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Jenna Elfman Profile |
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Birth Date: September 30, 1971
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Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, USA
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Birth Name: Jennifer Mary Butala
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Height: 5'10"
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Biography |
Jenna Elfman, nee Jennifer Mary Butala, was born and raised
in Los Angeles, California, on September 30, 1971. As a
child, Elfman had aspirations to become a nun, but it soon
became clear that she had more of a knack for entertainment
than she thought. By the age of 5, Jenna's parents put her
in a classical dance class.
Elfman was an energetic young girl who was hard to control.
This was especially obvious when her elementary school math
teacher sealed her mouth with electrical tape so that she
would pay attention to the lessons instead of entertaining
her classmates.
After graduating from high school, Elfman tried her luck
with higher education by attending Cal-State Northridge
College. Once she realized that she had little motivation to
continue with her studies, Elfman moved across town to
Hollywood, to try her luck in the entertainment business.
Elfman's first instinct was to become a ballerina dancer,
and she considered joining Seattle's Pacific Northwest. But
it was a dance ensemble for the 1991 Academy Awards that
launched Elfman's career as a dancer for film and television
productions. It was a brief appearance in Murder, She Wrote
that initiated her interest in acting. Soon after, Elfman
enrolled at The Beverly Hills Playhouse where she studied
coach Milton Katselas.
Her first gigs -- as with most first time actors -- started
with advertisement work. Elfman did some commercials for
AT&T, Sprite, Clearasil, and Honda. These spots gave her the
valuable experience to secure the services of an agent who
secured her minor acting jobs in a few episodes in sitcoms
such as Roseanne (1995) and NYPD Blue (1996).
In middle of 1996, Elfman landed a part in her first feature
film called Grosse Pointe Blank, and by the fall of the same
year, she was cast for a recurring role in ABC's Townies,
with co-stars Molly Ringwald and Lauren Graham. Her debut in
a supporting role was an instant smash. And before she knew
it, she had both ABC and 20th Century Fox rushing in to sign
her for new development deals.
In 1997, Elfman pitched her Dharma & Greg sitcom to the
powers that be at ABC. After their acceptance and the deal
signing, Elfman searched for her Greg. After seeing many
candidates, she chose Thomas Gibson. Their chemistry made
Dharma & Greg an instant hit, and garnered her a Golden
Globe award in 1999. The show aired its final episode in
2002.
Amid her television role, Jenna continued starring on the
big screen in films like Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), Can't
Hardly Wait (1998), Venus (1999), EDtv (1999), Keeping the
Faith (2000), and Town & Country (2001).
Jenna also lent her voice to big screen animations such as
Doctor Dolittle (1998), he IMAX flick CyberWorld and The
Tangerine Bear (both in 2000). Jenna even did a TV movie in
2002, entitled Obsessed.
In 2003, Jenna hooked up with Steve Martin and Heather
Locklear to star in Looney Tunes: Back in Action. She also
lent her voice to the big screen once again in 2004, in
Clifford's Really Big Movie. And since October 2003, Jenna
has been performing in the musical Nine as a replacement
cast member.
As for her personal life, in 1995, Jenna married actor Bodhi
Elfman, whom she had been dating since 1991. They share
their home with their dog, Gwenivere. She and her husband
both practice Scientology, and hope to make some time from
their busy schedules to have children soon.
More recently in 2004, fans got to see Jenna guest-starring
on the CBS, Charlie Sheen sitcom Two and a Half Men, and she
was looking sexier than ever. |
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Other
Information |
Studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton
Katselas.
Is a classically-trained Ballerina.
Graduated from Los Angeles High School for the Arts, class
of 1989. She was senior class representative (dance dept),
on Student Arts Council.
Niece of singer Tony Butala, who founded and performs with
the vocal group The Lettermen.
She started taking classical ballet at the age of five, but
by nine, she suffered a serious ankle injury, and at age 12,
the tendon came off the bone. She later gave up ballet at
the age of 16.
Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2004 Razzie Award
nominating ballot. She was suggested in the Worst Supporting
Actress category for her performance in the film Looney
Tunes: Back in Action (2003), however, she failed to receive
a nomination.
Is of Croatian heritage. |
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