Biography

Jenna Elfman

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Overview

Born
September 30, 1971 · Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth name
Jennifer Mary Butala
Height
5′ 10″ (1.78 m)

Mini bio

Jenna Elfman began her career as a professional dancer, appearing in music videos by Depeche Mode and Anthrax, and danced on the 1991 Academy Awards live broadcast, choreographed by Debbie Allen.

She ultimately transitioned to acting, best known for her role as Dharma in the hit television series "Dharma and Greg," for which she garnered a Golden Globe Award, three Emmy Award nominations and two TV Guide Awards.

Most recently on television, Elfman played Alice on ABC's comedy series "Imaginary Mary," which followed on the heels of "Growing Up Fisher" with J.K. Simmons, "1600 Penn" with Josh Gad, and critically-acclaimed guest appearances on "Shameless" and the final season of the award-winning drama "Damages," with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne.

Other notable television credits include a guest appearance on "The Mindy Project," as well as appearances on "Two and a Half Men," "My Name is Earl," and "Royal Pains."

She appeared in the hit comedy feature film Friends with Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and her film credits also include Keeping the Faith, opposite Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, the cult classic Can't Hardly Wait, Big Stone Gap alongside Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, and Whoopi Goldberg, and Ron Howard's Edtv, opposite Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

As a classically trained ballerina, Jenna has been invited twice to be a guest judge on the hit dance competition show "So You Think You Can Dance". She also proudly serves on the board of trustees of the Dizzy Feet Foundation (founded by producer Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman), whose mission is to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the United States.

Jenna was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, Bodhi Elfman, and their two young sons.

She films a video podcast with her husband Bodhi called Kicking and Screaming in which they humorously discuss their 2+ year marriage together.
- IMDb mini biography by: ahmetkozan

Family

Spouse
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademark

Bubbly cheerful goofy persona

Trivia

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 four months pregnant with her son Easton when she completed filming on the first series of Accidentally on Purpose (2009).
Is a classically-trained ballet dancer.
She is the daughter of Susan (Grace) and Richard Gregory Butala. Her father is of Croatian descent, and her mother has English, Scottish, and German ancestry.
Turned down a role in Minority Report (2002).

Quotes

Creatively, you need to go live life. As an artist, you are representing life. So you have to rub elbows and be out in it.
I think that marriage is an amazing institution and should be preserved, and you can have great marriages, and you must because sharing your life with someone is like the greatest thing. And I loved being able to set a good example for that on television.
I loved that about her because I knew it would open the door for a lot of comedy, because I knew that the conflict would come, because not many people live like the way she does.
I just think that it's [Dharma & Greg] such a good show and timeless and still very funny, and that just makes me happy to have that whole first season in one concentrated space for people to enjoy so that it's not hit and miss trying to find it in syndication always.
I just think it's fun to remind people that good television has exited and it can exist again and just to give them pleasure and enjoy it and make them laugh.