Jennifer Ehle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jennifer Ehle
Ehle in 2016
Born	Jennifer Anne Ehle (1969-12-29) December 29, 1969 (age 55) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater	Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Michael Ryan ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2025)​
Children	2
Parents	John Ehle (father) Rosemary Harris (mother)
Awards	See below

Jennifer Anne Ehle (born December 29, 1969) is an American actress who works in movies, television, and on stage. She is famous for her award-winning performances in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Her parents are the English actress Rosemary Harris and the American writer John Ehle. Jennifer is well known for playing Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC television series Pride and Prejudice. This role won her a British Academy Television Award (BAFTA).

Ehle is also a star of the stage. She has won two Tony Awards, which are the highest honors for live theater in the U.S. Her first Tony was for the play The Real Thing in 2000. She won her second for The Coast of Utopia in 2007.

You might have also seen her in popular movies like The King's Speech (2010), Contagion (2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), and She Said (2022).

Early Life

Jennifer Ehle was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her mother, Rosemary Harris, was a famous English actress, and her father, John Ehle, was an American author. Because of her parents' careers, she grew up in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

She attended several different schools, including the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She studied acting at the North Carolina School of the Arts and later at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England.

Career

Television and Film Success

Ehle's big break came in 1995 when she starred as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. She acted alongside Colin Firth. The show was a huge success, and for her performance, Ehle won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.

After this, she appeared in many films. Some of her notable movie roles include:

• Wilde (1997)
• Sunshine (1999)
• The King's Speech (2010), where she acted with Colin Firth again.
• Contagion (2011), a thriller about a deadly virus.
• Zero Dark Thirty (2012), a drama about the search for Osama bin Laden.
• The Fifty Shades film series, where she played the main character's mother.
• She Said (2022), a movie about the journalists who investigated Harvey Weinstein.

An interesting fact is that Ehle was originally cast as Catelyn Stark in the first episode of HBO's Game of Thrones. She decided to leave the show to spend more time with her family, and another actress took over the role.

She has also appeared in many TV shows, including The Blacklist, The Comey Rule, and the western series 1923.

Award-Winning Stage Career

Jennifer Ehle is also a very successful stage actress. In 1991, she won an award for her role in the play Tartuffe.

She made her debut on Broadway (New York's famous theater district) in 2000 in a play called The Real Thing. Her performance was so good that she won a Tony Award for Best Actress.

In 2007, she won a second Tony Award for her role in a series of plays called The Coast of Utopia. She was also nominated for a Tony in 2017 for the play Oslo. Her work on stage has shown she is one of the most talented actresses of her generation.

Personal Life

Ehle was married to writer Michael Ryan from 2001 until their divorce in 2025. They have two children together.

Selected Acting Credits

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Tony Awards

BAFTA Awards

Screen Actors Guild Award

Laurence Olivier Award

See also

In Spanish: Jennifer Ehle para niños