Jennifer Grey | |
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.jpg) Grey at the 2024New York Film Festival | |
| Born | (1960-03-26)March 26, 1960 (age 65) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut with the filmReckless (1984), and had her breakthrough with the teen comedy filmFerris Bueller's Day Off (1986). She earned worldwide fame starring as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the romantic drama filmDirty Dancing (1987), which earned her aGolden Globe Award nomination. Her other feature films includeRed Dawn (1984),The Cotton Club (1984),Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989),Bounce (2000),Redbelt (2008),The Wind Rises (2013),In Your Eyes (2014),Bittersweet Symphony (2019), andA Real Pain (2024).
Grey's early television work includes themade-for-TV filmsMurder in Mississippi (1990),Criminal Justice (1990), andIf the Shoe Fits as Kelly Carter / Prudence (1990). She starred as herself in the seriesIt's Like, You Know... (1999–2001), wonseason eleven of the dancing competition seriesDancing with the Stars (2010) and starred as Judy Meyers in theAmazon Prime Video comedyRed Oaks (2014–2017). Her voice work in film and television includes the 2018 filmDuck Duck Goose and the 2008–2014 animated television seriesPhineas and Ferb.[1][2]
Jennifer Grey[a] was born on March 26, 1960, in New York City to former actress/singer Jo Wilder (née Brower) and stage andAcademy Award-winning screen actorJoel Grey.[3][4] Her paternal grandfather was comedian and musicianMickey Katz. Grey's parents both came from Jewish families.[5][6][7][8]
Grey attended theDalton School, a private school inManhattan[9] where she studied dance and acting, and where she met her best friend, actressTracy Pollan.[10] After graduating in 1978, Grey enrolled at Manhattan'sNeighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre for two years of training as an actress. While waiting for roles, she supported herself waitressing.[11][12]
Grey made her commercial debut at age 19 in an ad forDr Pepper, then made her film debut in a small role inReckless (1984), followed by another small role, inFrancis Ford Coppola'sThe Cotton Club in 1984. That year she starred in the war filmRed Dawn, then went on to the 1985John Badham projectAmerican Flyers.
In 1986 she played the role of jealous sister Jeannie Bueller in theJohn Hughes comedy filmFerris Bueller's Day Off, oppositeMatthew Broderick. The film was commercially successful[13] and received a positive critical reception.[14]
The following year she reunited withPatrick Swayze, herRed Dawn co-star, to play Frances "Baby" Houseman inDirty Dancing, acoming-of-age love story: spending the summer at aCatskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the resort's dance instructor, Johnny Castle. The low-budget film was a surprise hit, was the first film to sell one million copies on video,[15] and is considered a classic.[16] She was paid $50,000[17] for her role, which came to define her career, and she was nominated for aGolden Globe for Best Actress for the role.[18]
Grey's sole Broadway theatre credit is her 1993 appearance inThe Twilight of the Golds.
Despite the success ofDirty Dancing, Grey felt that her looks would place restrictions on the type of future roles she would be considered for.[17] After consulting her mother and three plastic surgeons in the early 1990s, she underwent tworhinoplasty procedures. The second was necessary to correct an irregularity caused by the first operation and ended up being more extensive than Grey had expected.[17][19] This resulted in a nose that caused even close friends to fail to recognize her, and the major change in her appearance affected her career.[20] Of the experience, she said, "I went in the operating room a celebrity—and came out anonymous. It was like being in awitness protection program or being invisible."[21][22] Grey recalled in a 2020 interview that an airline employee who checked her identity refused to believe that she and the actress the employee knew fromDirty Dancing were one and the same.[17] Grey briefly considered changing her name to start her career anew, but ultimately decided against this.[23]
From March 1999 until January 2000, Grey starred as herself in the short-livedABC sitcomIt's Like, You Know..., which satirized her much-publicizednose job as a running gag.[24]
Grey appeared withShirley MacLaine,Liza Minnelli, andKathy Bates in theCBS television movieThe West Side Waltz, adapted byErnest Thompson from his play. She appeared in one episode ofFriends as Mindy, a high school friend ofJennifer Aniston's character Rachel. She had a small role in the 2000 filmBounce withGwyneth Paltrow andBen Affleck. In 2007, Grey portrayed Daphne on theHBO seriesJohn from Cincinnati. In 2010, she played Abbey, the mother of a sick child in the season sevenHouse episode "Unplanned Parenthood".[25]
Grey was a contestant onseason eleven ofDancing With the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancerDerek Hough.[26] She came out very strong at first, frequently topping the leaderboard. However, injuries, stress, and exhaustion took their toll on Grey, and for a couple of weeks, she fell behind. In week seven, however, she improved, tying with previous frontrunnerBrandy Norwood. On November 23, 2010, Grey and her partner Hough won the competition, making her the oldest female winner in the competition.[27][28]
In September 2011 Grey appeared in theLifetime movieBling Ring as Iris Garvey, the mother of Zack Garvey.[29] On November 5 and 6, 2011, Grey stood in for head judgeLen Goodman on theBBC One TV showStrictly Come Dancing.[30]
Grey voiced Mrs. Kurokawa in the English dub version ofHayao Miyazaki's filmThe Wind Rises.[31]
From 2014 to 2017, Grey portrayed Judy Meyers onRed Oaks.[32] In 2018, Grey co-starred in the filmUntogether; the film was released on February 8, 2019.[33]
Grey also appeared at the2015 Tony Awards alongside her father Joel, presenting a performance from the musicalFun Home.
