
1995
Devil in a Blue Dress
Daphne Monet
1995
The Search for One-eye Jimmy
Ellen
1994
Dead on Sight
Rebecca Darcy
1994
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Gertrude Benchley
1994
Dear Diary
Self
1993
The Thief and the Cobbler
Princess YumYum (voice)
1993
Night Owl
Julia
1993
The Big Pardon 2
Joyce Ferranti
1992
In the Soup
Angelica Pena
1992
Indecency
Ellie Shaw
1992
Terror Stalks the Class Reunion
Virginia
1992
Blood and Concrete
Mona
1991
The Madonna and the Dragon
Patty Meredith
1990
Dr. M
Sonja Vogler
1990
Sons
Transvestite
1990
Vampire's Kiss
Rachel
1989
The Gamble
Lady Olivia Candioni
1988
Split Decisions
Barbara Uribe
1988
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
Self
1988
The Bride
Eva
1985
Cinderella
Cinderella
1985
That's Dancing!
1985
Flashdance
Alex Owens
1983
My Bodyguard
Clifford's Friend (uncredited)
1980
Joy Will Prevail
Esther Kahn