Jennifer Beals, born on December 19, 1963, is an American actress. She made her film debut in My Bodyguard (1980) and gained critical acclaim for playing Alexandra Owens in Flashdance (1983). For this role, she won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
Beals has acted in many films, such as Vampire’s Kiss (1988), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), The Last Days of Disco (1998), Roger Dodger (2002), The Book of Eli (2010), Before I Fall (2017), and Luckiest Girl Alive (2022). On television, she starred in shows like The Chicago Code (2011), Proof (2015), Taken (2017), and The Book of Boba Fett (2021). Her role as Bette Porter on the Showtime drama The L Word (2004–2009) earned her a nomination for the Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama. She returned as Bette Porter and worked as an executive producer on the sequel series The L Word: Generation Q (2019–2023).
Profile Summary
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jennifer Beals |
| Date of Birth | December 19, 1963 (age 62) |
| Place of Birth | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years Active | 1980–present |
| Known For | Alexandra Owens (Flashdance); Bette Porter (The L Word) |
| Spouses | Alexandre Rockwell (m. 1986; div. 1996); Ken Dixon (m. 1998) |
| Children | 1 |
Age
Jennifer Beals was born on December 19, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. She is 62 years old.
Biography and Education
Beals grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Her mother, Jeanne Anderson, was an elementary school teacher, and her father, Alfred Beals, owned grocery stores. Her father was African-American and her mother is Irish-American. She has two brothers, Bobby and Gregory. Her father passed away when she was nine, and afterward, she spent a summer at Cheley Colorado Camps in Estes Park, Colorado. In 1981, her mother married Edward Cohen. Beals has said her biracial background influenced her, explaining that she “always lived sort of on the outside” and felt “like the other in society.” Her first job was at an ice cream shop at age 13, where she used her height to convince her boss she was 16.
Two important moments inspired Beals to become an actress: working on her high school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof and watching Balm in Gilead, featuring Joan Allen, while she was a volunteer usher at the Steppenwolf Theatre.
Beals graduated from Francis W. Parker School in Chicago and took part in the Goodman Theatre Young People’s Drama Workshop. She later earned a B.A. in American Literature from Yale University in 1987, where she lived in Morse College. She postponed one term at Yale to act in the film Flashdance.
Web series
Beals is also well known for her support of women’s rights. In August 2012, she appeared alongside Troian Bellisario in the web series Lauren on the YouTube channel WIGS. Its first season is a three-episode arc featuring the stories of women in the army being abused, predominantly by more powerful superiors. The stories focused on frequently unreported cases of sexual abuse and how and why most of the cases went unreported or unsettled. Beals has also appeared in two interviews, discussing her views regarding Lauren.
In January 2013, Troian Bellisario announced on Twitter and Instagram that she and Beals were filming more episodes of Lauren. The series returned on May 3, 2013, with a second season of 12 episodes.
Personal Life
While at Yale, Beals dated Robert Simonds, who later became a film executive. She married Alexandre Rockwell in 1986, and they divorced in 1996. In 1998, she married Ken Dixon, a Canadian entrepreneur. Beals and Dixon had a daughter on October 18, 2005. Dixon also has two children from a previous marriage.
Beals describes herself as spiritual. She has shown interest in the Bible, Catholicism, and Judaism, which she once considered converting to. She currently practices Buddhism.
She has been a vocal advocate for gay rights, saying, “I think after playing Bette Porter on The L Word for six years, I felt like an honorary member of the community.” Beals was a Celebrity Grand Marshal at the 2006 San Francisco Pride Parade. In October 2012, she received the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally For Equality Award, in recognition of her outstanding support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Beals practices kung-fu, sanshou, and kickboxing, and she is also a triathlete.
Beals is also a photographer and has exhibited her work under her married name, Dixon. In 1989, she spent time in Haiti photographing the elections. She published a book about her experiences on The L Word, which includes her own photographs.
In 2010, Beals was the Grand Marshal of the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago. During the event, she spoke about two charities that are important to her: the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Pablove Foundation.
Beals became a Canadian citizen in 2022. She is married to a Canadian.
Awards & Honors
Beals has received significant critical recognition during her long career, including:
- NAACP Image Award: Won for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Flashdance.
- Golden Globe Nominations: Nominated for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for Flashdance.
- Ally for Equality Award: Awarded by the Human Rights Campaign in 2012 for her extensive support of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Career Achievement: Honored with the Yale in Hollywood Fest Career Achievement Award.