Ballantine Books published Grey's memoir,Out of the Corner, on May 3, 2022.[17]
On August 5, 1987, Grey suffered severewhiplash in a car collision inTempo, Northern Ireland, while vacationing with actorMatthew Broderick. They had quietly become a couple while filmingFerris Bueller's Day Off. The crash-- which publicized their relationship-- occurred when Broderick, driving aBMW, crossed into the wrong lane and collided head-on with aVolvo driven by a mother and daughter: Margaret Doherty, 63, and Anna Gallagher, 28. The mother and daughter were killed instantly. Broderick was convicted ofcareless driving and fined £100 ($175).[11][34]Dirty Dancing was released a few weeks after the collision, catapulting Grey to fame. But she has said that her grief andsurvivor's guilt over the crash prevented her from enjoying the film's success and led her to withdraw from acting for some time.[35]
Grey has had multiple relationships with actorsMichael J. Fox,Johnny Depp, andWilliam Baldwin, and then-aide toPresident Clinton,George Stephanopoulos.[36] She married actor/directorClark Gregg on July 21, 2001. They have a daughter.[37] They lived inVenice, Los Angeles.[38] The couple co-starred in theLifetime movieThe Road to Christmas in 2006. On July 3, 2020, Grey and Gregg announced they had separated amicably in January, and had filed for divorce.[39] Their divorce was finalized on February 16, 2021.[40]
According to a September 2015 Grey profile inJewish Journal, Grey had recently reconnected with Judaism, saying, "I love being a Jew. I've gotten a lot more Jewish in the last five years because of my daughter'sbat mitzvah, and I realized I really care about being a Jew."[41]
Prior to her 2010 appearances onDancing with the Stars, Grey had a physical exam to ensure that she was fit enough to compete. She also saw a doctor to address chronic neck problems caused by the car crash.[42] Her spinal cord was compressed and requiredACDF surgery. The surgeon discovered acancerous nodule on her thyroid and removed it.[43] She returned to work in early 2010.[44]
In January 2017, Grey participated in the Los Angeles2017 Women's March.[45]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Reckless | Cathy Bennario | |
| Red Dawn | Toni Mason | ||
| The Cotton Club | Patsy Dwyer | ||
| 1985 | American Flyers | Leslie | |
| 1986 | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Jeanie Bueller | |
| 1987 | Dirty Dancing | Frances "Baby" Houseman | |
| 1988 | Gandahar | Airelle (voice) | English dub |
| 1989 | Bloodhounds of Broadway | Lovey Lou | |
| 1992 | Wind | Kate Bass | |
| 1995 | Lover's Knot | Megan Forrester | |
| Grampa's Babies | Dottie Kravetz | ||
| 1997 | Red Meat | Candice | |
| 2000 | Bounce | Janice Guerrero | |
| 2002 | Ritual | Dr. Alice Dodgson | |
| 2008 | Redbelt | Lucy Weiss | |
| Keith | Caroline | ||
| 2013 | The Wind Rises | Mrs. Kurokawa (voice) | English dub |
| 2014 | In Your Eyes | Diane | |
| 2018 | Duck Duck Goose | Edna (voice) | |
| Untogether | Josie | ||
| 2019 | Bittersweet Symphony | Eleanor Roberts | |
| 2021 | Grief Night Club | Dr. J | Short film |
| 2023 | Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match | Herself /Sareena (voice) | Video[46] |
| 2024 | A Real Pain | Marcia | |
| 2025 | Wish You Were Here | Mom |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | ABC Afterschool Special | Carol Schwartz | Episode: "The Great Love Experiment" |
| 1985 | ABC Afterschool Special | Laura Eller | Episode: "Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale" |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Valerie Jacobs | Episode: "A Community of Civilized Men" |
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi | Rita Schwerner | TV movie |
| Criminal Justice | Liz Carter | TV movie | |
| If the Shoe Fits | Kelly Carter / Prudence | TV movie | |
| 1991 | Eyes of a Witness | Christine Baxter | TV movie |
| 1993 | A Case for Murder | Kate Weldon | TV movie |
| 1995 | Friends | Mindy | Episode: "The One with the Evil Orthodontist" |
| Fallen Angels | Ginger Allen | Episode: "A Dime a Dance" | |
| The West Side Waltz | Robin Ouiseau | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Portraits of a Killer | Elaine Taylor | TV movie |
| 1997 | The Player | Stephanie Granatelli | TV movie |
| 1998 | Outrage | Sally Casey | TV movie |
| Since You've Been Gone | Patty Reed | TV movie | |
| 1999–2000 | It's Like, You Know... | Herself | 26 episodes |
| 2006 | The Road to Christmas | Claire Jamieson | TV movie |
| 2007 | John from Cincinnati | Daphne, Meyer's Fiancée | 3 episodes |
| 2008–2014 | Phineas and Ferb | Various voices | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Tracey | Episode: "Love Means Never Having to Say You're Crazy" |
| 2010 | House | Abbey | Episode: "Unplanned Parenthood" |
| Dancing with the Stars | Herself / Contestant | Season 11 Winner | |
| 2011 | The Bling Ring | Iris Garvey | TV movie |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Herself / Guest Judge | Series 9, Week 6 | |
| 2014–2017 | Red Oaks | Judy Meyers / Judy Rosen | 21 episodes |
| 2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Clark Gregg vs.Hayley Atwell" |
| 2017 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Herself | Episode: "Jennifer Grey" |
| 2019 | Grey's Anatomy | Carol Dickinson | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | The Conners | Janelle | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Dollface | Sharon Wiley | Episode: "Homecoming Queen" |
| 2023 | Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation | Gwen Shamblin | TV movie[47][48] |
| 2024 | American Dad! | Herself (voice) | Episode: "An Adult Woman" |
| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Viennese Waltz / "These Arms of Mine" | 7 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 2 | Jive / "Shake It" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Samba / "A Little Respect" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Argentine Tango / "La Cumparsita" | 9 10 | 9 9 | 9 10 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "Love and Marriage" | 8 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "So What" Rock 'n' Roll Dance Marathon / "La Grange" | 7 Awarded | 7 9 | 7 points | Last to be called safe |
| 7 | Tango / "Shut Up" TeamCha-cha-cha / "Bust A Move" | 9 9 | 9 9 | 9 9 | Safe |
| 8 | Quickstep / "Let's Face the Music and Dance" Rumba / "Waiting for a Girl Like You" | 9 10 | 9 10 | 9 10 | Safe |
| 9 Semi-finals | Cha-cha-cha / "Mercy" Waltz / "Way Over Yonder" | 10 10 | 10 10 | 10 10 | Safe |
| 10 Finals | Paso Doble / "Habanera" Freestyle / "Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)" Viennese Waltz / "These Arms of Mine" InstantCha-cha-cha / "Raise Your Glass" | 10 10 10 9 | 10 10 10 9 | 10 10 10 10 | Won |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Dirty Dancing | Nominated |
^ a: Contrary to previous versions of this article, and some of the sources cited in it, Grey indicated in a February 8, 2012, tweet on her verified Twitter account that she does not have a middle name.
Mr. Grey's granddaughter Stella, age 6, lives nearby [Pacific Palisades] with her parents, Jennifer Grey and her husband, the actor Clark Gregg.
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Dancing with the Stars (US) winners Season 11 (Fall 2010 withDerek Hough) | Succeeded by |