Jean Louisa Kelly (born March 9, 1972) is an American actress and singer. After making her film debut as Tia Russell in ''

Uncle Buck ''Uncle Buck'' is a 1989 American comedy film written and directed by John Hughes, and starring John Candy and Amy Madigan with supporting roles by Jean Louisa Kelly (in her film debut), Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Garrett M. Brown and E ...

'' (1989) alongside

John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...

, she appeared in a wide range of other films including ''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neigh ...

'' (1995) and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'' (1995). From 2000 to 2006, she portrayed Kim Warner on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom ''

Yes, Dear ''Yes, Dear'' is an American television sitcom created by Alan Kirschenbaum and Gregory Garcia, that aired on CBS from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, with the total of six seasons and 122 episodes. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Lou ...

''.

Career

Before attending college, she already had roles in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

cast of Sondheim's ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (as

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

and understudy to

Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( , ) is a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812 as part of '' Children's and Household Tales'' (KHM 12). The Brothers Grimm's story developed from the French literary fairy tale of '' Persinet ...

and

Little Red Ridinghood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Broth ...

) and as Tia Russell in the film ''

'' with

. She also took roles in college productions, including with the

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

Gilbert and Sullivan Society. In the mid-1990s, after graduating from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, Kelly became well known for a series of television commercials she did for MCI long distance, in which she played a telephone operator who challenged

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

. In 1995, she starred as Luisa in the musical film ''

'' with

Joey McIntyre Joseph Mulrey McIntyre (born December 31, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the youngest member of the pioneering boy band, New Kids on the Block. He has sold over one million records worldwide as a solo ar ...

and

Joel Grey Joel Grey (born Joel David Katz; April 11, 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical '' Cabaret'' on Broadway as well as in the 1972 fi ...

, although the film was shelved until 2000. The same year, she appeared as Rowena Morgan, the

muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

for the title character of '' Mr. Holland's Opus''. In the 1990s, other films followed, including “Origin of the Species,” “The Day Lincoln was Shot” and ''Landfall'' (2001). Kelly appeared Off Broadway at the

York Theatre York Theatre is an off-Broadway theatre company based in East Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In its 50th year, York Theatre is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each seas ...

in the title role in Paul McKibbins and B.T. McNicholl's ''The It Girl'', based on the 1927 movie ''It''. She also appeared in the York's "Musicals in Mufti" series as

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

in ''

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman ''It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman'' is a 1966 musical composed by Charles Strouse, with lyrics by Lee Adams and book by David Newman and Robert Benton. It is based on the comic book character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Jo ...

''. In 1996, Kelly voiced the title role in the second season of the animated series ''

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders ''Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders'' also known outside of North America as ''Starla & the Jewel Riders'' (and sometimes spelled as the more traditionally Arthurian "Guinevere") is a 1995–1996 American comic fantasy-themed girl audiences ...

''. After several made-for-TV movies, Kelly's broadest exposure came from her roles in

situation comedies A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

, first guest starring in such shows as ''

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

'', and then as a cast member of the short-lived

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

version Version may refer to: Computing * Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program * VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS Music * Cover version * Dub version * Remix * ''Ve ...

of '' Cold Feet''. From 2000 to 2006, she starred as Kim Warner on the long-running sitcom ''

''. In 2006 she guest starred in the ABC drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

''. After her series ended, she guest starred on numerous television shows and starred in movies of the week. She recurred as Bernice Pope in the

Yahoo Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Manage ...

production of ''

Sin City Saints ''Sin City Saints'' is an American sitcom television series starring Malin Åkerman, Andrew Santino, and Keith Powers. It debuted on Yahoo! Screen on March 23, 2015. Its eight-episode first season was directed by Bryan Gordon and Fred Savage. Th ...

''. She played opposite William Fichtner in the movie “The Neighbor” and opposite John Diehl in “Out of the Wild” in 2015. In 2019 she played opposite Bradley Whitford in “Call of the Wild,” and played Jane Doe/Serena May in the James Wan movie “Malignant.” She released an album of children's music called ''Color of Your Heart'' in 2013. In 2015, she released a five-song EP called ''Willing'', and in 2017 she released an album titled "For My Folks", which features a collection of standards. Kelly appears as Sarah Kazansky - wife of Val Kilmer's character Tom "Iceman" Kazansky - in the 2022 action drama movie '' Top Gun: Maverick''.

Personal life

Kelly was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, the daughter of J. Joseph Kelly III and Wendy Kelly. Her father was a high school English teacher, and her mother taught piano. She attended

Easton High School Easton High School (EHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Easton, Talbot County, Maryland, United States. It is one of two public high schools in Talbot County along with St. Michaels Middle/High School. Overview The school ...

in Easton, Maryland."College Grad Is Someone to Watch"
''Columbia University Record'', Vol. 21, No. 19, March 8, 1996. In 1994, Kelly graduated from

's Columbia College with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in English. In 1997, she married

James Pitaro James Pitaro is an American media executive and attorney. On March 5, 2018, The Walt Disney Company announced he would become president of ESPN Inc. Pitaro graduated in 1987 from Edgemont High School in Scarsdale, New York. In 1991, Pitaro gradu ...

. They have two children. She is close friends with

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Compa ...

, having hosted the

baby shower A baby shower is a party of gift-giving, drinking beers or a ceremony that has different names in different cultures. It celebrates the delivery or expected birth of a child or the transformation of a woman into a mother. Etymology The term ''s ...

for Garner's daughter Violet Anne Affleck and interviewed Garner for ''

Self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhoo ...

'' magazine in 2005.

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

External links

*
March 1996 article
in the ''Columbia University Record'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Jean Louisa 1972 births Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Massachusetts Actresses from Worcester, Massachusetts American child actresses American Congregationalists American women singers American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American television actresses Columbia College (New York) alumni Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses