Jennifer Tilly was born September 16, 1958, in
Harbor City, California. The daughter of Harry, a stockbroker, and Pat, a
schoolteacher, Jennifer's parents got divorced when she was 6. Pat Tilly
remarried and took Jennifer, her 3 siblings, and her 3 stepsiblings to British
Columbia, Canada.
Having to relocate constantly with her family, Jennifer had to adjust to each
new school, and was a pretty quiet student. At 17, she started out yet again at
a new school, this time at St. Stephen's College in Missouri, to study theater.
In order to help pay for her tuition, she contributed articles to magazines and
earned money by winning Honorable Mentions in writing competitions.
She then decided to head to college in Los Angeles rather than New York, as
opposed to her sister Meg (you might remember her from roles in The Big Chill
and Body Snatchers, in which Jennifer was Meg's body double). Frustrated
at first, Jennifer did land her own parts as well.
Jennifer was making the television rounds, with a role as an extra on Days of
Our Lives, to a recurring role on Hill Street Blues in 1984. That
year she was cast as Shannon Winters on the short-lived sitcom, Shaping Up,
and followed it up with guest appearances on Remington Steele, Cheers,
and another recurring role on It's Gary Shandling's Show.
Jennifer was also busy appearing in bit parts, in films such as Moving
Violations, Inside Out, Remote Control, He's My Girl,
and Rented Lips, one year after the other.
In 1988, in addition to Johnny Be Good (which featured a young Uma
Thurman), Jennifer appeared in High Spirits. After roles in Let It
Ride and Far From Home, Jennifer was finally recognized for her role
as auditioning singer Blanche "Monica" Moran in 1989's The Fabulous Baker
Boys.
Then more parts came her way, such as in The Doors, Scorchers and
Made in America, but she finally got her big break when she was cast as
Olive Neal, the wife of a mobster, in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway,
in 1994.
The tiny-voiced actress was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, in
her convincing portrayal of an untalented aspiring actress. Her past theater
experience could have helped make her portrayal of a theater actress (not as an
untalented actress) easier, as she has appeared in the theater production
of One Shoe Off -- and this role garnered her a Theater World Award in
1993.
In 1996, Jennifer reprised her role as a mobster's girlfriend, only this time as
a bisexual girlfriend in the erotic film Bound. She then appeared in the
Jim Carrey comedy, Liar Liar, and appeared in 1998's Relax... It's
Just Sex and Hoods.
With few substantial film roles coming her way, Jennifer starred yet again as
the girlfriend of a criminal, only this time as the wife of a terrorizing doll,
Chucky, in 1998's The Bride of Chucky.
In 1999, she lent her voice to The Family Guy and Stuart Little;
appeared as herself in The Muse; and had a bit part in Play It to the
Bone. Jennifer had to take it off for her role as a stripper in 2000's
The Crew, and starred in Inside Job, in 2001.
Since then, she has appeared in Seed of Chucky (2004), The
Civilization of Maxwell Bright (2005) and Tideland (2005). She has
also been cast in Funny Farm (2006), opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh and
Andie MacDowell.
Source: AskMen.com
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