Jenna Ushkowitz | |
|---|---|
 Ushkowitz in 2011 | |
| Born | (1986-04-28)April 28, 1986 (age 39) Seoul, South Korea |
| Education | Marymount Manhattan College (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 민지 |
| RR | Minji |
| MR | Minji |
Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz[1] (/ˈʌʃkəwɪts/; born April 28, 1986), is an American actress, singer, producer andpodcast host.[2] She is known for her performances inBroadway musicals such asThe King and I andWaitress and in the role ofTina Cohen-Chang on theFox musical comedy-drama seriesGlee, for which she received aGrammy Award nomination. She is a two-timeTony Award winner for her work as a producer of the Broadway musicalOnce on This Island and the Broadway playThe Inheritance.
Born inSeoul, South Korea, Ushkowitz wasadopted at the age of four months and raised inEast Meadow, New York.[3][4] Ushkowitz'sKorean given name is Min Jee (Korean: 민지).[5] Her mother Judi was a secretary turned housewife, and her father Brad was in transportation-industry sales. She has an older brother, Gregg.[6] Her immediate adoptive family isCatholic, her adoptive paternal grandfather wasJewish.[7] She attended elementary school at the Parkway School in East Meadow, followed byHoly Trinity Diocesan High School, a Catholic school inHicksville, Long Island.[8][9] As a young child, she began her career in print advertisements, beginning with an ad forPlayskool's Dress Me UpErnie doll. She next did aToys R Us television commercial, and went on to do threeBurger King andHess toy truck commercials each, and at ages 3, 6 and 11 did threeJell-O commercials starring comedianBill Cosby.[10] She also has been a regular child actor onSesame Street for four years.
During high school, Ushkowitz appeared in numerous musicals, including the first high school production ofLes Misérables. Her other roles included Penny inHonk!, Inez inThe Baker's Wife, Little Red Riding Hood inInto the Woods, and Romaine Patterson inThe Laramie Project. Ushkowitz graduated from high school in 2004 and moved on to attendMarymount Manhattan College, where she once again took the role of Little Red Riding Hood inInto the Woods.[11] She graduated from Marymount Manhattan in 2007 with aBachelor of Arts in theatre arts, with a concentration in performance and a minor in musical theatre.[8][12]
At age 3, Ushkowitz began appearing onSesame Street and otherchildren's television shows. HerBroadway musical debut was in the 1996 revival ofThe King and I.[13] Ushkowitz sangthe American National Anthem at aNew York Knicks game atMadison Square Garden when she was 13.[11] Ushkowitz understudied the roles of Ilse, Anna, Martha, and Thea in the Broadway musicalSpring Awakening in 2008.[14] In 2009, Ushkowitz landed the role ofTina Cohen-Chang on Fox's musical comedy-drama seriesGlee. In castingGlee, series creatorRyan Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, he spent three months on Broadway, where he found Ushkowitz.[15]
Ushkowitz's solos have included the songs "True Colors" byCyndi Lauper, "I Follow Rivers" byLykke Li, "Because You Loved Me" byCeline Dion, "Gangnam Style" byPSY, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from the musicalJesus Christ Superstar, "Hung Up" byMadonna, and "I Kissed a Girl" byKaty Perry. Raymund Flandez ofThe Wall Street Journal hailed the "True Colors" cover as showcasing Ushkowitz's "strong crystalline voice".[16] Gerrick D. Kennedy, writing for theLos Angeles Times, wrote that the "poignant" rendition was one of his "feel-good, tearjerker moments".[17] The version charted at number 47 on theAustralian Singles Chart, 38 on theCanadian Hot 100, 15 on theIrish Singles Chart, 35 on theUK Singles Chart, and 66 on theBillboard Hot 100.[18]Rolling Stone journalist Erica Futterman wrote that her "Because You Loved Me" performance "removes some of the Lite FM softness embedded in the tune" and added that it was "really is great to see Tina get a song that suits her vocal abilities".[19]
In both 2010 and 2011, Ushkowitz embarked on live concert tours with herGlee co-stars, with performances taking place in the United States, Canada, England, and Ireland. In 2011, Ushkowitz appeared briefly inLady Gaga's music video for "Marry the Night", playing the role of Gaga's friend.[20] Ushkowitz's autobiography,Choosing Glee, was released on May 14, 2013.[21][22] DuringGlee's fifth season, Ushkowitz's character graduated and was accepted intoBrown University.
In August 2014, Ushkowitz was cast as Jeannie Ryan in theHollywood Bowl production ofHair.[23] Also in 2014, Ushkowitz was approached by fellow adopteeSamantha Futerman to found Kindred: The Foundation for Adoption, created to provide international and domestic adoptees and their families (both adoptive and biological) with services such as travel, translation, and support for those who wish to reunite. With the same spirit that made her create Kindred, in 2015, Ushkowitz executive produced the documentaryTwinsters, a film showing the story that connected Samantha and Anaïs, identical twin sisters separated at birth. The film premiered at the 2015South by Southwest. That same year, she was cast as the lead character, Julia Sullivan, in a special production ofThe Wedding Singer at thePittsburgh Civic Light Opera. The play was initially set to last one week, but the positive response from critics and audiences extended its run.[24]
In December 2015, it was announced that Ushkowitz had been cast as Marie the Nurse in the film adaptation of the musicalHello Again, alongsideNolan Gerard Funk,Audra McDonald, andMartha Plimpton.[25] In 2016, Ushkowitz co-founded the podcast networkAt Will Radio with Will Malnati. The network debutedInfinitie Positivities, a show hosted by Ushkowitz that contains discussions of topics from her bookChoosing Glee, and conversations with people who inspire her; guests include fellow actors, authors, and experts. In each episode, she talks about a new way to live life with a positive outlook.[26]
Ushkowitz temporarily assumed the role of Dawn Williams fromKimiko Glenn in theBroadway production ofWaitress, beginning performances July 29, 2016,[27] and completing her run on October 19, 2016.[28] She then appeared alongsideTracie Thoms andRachel Dratch in Broadway'sThe 24 Hour Plays, with a performance on November 14, 2016.[29] In 2018, she won aTony Award for her role as a producer of that year's Best Revival of a Musical,Once on This Island.[30] In 2020, she won a Tony Award for her role as a co-producer of that year's Best Play,The Inheritance.[31]
In 2019, Ushkowitz and former Glee co-starKevin McHale launched the podcastShowmance to discuss their on-screen and offline relationship. One of the most requested discussion topics of Season 1 of the podcast was their time on Glee. In season 2, they started an in-depth recap of Glee Season 1. Each episode of season 2 features McHale and Ushkowitz re-watching episodes of Glee, and sharing behind-the-scenes secrets while also sharing personal sentiments and reflections about filming. The podcast is part of the LadyGang network onPodcastOne.[32] The podcast started an indefinite hiatus in July 2020 following thedeath of Naya Rivera.
In September 2022, McHale and Ushkowitz announced their new podcast endeavorAnd That's What You Really Missed on iHeartRadio. Their rebranded and reimaginedGlee recap podcast will start at the beginning, recapping and sharing memories from all six seasons of the show.[33]
Besides her work with Kindred Foundation, Ushkowitz has advocated for several causes. In 2012, she posed withGlee co-starKevin McHale for theNOH8 Campaign, supporting the repeal ofProposition 8 in California, which had previously bannedsame-sex marriages in the state.[34] Ushkowitz has worked withNYCLASS andOceana. A long time supporter of ocean conservation, Ushkowitz took a trip during summer of 2015 with Oceana to theChannel Islands, in order to raise awareness on the overfishing offorage fish and its effects on their survival. That same year, she hosted the 2015 Nautica Oceana Beach House event.[35] She has made efforts to raise awareness about the declining population of sea lions in California, also caused by the overfishing of forage fish.[36]
In August 2020, Ushkowitz announced her engagement to David Stanley.[37] In May 2021, Ushkowitz celebrated her bachelorette party along with friend andGlee co-starKevin McHale, who served as her "man of honor" during the ceremony.[38] She and Stanley wed on July 24, 2021.[39][40] On January 26, 2022, Ushkowitz announced on Instagram that she and Stanley are expecting their first child.[41] In June 2022, she gave birth to their daughter, Emma.[42] On June 28, 2024, Ushkowitz announced that she and her husband were expecting their second child.[43] In November 2024, she gave birth to their son, Graham.[44]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1998 | The King and I | Royal Child | Neil Simon Theatre |
| 2008 | Spring Awakening | Ensemble / Ilse Neumann | Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
| 2014 | Hair | Jeannie Ryan | Hollywood Bowl |
| 2015 | The Wedding Singer | Julia Sullivan | Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera |
| 2016 | Waitress | Dawn Williams | Lena Horne Theatre |
| 2016 | The 24 Hour Plays | Various | American Airlines Theatre |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Once on This Island | Producer | 2017 Broadway Revival |
| 2019 | Be More Chill | Producer | Broadway premiere |
| 2019 | The Inheritance | Co-producer | Broadway premiere[45] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Little Bill | Basketball Girl | Episode: "The Promise/The Practice" | |
| 2007 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Violin Player | Episode: "Orchestra" | |
| 2009–2015 | Glee | Tina Cohen-Chang | Main role (seasons 1–5); Recurring role (season 6); 106 episodes | |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race (season 2) | Milli von Sunshine | Episode 1: I'm Coming Out - First Time in Drag! Episode 2: Dance Your Padded Ass Off! Episode 3: Money, Honey Episode 4: Drag Duet (6th Place) | [46] |
| 2022 | Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience | Secret Service Mole | [47] | |
| 2023–2024 | Princess Power | Queen Ryung | 9 episodes; voice role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | When I Was 17 | Herself | Episode 32 |
| 2011 | The Glee Project | Herself | Episode: "Believability" |
| 2013 | This Is How I Made It | Herself | Episode 10 |
| 2013 | MasterChef | Herself | Episode: "Top 14 Compete" |
| 2014–2015 | Celebrity Name Game | Herself | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | After Midnight | Herself | Episode 70 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Educated | Wendy | Short film |
| 2011 | Glee: The 3D Concert Movie | Tina Cohen-Chang | Concert film |
| 2014 | Twinsters | — | Executive producer |
| 2017 | Yellow Fever | Asia Bradford | |
| 2017 | Hello Again | Marie (The Nurse) | |
| 2020 | 1 Night in San Diego | Hannah | |
| 2020 | The Right Girl | — | |
| 2022 | The Dinner Party | Cassidy | Short film; also director |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Marry the Night" | Lady Gaga |
| 2017 | "Swish Swish" | Katy Perry featuringNicki Minaj |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Glee | Won |
| TV Land Awards | Future Classics(withGlee cast) | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Group(withGlee cast) | Nominated | ||
| Lesbian/Bi People's Choice Awards | Favorite Music Duo or Group(withGlee cast) | Nominated | ||
| Gay People's Choice Awards | Favorite Music Duo or Group(withGlee cast) | Won | ||
| 2011 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Don't Stop Believin'[a] | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Group(withGlee cast) | Glee | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Glee | Nominated |
| 2015 | South by Southwest | Grand Jury Award for Documentary Feature | Twinsters | Nominated |
| Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival | Best Documentary Feature (Grand Jury Prize) | Won | ||
| 2017 | International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema London | Best Lead Actress | Yellow Fever | Nominated |
| 2018 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Once On This Island | Won |
| Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Outstanding Musical | Be More Chill | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The Inheritance | Won |
| Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | Won |
Tell me about your last name, Ushkowitz. – It's Polish. I was actually adopted from Korea when I was 3 months old. My father is Polish-Italian and my mother is Irish-English.
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