Jennifer Jean "Jenna" von Oÿ (born May 2, 1977) is an American actress, singer and author. She played the role of Dorothy "Six" LeMeure in the

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 ...

sitcom 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 ne ...

'' Blossom'' and Stevie Van Lowe in the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

sitcom ''

The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A spin-off of UPN's ''Moesha'', ''The Parkers'' features the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker (played by Counte ...

'', the spin-off series of '' Moesha''.

Early life and career

Von Oÿ was born in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, to Gloria and Frank Von Oÿ. She attended Newtown High School and began her acting career as a child in regional stage productions and commercials. Von Oÿ made her television acting debut in 1986 in an episode of ''

ABC Weekend Special ''ABC Weekend Special'' is a weekly 30-minute American television anthology series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997, which featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated. Similar to b ...

'', which was followed by guest roles on ''

Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero. Debuting in October 1983 with a pilot episode and then being picked up for syndication in September 1984, the show ran for 4 seasons through Ju ...

'' and ''

Kate & Allie ''Kate & Allie'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced women, both with children, who decide to live together in the same house. ...

''. From 1990 to 1991, she co-starred in the short-lived

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 '' Lenny''. From 1990 to 1995, von Oÿ appeared in the role of the fast-talking Six Lemeure in the series '' Blossom''. After the series ended, she attended film school at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and was an active member of the

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), also known simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The main arc ...

sorority for two years before dropping out to return to acting. In 1999, she won the role of Stevie van Lowe, Kim Parker (

Countess Vaughn Countess Danielle Vaughn (born August 8, 1978) is an American actress, singer and television personality. She is best known for her role as Kim Parker on the UPN sitcoms ''Moesha'' and its spin-off ''The Parkers'', and as Alexandria DeWitt on '' ...

)'s sidekick in ''

''. During the run of ''The Parkers'', von Oÿ also provided the voice of Trinket St. Blaire in the animated series ''

Pepper Ann ''Pepper Ann'' is an American animated television series created by Sue Rose and aired on Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC. It debuted on September 13, 1997, and ended on November 18, 2000. ''Pepper Ann'' was the first Disney animated te ...

''. After ''The Parkers'' ended its run in 2004, von Oÿ appeared in the 2005

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, ''Marsha Potter Gets a Life''. Later that year, she guest-starred in an episode of ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'' and parodied

Alexis Bledel Kimberly Alexis Bledel ( ; born September 16, 1981) is an American actress and model. She is known for her role as Rory Gilmore on the television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), and Emily Malek in ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (2017–2021). ...

's character

Rory Gilmore Lorelai Leigh "Rory" Gilmore is a fictional character from the WB/ CW television series ''Gilmore Girls'' portrayed by Alexis Bledel. She first appeared in the pilot episode of the series on October 5, 2000 and appeared in every episode until the ...

in the ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...

'' episode " Perfect Castaway". In addition to television, von Oÿ has also appeared in the feature film ''

Born on the Fourth of July ''Born on the Fourth of July'', published in 1976, is the best-selling autobiography by Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war activist. Kovic was born on July 4, 1946, and his book's ironic title echoed a famous line ...

'' (1989) opposite

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

. She has also provided the voices of Stacey in ''

A Goofy Movie ''A Goofy Movie'' is a 1995 American animated musical comedy-adventure film produced by Disney MovieToons and Walt Disney Television Animation. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series '' Goof Tro ...

'' (1995) and Gracie in the

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

feature '' Dr. Dolittle 3'' (2006). In June 2000, von Oÿ recorded a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

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in an attempt to launch a recording career in country music. Her debut album, ''Breathing Room'', was released on September 18, 2007.

Personal life

She married computer-data consultant Brad Bratcher in Newtown, Connecticut, in October 2010 but the couple has since divorced. They have two daughters: Gray Audrey Bratcher, who was born on May 21, 2012; and Marlowe Monroe Bratcher, who was born on November 1, 2014. Von Oy has resided in Nashville for 15 years, where she lives with her partner, two daughters, and 5 pups. She currently works as the associate editor and lead Nashville writer for Nashville-based lifestyle publication StyleBlueprint.

Discography

* ''Breathing Room'' (2007) * ''Coffee & Men (An EP for Childish Adults)'' (2009)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Von Oy, Jenna 1977 births Living people Actresses from Stamford, Connecticut American child actresses American country singer-songwriters American film actresses American people of German descent American television actresses American voice actresses American women country singers LGBT actresses Musicians from Stamford, Connecticut USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Country musicians from Connecticut Singer-songwriters from Connecticut 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses