About
| Birth Name: | Jennifer E Chan |
| Birth Notes: | 16 September 1958, Harbor City, California, USA |
| Height: | 5' 6 1/2" |
| Nicknames: | The Unabombshell |
| Family: | * Sam Simon (1984 - 1991) (divorced) |
| Biography: | An actress who always attracts audiences' attention, Jennifer Tilly is by turns funny, sexy, compassionate, compelling and often all at once. Her breakthrough movie role tapped into all of those qualities failing singer Blanche "Monica" Moran in Steve Kloves' The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) opposite brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges . A few years later, Jennifer earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of the aspiring but hopelessly untalented actress Olive Neal in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994). She has become well-known to filmgoers for both major studio and independent films. In Tom Shadyac's blockbuster Liar Liar (1997) she kept pace with Jim Carrey. Her steamy performance opposite Gina Gershon helped make Lana Wachowski's and Andy Wachowski's Bound (1996) a breakout indie success at the Sundance Film Festival and then in theatrical release. It also expanded Jennifer's already significant gay and lesbian following. She successfully cultivated another fan base with the revitalization of the "Child's Play" horror comedy franchise. For Ronny Yu's Bride of Chucky (1998), the filmmakers turned to Jennifer to create the character who would spark the series in a new direction. She met the challenge and established a new horror icon in Tiffany. This Halloween, in Rogue Pictures' all-new Seed of Chucky (2004), written and directed by series creator Don Mancini , Jennifer again takes the popular series to the next level; she stars as Tiffany and as herself, the deadly doll's favorite actress, who soon becomes an unwitting hostess in more ways than one. Jennifer's pitch-perfect voiceover work as Tiffany is not the only instance of her being able to incarnate a character from the vocal chords out. Families know her distinctive cadences from the recent Disney hits Home on the Range (2004) (in which Jennifer voiced a new-age bovine), directed by Will Finn and John Sanford ; The Haunted Mansion (2003) (in which Jennifer acted from the neck up only), directed by Rob Minkoff; and the Pixar blockbuster Monsters, Inc. (2001) (voicing Mike's love interest Celia), directed by Pete Docter, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich. She began her acting career as a teenager, putting herself through the theater program at Stephens College in Missouri by winning writing competitions. She then headed to Los Angeles. While she continued to act on the stage (earning a Dramalogue Award for her performance in "Vanities"), movies and television immediately came calling for the actress with the unique voice and visage. Over the years Jennifer has made memorable appearances on some of television's best series, including "Hill Street Blues" (1981) (in a recurring dramatic role), "Cheers" (1982), "Moonlighting" (1985), "It's Garry Shandling's Show." (1986) and "Frasier" (1993). In addition, she has been a favored guest on a number of talk shows, from "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) to "The Arsenio Hall Show" (1989) to (currently) "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992). Those interview segments have encouraged viewers to expect the unexpected from her interplay with the host and the studio audience. Her many films over a two-decade span include Neil Jordan 's High Spirits (1988), Oliver Stone 's The Doors (1991), Richard Benjamin 's Made in America (1993), Roger Donaldson's The Getaway (1993), Joe Pytka's Let It Ride (1989), P.J. Castellaneta 's Relax... It's Just Sex (1998), Michael Radford's Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000), Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow (2001) (in which she played Louella Parsons). Jennifer has also continued to act on the stage. She won a Theater World Award for her performance in off-Broadway's "One Shoe Off" and starred on Broadway in the 2001 revival of "The Women" (which was later taped for, and broadcast on, PBS). |
Filmography
| American Strays (1996) as Patty Mae |
| Cord (2000) as Helen |
| Embrace of the Vampire (1995) as Marika |
| Far from Home (1989) as Amy |
| Fast Sofa (2001) as Ginger Quail |
| He's My Girl (1987) as Lisa |
| High Spirits (1988) as Miranda |
| Home on the Range (2004) as Grace |
| Inconceivable (2008) as Salome 'Sally' Marsh |
| Liar Liar (1997) as Samantha Cole |
| Love on the Side (2004) as Alma Kerns |
| Perfect Opposites (2004) as Elyse Steinberg |
| Play It to the Bone (1999) as Ringside Fan |
| Saint Ralph (2004) as Nurse Alice |
| Seed of Chucky (2004) as Tiffany/Herself |
| Shadow of the Wolf (1992) as Igiyook |
| Stuart Little (1999) as Mrs. Camille Stout |
| The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) as Blanche 'Monica' Moran |
| The Haunted Mansion (2003) as Madame Leota |
| Tideland (2005) as Queen Gunhilda |
| 30 Beats (2010) as Erika |
| Bailey's Billion$ (2005) as Dolores Pennington |
| Baiyin diguo (2009) |
| Ball in the House (2001) as Dot |
| Bart Got a Room (2008) as Melinda |
| Bird of Prey (1995) as Kily Griffith |
| Bound (1996) as Violet |
| Bride of Chucky (1998) as Tiffany |
| Bruno (2000) as Dolores |
| Bullets Over Broadway (1994) as Olive Neal |
| Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000) as Jo |
| Deal (2008) as Karen 'Razor' Jones |
| Dirt (2001) as Hooker |
| Do Not Disturb (1999) as Cathryn Richmond |
| Double Cross (1994) as Melissa |
| Edie & Pen (1996) as Edie Piper |
| El padrino (2004) as Sebeva |
| Goosed (1999) as Charlene Silver |
| Hollywood North (2003) as Gillian Stevens |
| Hoods (1998) as Mary Crippa |
| House Arrest (1996) as Cindy Figler |
| Imps* (2009) as Joni (segment "Sale on Professional Men") |
| Inside Out (1986) as Amy |
| Intervention (2007) |
| Jericho Mansions (2003) as Donna Cherry |
| Johnny Be Good (1988) as Connie Hisler |
| Let It Ride (1989) as Vicki |
| Made in America (1993) as Stacy |
| Made in Romania (2010) as Herself |
| Man with a Gun (1995) as Rena Rushton/Kathy Payne |
| Monsters, Inc. (2001) as Celia |
| Moving Violations (1985) as Amy Hopkins |
| Music from Another Room (1998) as Nina |
| No Small Affair (1984) as Mona |
| Nowhere to Go But Up (2003) as Edna |
| Official Rejection (2009) as Herself |
| One Lucky SOB (2009) as Nurse Sara |
| Pass the Sugar (2009) as Herself |
| Relax... It's Just Sex (1998) as Tara Ricotto |
| Remote Control (1988) as Allegra James |
| Renaissance Girl (2011) as Martha |
| Rented Lips (1988) as Mona Lisa |
| Return to Babylon (2008) as Clara Bow |
| Scorchers (1991) as Talbot |
| Second Best (2004) as Carole |
| The Caretaker (2008) as Miss Perry |
| The Cat's Meow (2001) as Louella Parsons |
| The Civilization of Maxwell Bright (2005) as Dr. O'Shannon |
| The Crew (2000) as Ferris 'aka Maureen' Lowenstein |
| The Doors (1991) as Okie Girl |
| The Getaway (1993) as Fran Carvey |
| The Making of Plus One (2010) as Amber |
| The Muse (1999) as Herself |
| The Poker Movie (2006) as Herself |
| The Pompatus of Love (1995) as Tarzaan |
| The Secret Lives of Dorks (2010) as Ms. Stewart |
| The Wrong Guy (1997) as Lynn Holden |
Trivia
|
* Went to high school at Belmont High School, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. * Sister of actress Meg Tilly. She also has an older brother, Steve Tilly and a younger sister named Rebecca Tilly. * Attended Stephens College, in Columbia, Missouri (majored in drama) * Has one cat, Corky. * She has won a Theater World Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her work in Tina Howe 's play "One Shoe Off" at The Joseph Papp Theater. She also received a Dramalogue Award for her work in the play "Vanities". She won a Gemini Award for Best Actress for her role in Showtime's made-for-TV film Heads (1994) (TV) and a nomination for a Cable ACE Award for her work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show." (1986). * Avid