
Jennifer Beals
Acting
1963-12-19 - Present
Jennifer Beals (height 5' 8½" (1.74 m)) is an American actress and a former teen model. She is known for her roles as Alexandra "Alex" Owens in the 1983 film Flashdance, and as Bette Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word. She earned an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination for the former. She has appeared in more than 50 films.
Beals was born on the South Side of Chicago, the daughter of Jeanne (née Anderson), an elementary school teacher, and Alfred Beals, who owned grocery stores. She is multiracial; her father was African American, and her mother is Irish American. She has two brothers, Bobby and Gregory.Her father died when Beals was nine years old, and her mother married Edward Cohen in 1981. Beals has said her biracial heritage had some effect on her, as she "always lived sort of on the outside", with an idea "of being the other in society". She got her first job at age 13 at an ice cream store, using her height at the time (she is now nearly 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)), to convince her boss she was 16.
Beals was inspired to become an actress by two events: doing a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof and seeing Balm in Gilead with Joan Allen while volunteer-ushering at the Steppenwolf Theatre.
Beals graduated from the progressive Francis W. Parker School. She also was chosen to attend the elite Goodman Theatre Young People's Drama Workshop. Beals attended Yale University, receiving a B.A. in American literature in 1987; she deferred a term so she could film Flashdance. While at Yale, Beals was a resident of Morse College.
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Credits

AfterasKaren Gibson

The Book of EliasClaudia

FlashdanceasAlex Owens

Runaway JuryasVanessa Lembeck

Four RoomsasAngela

Luckiest Girl AliveasLolo Vincent

Before I FallasMrs. Kingston

A Wife's NightmareasLiz

Full OutasValorie Kondos-Field

The Grudge 2asTrish Kimble

Caro diarioasSelf

Devil in a Blue DressasDaphne Monet

Turbulence 2: Fear of FlyingasJessica

Manhattan NightasLisa Wren

Vampire's KissasRachel

My BodyguardasClifford's Friend (uncredited)

The BrideasEva

The Thief and the CobblerasPrincess YumYum (voice)

Roger DodgerasSophie

The Last Days of DiscoasNina

Split DecisionsasBarbara Uribe

Catch That KidasMolly Phillips

The White OrchidasVivian

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious CircleasGertrude Benchley

The Prophecy IIasValerie Rosales

Queen to PlayasL’Américaine

Blood and ConcreteasMona

In the SoupasAngelica Pena

Let It Be MeasEmily Taylor

Wishful ThinkingasElizabeth

That's Dancing!as

Dr. MasSonja Vogler

13 MoonsasSuzi

MilitiaasJulie Sanders

Troubled WatersasFBI Agent Beck

The Big Pardon 2asJoyce Ferranti

Break a LegasJuliet

CinemanovelsasClementine

They Shoot Divas, Don't They?asSloan McBride

IndecencyasEllie Shaw

The SpreeasXinia Kelly

My Name Is SarahasSarah Winston

The Search for One-eye JimmyasEllen

The Anniversary PartyasGina Taylor

A House DividedasAmanda Dickson

The GambleasLady Olivia Candioni

Dead on SightasRebecca Darcy

CinderellaasCinderella

SonsasTransvestite

Something MoreasLisa

The Twilight of the GoldsasSuzanne Stein

Night OwlasJulia

Body and SoulasGina

A Night for Dying TigersasMelanie

A Fuller LifeasSelf - Reader (segment "Crime Reporter")

Without MaliceasSamantha Wilkes

Feast of All SaintsasDolly Rose

Out of LineasOfficer Jenny Capitanas

Desolation SoundasElizabeth Storey
Starz Inside: Fashion in FilmasSelf

The Madonna and the DragonasPatty Meredith
Hello Out ThereasJudith

The Night Before the Night Before ChristmasasAngela Fox

Terror Stalks the Class ReunionasVirginia

Faerie Tale Theatre: CinderellaasCinderella