Jennifer Jason Leigh - Overview

Date of Birth: Feb 05, 1962

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, USA

Nationality: United States

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Full Biography

Movie critic Rex Reed accurately described the characters in Jennifer Jason Leigh's gallery as a collection of "sluts and nuts," but the soft-spoken actress affectionately refers to the hookers, drug addicts and head cases she has played as a group of vulnerable, injured women she is thrilled to get to know on-screen, but grateful she d sn't encounter in real life. A versatile young actress, Leigh possesses intelligence and candor, which have made her one of the leading talents of her generation.

She first garnered critical attention as Casey Powell, the anorexic teenager in the TV-movie "The Best Little Girl in the World" (ABC, 1981), and made her feature film mark as a young teen who gets an abortion in Amy Heckerling's finely observed teen comedy "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). Despite critical acclaim for "Fast Times", it was eight years before Leigh's next notable role, as the prostitute Tralala in Ulrich Edel's grim adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel, "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1990). Her uncompromising performance was followed by two more gr... Read More

Filmography (44)

Greenberg (2010)

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Palindromes (2005)

The Jacket (2005)

The Machinist (2004)

Photos (1)

Milestones (37)

2011
Co-starred on Broadway in "The House of Blue Leaves," with Edie Falco and Ben Stiller

2010
Co-wrote with husband Noah Baumbach, the screenplay for "Greenberg"; also acted in the film, which was directed by Baumbach

2009
Joined the cast of Showtime's "Weeds" in a recurring role as Nancy's (Mary-Louise Parker) sister Jill Price-Gray

2007
Directed by her husband, Noah Baumbach in "Margot at the Wedding"; earned an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress

2005
Cast in the thriller "The Jacket" with Adrien Brody and Kris Kristofferson

2004
Starred opposite Christian Bale in "The Machinist"

2002
Played convicted murderer Karla Faye Tucked in CBS TV Movie "Crossed Over"

Photos From Last Movie (17)