Jennifer Beals was born in December 1963 in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the city. With a life-long desire for acting, Beals first appeared in small high school plays and even got an uncredited bit part in My Bodyguard in 1980. After graduation, she enrolled in college at Yale University, studying American literature. She appeared in her first starring role in the movie Flashdance (1983) while still a freshman at Yale. While at Yale, she also starred in Franc Roddam's The Bride (1985/I). After graduation from Yale, Beals married independent filmmaker Alexandre Rockwell in the mid-80s, and has appeared in several of his films. Most notably, she starred in his In the Soup (1992), which won the 1992 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Deauville Film Festival.
Beals continued to find acting work in various movies and TV productions through the 1990s, in lead and supporting roles. Her most recent and notable role came in early 2004 with her appearing as a regular on the Showtime TV-cable series "The L Word" playing a lesbian art gallery manager named Bette Porter.
Film debut was in the 1980 film, My Bodyguard (1980), in which she is uncredited.
Turned down the opportunity to play herself in "It's Like, You Know..." (1999).
She put her career on hold to graduate from Yale.
While at Yale, she was classmates with David Duchovny, who suggested her for a part on "The X Files" (1993) (which went to Gillian Anderson).
Has an African-American father and an Irish mother.
In Flashdance (1983), the birth date that she fills out on the application form is her actual birth date in real life.
While still a teenager, before she went into show business, she worked as a babysitter for one of her neighbors - Steve Edwards.
Good friends with Elizabeth Berkley.
Stepmother to her husband, Ken Dixon's, two children.
She and her character on The L Word, Bette Porter, are both Yale graduates with an African-American father and a Caucasian mother.
Was offered the part of Apollonia for Purple Rain, which starred 80s music star Prince. She turned it down because she wanted to concentrate on college.
Worked at Baskin-Robbins as a teenager.
She was the original choice for the lead role in Pretty in Pink, but it went to Molly Ringwald.
Is a close friend of Quentin Tarantino. He often stayed at her home while struggling as a director before making Pulp Fiction.
Flashdance (1983)
The Bride (1985)
Faerie Tale Theatre: Cinderella (1985) (TV)
Vampire's Kiss (1989)
Blood and Concrete (1991)
In the Soup (1992)
Indecency (1992)
Caro diario (1993)
The Night Owl (1993)
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
Four Rooms (1995)
Let It Be Me (1995)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
The Thief and the Cobbler (1995) (Miramax version)
Wishful Thinking (1997)
The Twilight of the Golds (1997)
The Prophecy II (1998)
The Spree (1998)
The Last Days of Disco (1998)
Without Malice (2000) (TV)
Fear of Flying (1999)
A House Divided (2000) (TV)
Militia (2000)
Out of Line (2001)
The Anniversary Party (2001)
After the Storm (2001) (TV)
The Feast of All Saints (2001) (TV)
13 Moons (2002)
Roger Dodger (2002)
They Shoot Divas, Don't They? (2002) (TV)
Runaway Jury (2003)
Catch That Kid (2004)
Desolation Sound (2005)
The Grudge 2 (2006)
Troubled Waters (2006)
My Name Is Sarah (2007) (TV)
Reptar versus the Snow Serpents (20??) (voice)
Joueuse (2009)
"It's been perfect. I can still ride a subway and work with great people. I can't imagine being Julia Roberts. I don't have the fortitude to withstand that kind of attention." - when asked by People Magazine about her standing in Hollywood today.
"I'm always shocked that gay marriage is such a big deal. You have to realize how precious human life is, when there are tsunamis and mudslides, when there are armies and terrorists - at any moment, you could be gone, and potentially in the most brutal fashion. And then you have to realize that love is truly one of the most extraordinary things you can experience in your life. To begrudge someone else their love of another person because of gender seems to be absolutely absurd. It's based in fear, fear of the other, fear of what is not like you. But when you are able to see lives on a day-to-day basis, rather than reducing it to politics, then it humanizes a whole community of people that were otherwise invisible."