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Jennifer Beals

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Date of birth: 19 December 1963,
Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Biography

As far as the mass public goes, Jennifer Beals may as well have only done one movie. Never mind the awards, nominations, and critical praise she's won for performances in films like Devil in a Blue Dress and The Twilight of the Golds. One off-the-shoulder sweatshirt has put one image of Jennifer Beals in the minds of America forever.
Aside from a performance as an extra in the 1980 movie My Bodyguard, Jennifer Beals' acting debut came with the starring role of Cinderella in Faerie Tale Theatre's Cinderella. When she was chosen for 1982's Flashdance, she was a freshman at Yale University, studying American Literature. The drama was a surprise blockbuster, with the soundtrack selling 700,000 copies in its first two weeks of release. Beals seemed bound for superstardom.

So what went wrong? Some say her career hopes were dashed when the public learned -- much to its disappointment -- that Beals did not do her own dancing in the film. Others say it was the colossal failure of her next film, The Bride, that did it. Either way, Beals returned to school for the next couple of years, not working again until the 1988 film Split Decisions.

Although she was never able to live down her earlier fame, she continued to impress critics over the years that followed. In 1989, she joined Nicolas Cage for the feature film Vampire's Kiss. She played a transvestite in 1989's Sons and garnered great reviews for her role in 1992's In the Soup. The latter film was directed by her husband of several years, Alexandre Rockwell, whom she divorced four years later. It was also around this time that her Yale classmate, David Duchovny, recommended Beals for the female lead role in the TV series The X-Files. Producers went with unknown Gillian Anderson for that role.

In 1994 she joined Jennifer Jason Leigh in the critically acclaimed Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. In 1995 she had a slight career resurgence when she starred in the ensemble drama Four Rooms and co-starred with Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress. But neither film did well enough to merit a return to the A-list and Beals dropped back into obscurity again.

2001 has been a good year for Beals. Earlier this year she joined Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh and fellow 80s superstar Phoebe Cates for the feature film The Anniversary Party. Beals got a great deal of press for the photos she took on the set, many of which were published in national magazines. She currently has four films awaiting release, including After the Storm with Benjamin Bratt and the miniseries Feast of All Saints, based on the novel by Anne Rice. Currently she's filming the mystery 13 Moons with Steve Buscemi.

Filmography

Break a Leg (2003) .... Juliet
13 Moons (2002) .... Suzi
Gathering, The (2002)
Roger Dodger (2002) .... Sophie
After the Storm (2001) .... Mrs. Gavotte
Big House, The (2001) (TV) .... Lorraine Brewster
... aka Being Brewster (2001) (TV) (USA)
"Feast of All Saints" (2001) (mini) TV Series .... Dolly Rose
... aka "Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints" (2001) (mini) (USA: complete title)
Anniversary Party, The (2001) .... Gina Taylor
Out of Line (2001) .... Jenny Capitanas
... aka Out of Pocket (2001) (USA)
Fear of Flying (2000) .... Jessica
... aka Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying (2000) (UK: cable TV title)
... aka Turbulence II: Fear of Flying (2000) (USA: closing credits title)
Without Malice (2000) .... Sam (Samantha)
Militia (2000) .... Julie Sanders
House Divided, A (2000) (TV) .... Amanda Dickson

Something More (1999)
Body and Soul (1998) .... Gina
Last Days of Disco, The (1998) .... Nina Moritz
Spree, The (1998) (TV) .... Xinia Kelly
Prophecy II, The (1998) (V) .... Valerie Rosales
... aka God's Army II (1998) (V) (Europe: English title: video title)
"Nothing Sacred" (1997/I) TV Series .... Justine Madsen Judd (1998)
Wishful Thinking (1997) .... Elizabeth
Twilight of the Golds, The (1997) (TV) .... Suzanne Stein
Search for One-eye Jimmy, The (1996) .... Ellen
Let It Be Me (1995) .... Emily
... aka Love Dance (1998) (UK)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) .... Daphne Monet/Ruby Charles, Todd Carter's Fiance
... aka Diable en robe bleue, Le (1995)
Four Rooms (1995) .... Angela (segments "The Man from Hollywood", "The Wrong Man")
Arabian Knight (1995) (voice) .... Princess Yum Yum
Dead on Sight (1994) .... Rebecca Darcy
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) .... Gertrude Benchley
... aka Mrs. Parker and the Round Table (1994)
Caro diario (1994) .... Herself
... aka Dear Diary (1994)
... aka Journal intime (1994) (France)
Night Owl (1993/II) (TV) .... Julia
Grand pardon II, Le (1992) .... Joyce Ferranti
... aka Day of Atonement (1992)
Indecency (1992) (TV) .... Ellie
"2000 Malibu Road" (1992) TV Series .... Perry Quinn
In the Soup (1992) .... Angelica Pena, Adolpho's neighbor
... aka In the Soup - Alles Kino (1992) (Germany)
... aka In the soup: en la sopa (1992) (Spain)
Terror Stalks the Class Reunion (1992) (TV) .... Virginia
... aka For Better and for Worse (1992) (TV)
Partita, La (1991) .... Lady Olivia
... aka Gamble, The (1991) (USA)
Blood and Concrete (1991) .... Mona
... aka Blood and Concrete, a Love Story (1991)
Docteur M. (1990) .... Sonja Vogler
... aka Club Extinction (1990) (USA)
... aka Dr. M (1990) (Germany)
Madonne et le dragon, La (1990) (TV) .... Patty Meredith
... aka Madonna and the Dragon, The (1990) (TV) (Europe: English title)

Sons (1989) .... Transvestite
Vampire's Kiss (1989) .... Rachel
Split Decisions (1988) .... Barbara Uribe
That's Dancing! (1985) (archive footage)
Bride, The (1985/I) .... Eva
Cinderella (1984) (TV) .... Cinderella
... aka Faerie Tale Theatre: Cinderella (1984) (TV) (USA: series title)
Flashdance (1983) .... Alexandra 'Alex' Owens
My Bodyguard (1980) (uncredited) .... Extra/Friend of Clifford Peache

Links

Contact

Fan Mail:

c/o The X-Files
20th Century Fox
10201 Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
USA

c/o Creative Artists Agency Inc
9830 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
USA