Jennifer Westfeldt
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Jennifer is an American actress and filmmaker, who is perhaps best
known for writing and starring in the indie hits,
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
and Friends with Kids (2011).
A graduate from Yale University, Jennifer started her career as a New
York-based theater actor, starring in over 25 off-Broadway and regional
productions, before coming to Hollywood in 1997. Within weeks of her
arrival, she landed a series regular role in ABC's
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998),
alongside Ryan Reynolds,
Traylor Howard and
Richard Ruccolo. That same year, she
co-wrote and starred in an off-Broadway play, with
Heather Juergensen, called
"Lipschtick: The Story of Two Women Seeking The Perfect Shade", that
caught the attention of Hollywood studios. The play was optioned by
"Radar Pictures" to be made into a film, starring Westfeldt and
Juergensen.
After one season on "Two Guys", 20th Century Fox Studios pulled
Jennifer from that show to cast her as the lead of another show for
them, the short-lived
Holding the Baby (1998) on
Fox.
While Westfeldt was busy shooting sitcoms, she and Juergensen were also
hard at work, developing their play into a screenplay. Frustrated by
the slow pace of studio development, they bought back the rights to
their script and decided to make their film independently, on a
shoestring budget. The film was
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001).
"Kissing Jessica Stein" was snapped up by "Fox Searchlight", when it
debuted at the LA International Film Festival, then was released to
critical acclaim in March of 2002. Jennifer received the Golden
Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role as
"Jessica", an Indie Spirit Nomination for Best First Screenplay, and a
Special Jury Prize for Writing and Acting at the Los Angeles
International Film Festival. The film won the Audience Award for Best
Feature at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, the Audience
Favorites Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, the
Audience Award at the Miami Film Festival, Best Feature at the
Louisville Jewish Film Festival, and the GLAAD Media Award.
Jennifer continued to work steadily in television, starring in pilots
for the WB
(The Gene Pool (2001)
opposite Chris Eigeman in 2001), F/X (The
untitled Paul Reiser pilot in 2002),
and NBC (Steve Levitan's
Dante (2005) in 2005), and doing
recurring and guest roles on
Judging Amy (1999),
Hack (2002),
Numb3rs (2005) and
Snoops (1999). She also starred in the
indie,
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (2004)
(aka "How To Lose Your Lover"), in 2004, opposite
Paul Schneider.
She made her Broadway debut, in the fall of 2003, in the critical and
commercial hit, "Wonderful Town", starring opposite two-time Tony
Winner Donna Murphy and directed by
three-time Tony Winner
Kathleen Marshall. Jennifer
received a 2004 Tony nomination, a Theater World Award for Outstanding
Broadway Debut, and a Drama League Award for her role as "Eileen
Sherwood".
Jennifer's second feature as an actress/scribe,
Ira & Abby (2006), marked her first
solo screen-writing effort. "Ira & Abby" won the Audience Award for
Best Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Jury Prize for Best
Feature at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and the Audience
Award for Best Feature at the Boston Jewish Film Festival.
Additionally, Jennifer won Best Actress at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts
Festival for her performance as "Abby". The film was acquired by
"Magnolia Pictures" and was released to critical acclaim in the fall of
2007. That same year, Jennifer was cast as the lead of ABC's
Notes from the Underbelly (2007),
directed and executive produced by
Barry Sonnenfeld. "Notes" ran for two
seasons on ABC. Her recent television credits include memorable arcs on
ABC's hit,
Grey's Anatomy (2005) and the
final season of Fox's hit, 24 (2001), as
well as starring in the TV movie,
Before You Say 'I Do' (2009),
opposite David Sutcliffe.
Her recent stage work includes the world premiere of
Joe Gilford's "Finks" at the Powerhouse
Theater, opposite Josh Radnor and directed
by Charlie Stratton (2008); the world
premiere of Cusi Cram's "A Lifetime Burning"
at Primary Stages off-Broadway, directed by
Pam Mackinnon (2009); "Three Sisters" at
LA Theaterworks (2011) and the world premiere of
Stephen Belber's "The Power of Duff" at
the Powerhouse Theater, opposite
Greg Kinnear and directed by
Peter Dubois (2012).
On the big screen, Jennifer Westfeldt most recently wrote, starred in
and made her directorial debut in the indie hit, Friends with Kids (2011), released by Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions in March 2012.
"Friends with Kids" was a breakout hit at the 2011 Toronto Film
Festival, and boasted a stellar cast, including
Adam Scott,
Maya Rudolph,
Kristen Wiig,
Chris O'Dowd,
Ed Burns,
Megan Fox and
Jon Hamm.
Jennifer has been in a relationship with
Jon Hamm since 1997. They reside in both New
York and Los Angeles.
known for writing and starring in the indie hits,
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
and Friends with Kids (2011).
A graduate from Yale University, Jennifer started her career as a New
York-based theater actor, starring in over 25 off-Broadway and regional
productions, before coming to Hollywood in 1997. Within weeks of her
arrival, she landed a series regular role in ABC's
Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998),
alongside Ryan Reynolds,
Traylor Howard and
Richard Ruccolo. That same year, she
co-wrote and starred in an off-Broadway play, with
Heather Juergensen, called
"Lipschtick: The Story of Two Women Seeking The Perfect Shade", that
caught the attention of Hollywood studios. The play was optioned by
"Radar Pictures" to be made into a film, starring Westfeldt and
Juergensen.
After one season on "Two Guys", 20th Century Fox Studios pulled
Jennifer from that show to cast her as the lead of another show for
them, the short-lived
Holding the Baby (1998) on
Fox.
While Westfeldt was busy shooting sitcoms, she and Juergensen were also
hard at work, developing their play into a screenplay. Frustrated by
the slow pace of studio development, they bought back the rights to
their script and decided to make their film independently, on a
shoestring budget. The film was
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001).
"Kissing Jessica Stein" was snapped up by "Fox Searchlight", when it
debuted at the LA International Film Festival, then was released to
critical acclaim in March of 2002. Jennifer received the Golden
Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role as
"Jessica", an Indie Spirit Nomination for Best First Screenplay, and a
Special Jury Prize for Writing and Acting at the Los Angeles
International Film Festival. The film won the Audience Award for Best
Feature at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, the Audience
Favorites Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, the
Audience Award at the Miami Film Festival, Best Feature at the
Louisville Jewish Film Festival, and the GLAAD Media Award.
Jennifer continued to work steadily in television, starring in pilots
for the WB
(The Gene Pool (2001)
opposite Chris Eigeman in 2001), F/X (The
untitled Paul Reiser pilot in 2002),
and NBC (Steve Levitan's
Dante (2005) in 2005), and doing
recurring and guest roles on
Judging Amy (1999),
Hack (2002),
Numb3rs (2005) and
Snoops (1999). She also starred in the
indie,
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (2004)
(aka "How To Lose Your Lover"), in 2004, opposite
Paul Schneider.
She made her Broadway debut, in the fall of 2003, in the critical and
commercial hit, "Wonderful Town", starring opposite two-time Tony
Winner Donna Murphy and directed by
three-time Tony Winner
Kathleen Marshall. Jennifer
received a 2004 Tony nomination, a Theater World Award for Outstanding
Broadway Debut, and a Drama League Award for her role as "Eileen
Sherwood".
Jennifer's second feature as an actress/scribe,
Ira & Abby (2006), marked her first
solo screen-writing effort. "Ira & Abby" won the Audience Award for
Best Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Jury Prize for Best
Feature at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and the Audience
Award for Best Feature at the Boston Jewish Film Festival.
Additionally, Jennifer won Best Actress at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts
Festival for her performance as "Abby". The film was acquired by
"Magnolia Pictures" and was released to critical acclaim in the fall of
2007. That same year, Jennifer was cast as the lead of ABC's
Notes from the Underbelly (2007),
directed and executive produced by
Barry Sonnenfeld. "Notes" ran for two
seasons on ABC. Her recent television credits include memorable arcs on
ABC's hit,
Grey's Anatomy (2005) and the
final season of Fox's hit, 24 (2001), as
well as starring in the TV movie,
Before You Say 'I Do' (2009),
opposite David Sutcliffe.
Her recent stage work includes the world premiere of
Joe Gilford's "Finks" at the Powerhouse
Theater, opposite Josh Radnor and directed
by Charlie Stratton (2008); the world
premiere of Cusi Cram's "A Lifetime Burning"
at Primary Stages off-Broadway, directed by
Pam Mackinnon (2009); "Three Sisters" at
LA Theaterworks (2011) and the world premiere of
Stephen Belber's "The Power of Duff" at
the Powerhouse Theater, opposite
Greg Kinnear and directed by
Peter Dubois (2012).
On the big screen, Jennifer Westfeldt most recently wrote, starred in
and made her directorial debut in the indie hit, Friends with Kids (2011), released by Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions in March 2012.
"Friends with Kids" was a breakout hit at the 2011 Toronto Film
Festival, and boasted a stellar cast, including
Adam Scott,
Maya Rudolph,
Kristen Wiig,
Chris O'Dowd,
Ed Burns,
Megan Fox and
Jon Hamm.
Jennifer has been in a relationship with
Jon Hamm since 1997. They reside in both New
York and Los Angeles.