Jennifer Mary Elfman (née Butala, born 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom ''

Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...

'' (1997–2002), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1999, and three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. After making her film debut in '' Grosse Pointe Blank'' (1997), she has appeared in ''

Krippendorf's Tribe ''Krippendorf's Tribe'' is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Todd Holland and based on Frank Parkin's 1985 novel of the same name. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Jenna Elfman, Natasha Lyonne, and Lily Tomlin. Its plot follows Professor Ja ...

'' (1998), '' Dr. Dolittle'' (1998), ''

EDtv ''EDtv'' is a 1999 American satirical comedy film directed by Ron Howard. An adaptation of the Quebecois film '' Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)'' (1994), it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrels ...

'' (1999), '' Keeping the Faith'' (2000), '' Town & Country'' (2001), '' Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003), '' Clifford's Really Big Movie'' (2004), and '' Big Stone Gap'' (2014). Elfman has also played leading roles on other television comedies, including '' Courting Alex'' (2006), '' Accidentally on Purpose'' (2009–2010), ''

1600 Penn ''1600 Penn'' is an American television sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in the White House. The series stars Jenna Elfman, Bill Pullman, and Josh Gad. Gad, along with Jason Winer and Jon Lovett jointly created the central characters ...

'' (2012–2013), ''

Growing Up Fisher ''Growing Up Fisher'' is an American sitcom that began airing mid-season on NBC as part of the 2013–14 United States network television schedule. The semi-autobiographical single camera series was created by D. J. Nash. On January 10, 2014, ...

'' (2014), and ''

Imaginary Mary ''Imaginary Mary'' is an American live-action/animated fantasy sitcom television series created by Adam F. Goldberg, David Guarascio and Patrick Osborne that aired on ABC from March 29 to May 30, 2017. The series is executive produced by the c ...

'' (2017). She also had a recurring role on the FX legal drama '' Damages'' in 2012, and has been a series regular on the AMC horror drama series '' Fear the Walking Dead'' since 2018.

Early life

Elfman was born Jennifer Mary Butala in Los Angeles, California. She was the youngest of three children born to homemaker Sue Butala (née Grace) and Richard Butala, a Hughes Aircraft executive. Her paternal uncle is Tony Butala, lead singer of the American vocal trio

The Lettermen The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contempor ...

since 1958. She is of Croatian ancestry on her father's side and was raised

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. Elfman attended high school at

St. Genevieve High School St. Genevieve High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Panorama City, Los Angeles, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. In 2003, St. Genevieve High School was recognized as a National School of ...

in the San Fernando Valley for a year, before eventually graduating at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts; she then attended college at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

(CSUN). She trained in

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

from age 5, but later gave it up when a tendon separated from bone. She studied at the Westside School of Ballet, receiving a full scholarship.

Career

Elfman began her professional career as a dancer, appearing in music videos for

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

("Halo", 1990),

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

("Black Lodge", 1993), and Chris Isaak (" Somebody's Crying", 1995), and touring with the rock band ZZ Top on their 1994 tour as a "Legs Girl". After appearing in television commercials, Elfman was cast in the short-lived 1996 American sitcom '' Townies'' on ABC. In 1997, Elfman was cast in ''

'' on ABC as Dharma Freedom Finkelstein Montgomery. The show ran for five seasons until its cancellation in 2002. In 2012, Elfman and her husband Bodhi started their podcast, ''Kicking and Screaming by Jenna and Bodhi Elfman''. In 2013, Elfman appeared in two NBC comedy series, ''

'' and ''

'', which were each cancelled after a single season. In 2016, Elfman was cast in the ABC comedy series ''

''. Like ''1600 Penn'' and ''Growing Up Fisher'', the series was cancelled after its first season.

Personal life

In February 1991, she met actor Bodhi Pine Elfman (né Saboff) during an audition for a Sprite commercial. Four years later, they were married on February 18, 1995. Bodhi is of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent, and Jenna was raised Catholic. When they met, he was a practicing Scientologist. Jenna became a Scientologist after her husband introduced her to its teachings.

Scientology

Elfman is a member of the

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious ...

. In 2005, she appeared at the Scientology-backed Citizens Commission on Human Rights' " Psychiatry: An Industry of Death" museum grand opening, and she and husband Bodhi are listed on the organization's website as members of the board of advisers from the arts, entertainment, and media community. On May 24, 2006, she was the keynote speaker at the Human Rights Hero Award event in participation with the Scientology-affiliated groups

Youth for Human Rights International Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is an American non-profit organization. Founded and largely staffed and financed by Scientologists, its stated mission is "To teach youth around the globe about human rights, thus helping them to become ...

and Artists for Human Rights (AFHR), an organization formed with the purpose of bringing artists together with the common cause of raising awareness of human rights around the world. On March 27, 2008, she and actor

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

co-hosted the Scientology-affiliated New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project Charity Event at Geisha House in Hollywood.

Fundraising activities

Elfman participated in fundraising activities, including donating an hour of her time for auction, donating a print of her lips, participating in a telethon fundraiser, hosting a comedy show, and asking for charity donations instead of birthday presents. Elfman participated in awareness-raising initiatives, including modeling for a fashion show, reading to schoolchildren as part of the National Education Association Read Across America program, and hosting a party in her home to raise awareness for causes headed by the Environmental Working Group. Elfman is on the board of directors of the Dizzy Feet Foundation.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elfman, Jenna 1971 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses American film producers American people of Croatian descent American people of Danish descent American television actresses Television producers from California American women television producers Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners California State University, Northridge alumni

Jenna Jenna is a female given name. In the English-speaking world it is a variation of Jenny, which is itself a diminutive of Jane, Janet, Jennifer and is often used as a name in its own right.Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of Baby Names'', Worth P ...

American Scientologists American women podcasters American podcasters Converts to Scientology from Roman Catholicism Los Angeles County High School for the Arts alumni American women film producers