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Jami Gertz

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Jami Gertz
Gertz in 2008
Born
Jami Beth Gertz

(1965-10-28) October 28, 1965 (age 59)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1981–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1989)​
Children4

Jami Beth Gertz (/ˈdʒeɪmi/ JAY-mee; born October 28, 1965)[1] is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Crossroads, Quicksilver (both 1986), Less than Zero, The Lost Boys (both 1987), and the 1980s TV series Square Pegs and 1996's Twister, as well as for her roles as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing and as Debbie Weaver in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors. Along with her husband, Tony Ressler, she is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.

Early life

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Gertz was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lived in the suburb of Glenview.[2] She attended public schools, graduating from Maine East High School.[3] Her parents are Sharyn and Walter Gertz, who was a builder and contractor,[4] and she has two brothers, Michael and Scott. Gertz, who is Jewish, was raised in Conservative Judaism.[5][6][7]

Career

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She was discovered in a nationwide talent search by Norman Lear and studied drama at NYU.[8] As a child actor, Gertz was in one episode of Diff'rent Strokes along with Andrew Dice Clay. She also had a recurring role on The Facts of Life as Blair's friend and fellow schoolmate Boots St. Clair. Gertz made her film debut in the 1981 romance film Endless Love, which was followed by a co-starring role in the 1982–83 TV sitcom series Square Pegs. She gained more significant attention with a starring role in 1987's Less than Zero, as the friend of a doomed drug addict played by Robert Downey Jr. She also starred in the 1987 film The Lost Boys as Star, the "half vampire" girlfriend, with Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric.

After working in Paris as a scent designer for Lanvin, Gertz returned to the United States. She appeared in films including 1986's Solarbabies and Crossroads, the 1989 film Listen to Me with Kirk Cameron, Don't Tell Her It's Me, and Jersey Girl. In the 1994 episode of Seinfeld, "The Stall", she appeared as one of Jerry's girlfriends, who works as a phone sex operator and can't "spare a square" of toilet paper for Elaine in the restroom. Also in 1994, she played Sarah in the TV movie This Can't Be Love, starring: Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Quinn and Jason Bateman. She landed a key-supporting role, in the 1996 blockbuster Twister. Gertz later played the recurring character Dr. Nina Pomerantz during the 1997 season of ER. She reportedly was offered, but declined, the role of Rachel Green, during pre-production of Friends.[9]

In 2000, Gertz took up a recurring role on the Fox hit Ally McBeal as Kimmy Bishop, John Cage's love interest. Gertz was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She returned to this role in one more episode as a guest star in the show's final season in 2002. Also in 2002, she portrayed comedian Gilda Radner in the television movie Gilda Radner: It's Always Something.[5] Gertz's character on Still Standing, Judy Miller, is named after a character Radner portrayed on Saturday Night Live. Still Standing, a television sitcom in which Gertz co-starred with Mark Addy and which originally aired from 2002 to 2006, was her longest-running and most successful television show to date.

In 2003, Gertz starred as Brandy, a wanted criminal's girlfriend, in Undercover Christmas, and in 2005 Gertz played the lead role in the TV film Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story. In 2009–10, she had a recurring role as Marlo Klein, wife of Ari Gold's newest business partner Andrew Klein, an agent at Miller-Gold Talent Agency, on HBO's Entourage. In 2011, she returned to broadcast television with a guest role in the Modern Family episode "Slow Down Your Neighbors". In 2011, she earned a producer's credit on the Academy Award-nominated film A Better Life, which was put in limited release throughout the month of June and early July before arriving on DVD in October.

From 2012 to 2014, Gertz starred in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors, in which she played the mother of a human family that moves into a neighborhood populated by residents from another planet.

Personal life

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Gertz has been married to business executive Tony Ressler since 1989. They have three sons and a daughter: Oliver Jordan Ressler (born 1992), Nicholas Simon Ressler (born 1995), Theo Ressler (born 1998) and Abigail Brynn Ressler (born 2003).[10][11][12]

Gertz and her husband are members of the investment group led by Mark Attanasio which purchased the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. Gertz-Ressler High Academy, a member of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, is named for Gertz and her husband. They also became owners of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2015.[13] Gertz represented the Hawks in the NBA draft lottery for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 NBA drafts.[14]

The Giving Back Fund named Gertz and her husband as the number-one donor to charity of any celebrity, in 2010.[15] Gertz serves as a board director for the Melanoma Research Alliance, the largest nonprofit funder of melanoma research.[16]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1981 On the Right Track Big Girl
Endless Love Patty
1984 Sixteen Candles Robin
Alphabet City Sophia
1985 Mischief Rosalie
1986 Quicksilver Terri
Crossroads Frances
Solarbabies Terra
1987 The Lost Boys Star
Less than Zero Blair
1989 Listen to Me Monica Tomanski
Renegades Barbara
Silence Like Glass Eva Martin
1990 Don't Tell Her It's Me a.k.a., The Boyfriend School Emily Pear
Sibling Rivalry Jeanine
1992 Jersey Girl Toby
1994 This Can't Be Love Sarah
1996 Twister Dr. Melissa Reeves Stinkers Bad Movie Award for Worst Supporting Actress
Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress
1999 Seven Girlfriends Lisa
2001 Lip Service Kat
2006 Keeping Up with the Steins Joanne Fielder
2013 Dealin' with Idiots Rosie
2022 I Want You Back Rita

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1982–1983 Square Pegs Muffy Tepperman Regular role; 20 episodes
1983 Diff'rent Strokes Lindsay Episode: "My Fair Larry"
For Members Only Monica Mitchell Television film
1984 Dreams Martha Spino Regular role; 12 episodes
1983–1984 The Facts of Life Boots St. Claire Recurring role; 4 episodes
1984 Family Ties Jocelyn Clark Episode: "Double Date"
1991–1992 Sibs Lily Ruscio Regular role; 22 episodes
1994 Seinfeld Jane Episode: "The Stall"
This Can't Be Love Sarah Television film
Dream On Jane Harnick Episodes: "The Taking of Pablum - Part 1 & Part 2"
Related by Birth Lily Television short
1995 Dream On Martin's Lover Episode: "Take Two Tablets, and Get Me to Mt. Sinai"
Hudson Street Allison Episode: "Bells & Whistles"
1997 ER Dr. Nina Pomerantz Recurring role; 6 episodes
2001 True Love Television film
2000–2002 Ally McBeal Kimmy Bishop Recurring role; 6 episodes
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
2002 Gilda Radner: It's Always Something Gilda Radner Television film
2003 Undercover Christmas Brandi O'Neill Television film
2005 Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story Marilyn Gambrell Television film
2002–2006 Still Standing Judy Miller Regular role; 88 episodes
Nominated – Young Artist Award for Most Popular Mom & Pop in a Television Series (shared with Mark Addy)
2006 Shark Sara Metcalfe Episode: "Sins of the Mother"
2007 Lost Holiday: The Jim & Suzanne Shemwell Story Suzanne Shemwell Television film
2009–2010 Entourage Marlo Klein Recurring role; 5 episodes
2011 Modern Family Laura Episode: "Slow Down Your Neighbors"
2012–2014 The Neighbors Debbie Weaver Regular role; 44 episodes
2016 This Is Us Marin Rosenthal Episode: “Career Days"
2017 Difficult People David's Wife Episode: "Bernie and Blythe"

References

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  1. ^ "Gertz, Jami 1965–". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  2. ^ "Growing Up Glenview". Huffington Post. September 18, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Rackl, Lori. Jami Gertz talks ‘Neighbors’, Chicago Sun-Times, September 25, 2012. Accessed July 24, 2013.
  4. ^ "Jami Gertz: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Pfefferman, Naomi (April 25, 2002). "JewishJournal.com". JewishJournal.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2002. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  6. ^ "Jami Gertz on 'The Neighbors' – The Arty Semite – Forward.com". Blogs.forward.com. December 13, 2012. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  7. ^ Walfish, Josh (May 9, 2013). "Actress Jami Gertz discusses being Jewish in entertainment industry". The Daily Northwestern.
  8. ^ O'Conner, Patricia T. "Jami Gertz". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  9. ^ Miller, Victoria Leigh. "How Jennifer Aniston Almost Missed Out on Her Emmy-Winning 'Friends' Role". Yahoo! Contributor Network. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  10. ^ "The 15 Most Charitable Celebrities in Hollywood". gotgravy.com. May 2, 2018. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Jewish Journal: "It’s Always Gilda - Actress Jami Gertz wants to do justice to the memory of the late SNL comedienne" By Naomi Pfefferman April 25, 2002
  12. ^ "Hawks representative Jami Gertz had a great reason for being at the NBA lottery". The Washington Post. May 16, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  13. ^ Bloomberg: "NBA Governors Approve $730 Million Hawks Sale to Ressler’s Group" By Scott Soshnick and Zeke Faux June 24, 2015
  14. ^ ‘Scary but exciting’ role for Jami Gertz as Hawks rep at draft lottery
  15. ^ "The Giving Back Fund | The Giving Back 30 2008". Givingback.org. December 19, 2011. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  16. ^ "Jami Gertz". Melanoma Research Alliance. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
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