lover of fashion and has 400 pairs of shoes. * Lenny von Dohlen, who co-starred with Jennifer in Bird of Prey (1995) and her sister Meg Tilly in Leaving Normal (1992), said, "They have a fountain of emotion that keeps coming, even after someone yells cut, but the fountain comes from different bodies of water," he adds. "Meg is an ocean, Jennifer is a rushing river." * In high school, everyone called Jennifer, Meg, and their younger sister Becky the Three Musketeers. * She ranked #23 in Celebrity Sleuth 25 Sexiest Women of 1995 * Measurements: 36C-24-34 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) * She has played a hot, ditzy, sexy love interest for Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane character when he was trying to get over other women on "Cheers" (1982) and again on "Frasier" (1993) (though she was not playing the same character). * Is 1/2 Caucasian and 1/2 Chinese * In 2005, won the Ladies-Only No Limit Texas Hold 'Em event at the World Series of Poker, becoming the first celebrity to win an open (as opposed to celebrity-only) WSOP tournament and earn a World Series bracelet. She beat out exactly 600 other women to take the championship. * Initially involved in Los Angeles Equity waiver theater, she was a one-time member for several years with Lonny Chapman's Group Repertory Theatre. * Followed up her World Series of Poker win with a victory in the "World Poker Tour" (2003) Ladies Night, to be broadcast during the fourth season of WPT. * Her real-life boyfriend is professional poker player Phil Laak (aka "The Unabomber"). They met at a charitable invitational poker tournament. * Formerly engaged to actor Lou Diamond Phillips. |
Quotes
|
* Everyone said that if you want to be a real actor, go to New York. If you want to sell out, go to LA. And I thought - I want to sell out! * A way you can get really good abs in film is you get your makeup artist to paint shadows--faux washboard. But if you see me in a movie and I have great abs, it means I have a great body double. * Spending time with Jim on a stage is an incredibly weird experience! I found myself unable to act seriously! Hard to shoot with the master of comedy! * I still haven't made a film that defines who I am. * "If I was like some of the characters I played, I'd probably be dead by now". * I was the most popular person in my family. I was like a celebrity. All my sisters would fight over who got to sleep with me. I was always thinking up all the games, telling all the stories, and had the best clothes. I was the entertainment. We didn't have television and we didn't have movies, and I was always the boss. I'd write these plays and I'd make everybody be in them. Once, I had this idea that we'd put all the beds on top of one another so there would be only one bed, but it would be a really big, tall bed. Then we'd take turns sleeping on that bed while everybody else slept on the floor. Like, for a month. Everyone thought that was a great idea. I don't know why. I guess because we grew up way, way out in the country and we never had any neighbors. * On her curves and her frequent cleavage baring characters; "People are always accusing me of having implants." * [On Seed of Chucky (2004)] "It's really gruesome, but it's a heartwarming story." * About Madonna: "We went to a club once. The doorman opened the rope for me but closed it on Madonna - he didn't recognize her. She wouldn't have gotten in, but I put in a good word for her." (In Style magazine, Sept/2006) * Everyone had a nickname. Mine couldn't be Jennifer "the boob" Tilly! (On her new poker career while on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".) * That Hollywood thing, where everybody hugs and kisses everybody else - I always stiffen. It's an assumed familiarity. It's phony. * I have to tell you, I'm not like Demi Moore, where the tears trickle prettily down my cheeks. My whole face screws up and it's like, 'Oh please, get a room.' [on why she never chooses roles that involve crying] |
Photos
Comments
No comments yet.