Jennifer Garner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jennifer Garner
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Garner in 2024
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Jennifer Anne Garner
April 17, 1972 Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Denison University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1995–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Partner(s) | John C. Miller (2018–2020; 2021–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Full list |
Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. She is famous for her roles in movies and TV shows. Jennifer studied theater in college. She started her acting career on stage in New York City.
Jennifer became very well-known for playing Sydney Bristow in the action TV series Alias (2001–2006). This role won her a Golden Globe Award. She also starred in popular romantic comedies like 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Juno (2007). You might also know her as Elektra from the superhero movies Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005).
More recently, Jennifer has been in family-friendly films like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) and Yes Day (2021). She also appeared in the action film The Adam Project (2022). Besides acting, Jennifer works to help young children learn and grow. She is also a co-founder of a company that makes organic baby food.
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Early life and education
Jennifer Anne Garner was born on April 17, 1972, in Houston, Texas. When she was three years old, her family moved to Charleston, West Virginia. Her father, William John Garner, was a chemical engineer. Her mother, Patricia Ann English, was a homemaker and later an English teacher. Jennifer has two sisters. She has said she was a typical middle child who wanted to be different from her older sister.
Jennifer grew up going to a local church every Sunday. She also attended Vacation Bible School. When she and her sisters were teenagers, they were not allowed to wear makeup or dye their hair. She joked that her family's rules were "practically Amish". She went to George Washington High School in Charleston. In 1990, Jennifer went to Denison University in Ohio. She first studied chemistry but then changed her major to theater. She was also part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. In 1994, she earned a degree in theater performance.
Acting career highlights
Starting out in the 1990s
While in college, Jennifer performed in summer plays. She helped sell tickets, build sets, and clean the theaters. After college, she moved to New York City in 1995. She worked as an understudy for a play, meaning she learned the role in case the main actor couldn't perform. Her first time on screen was in a TV miniseries called Zoya. She also appeared in other TV shows like Spin City and Law & Order. To earn extra money, she worked as a restaurant hostess and babysat.
In 1997, Jennifer moved to Los Angeles. She got her first main role in a TV film called Rose Hill. She also appeared in her first feature films, including Washington Square. In 1998, she was in the TV drama Felicity, which was created by J. J. Abrams. In 1999, she had a regular role in another TV drama, Time of Your Life.
Becoming a star in the 2000s
In 2000, Jennifer was in the comedy movie Dude, Where's My Car?. In 2001, she had a small role in the war movie Pearl Harbor. That same year, she got her big break. She was cast as the main character, Sydney Bristow, in the ABC action thriller series Alias. The show's creator, J. J. Abrams, wrote the part especially for her. Alias ran for five seasons, from 2001 to 2006. Jennifer won a Golden Globe Award for her work on the show.
While working on Alias, Jennifer also acted in movies. She had a small role in the film Catch Me If You Can (2002) with Leonardo DiCaprio. Her first main role in a movie was in the superhero film Daredevil (2003). She played Elektra, a skilled fighter. The movie was popular at the box office.
Jennifer's first leading role in a romantic comedy was in 13 Going on 30 (2004). In this movie, she played a teenager who suddenly finds herself as a thirty-year-old. Critics and audiences loved her performance. Many people said this movie made her a big star. 13 Going on 30 earned a lot of money worldwide. In 2005, she played Elektra again in the spin-off movie Elektra.
After taking a break, Jennifer returned to acting in 2007. She had a supporting role in the movie Juno. She played a woman who desperately wanted to adopt a child. Critics praised her performance in this film. She also appeared in the action thriller The Kingdom. In 2007 and 2008, Jennifer performed on Broadway in the play Cyrano de Bergerac. She received good reviews for her stage acting. In 2009, she starred in two romantic comedies: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and The Invention of Lying.
Roles in the 2010s
In 2010, Jennifer was in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day. In 2011, she had a supporting role in the comedy Arthur. In 2012, she played a mother for the first time in the drama The Odd Life of Timothy Green. She also produced and starred in the comedy Butter.
In 2013, Jennifer reunited with Matthew McConaughey in the drama Dallas Buyers Club. She played a doctor helping AIDS patients. The film was very successful and received many awards. In 2014, Jennifer starred in the sports drama Draft Day. She also played the mom in the Disney movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. This movie was based on a popular children's book.
In 2015, Jennifer appeared in the drama Danny Collins. In 2016, she starred in the Christian drama Miracles from Heaven. She played the mother of a young girl who had a special experience and was cured of a serious illness. Jennifer also made a small appearance in the movie Mother's Day. In 2018, she was in the movie Love, Simon, which was based on a young-adult novel. She also voiced Mama Llama in the animated TV series Llama Llama. That same year, she starred in the action film Peppermint. In August 2018, Jennifer Garner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Recent work in the 2020s
In 2020, Jennifer starred in a fun, homemade version of The Princess Bride called Home Movie: The Princess Bride. She also produced and starred in the Netflix family comedy film Yes Day, which came out in 2021. In this movie, parents say "yes" to everything their kids ask for one day.
In 2022, Jennifer starred in the science fiction action film The Adam Project. She reunited with her 13 Going on 30 co-star Mark Ruffalo in this movie. In 2023, she was in the TV series Party Down and the mystery drama series The Last Thing He Told Me. She also starred in the family comedy film Family Switch on Netflix in November 2023. Jennifer will also play Elektra Natchios again in the superhero film Deadpool & Wolverine, which was released in 2024.
Other activities and interests
Singing performances
Jennifer has shown her singing talent in a few projects. In a 2002 episode of Alias, she sang a song called "Since I Fell For You". She also sang "My Funny Valentine" when she hosted Saturday Night Live in 2003. In 2006, she was part of an album called Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars, where she sang "My Heart Is So Full Of You". She also sang in the movies Mother's Day (2016) and Yes Day (2021).
Helping young children learn
Since 2009, Jennifer Garner has been an ambassador for Save the Children USA. This organization helps children with reading, healthy eating, and early education. She visits families who are part of the program. Since 2014, Jennifer has been on the board of trustees for Save the Children. She works to support early childhood education. In 2013, she took her oldest daughter, Violet, to a Save the Children event. She wanted her daughter to see how important it is to help make the world better for everyone.
Protecting children from paparazzi
Jennifer has worked to create laws that protect children of famous people from photographers, known as paparazzi. In 2013, she spoke to a committee in California to support a bill. This bill would stop photographers from bothering children. Her daughter, who was six at the time, also spoke about her own experiences. The bill passed in September 2013 and became a law in California. It means that photographers cannot "seriously alarm, annoy, torment, or terrorize" children. They also cannot wait outside their activities to take pictures. Jennifer hopes that these efforts will make it harder for paparazzi to bother children.
Once Upon a Farm
Jennifer Garner co-founded an organic baby food company called Once Upon a Farm in 2018. She is also the chief brand officer for the company. In 2019, Once Upon a Farm became the first refrigerated baby food available to families who receive help from the WIC program. This program helps provide food for women, infants, and children. Jennifer and her team work with Save the Children to provide 'A Million Meals' to children in communities that don't have enough food.
Angel City FC
Jennifer Garner is also part of the ownership group for Angel City FC. This is a women's professional soccer team in the National Women's Soccer League.
Personal life and family
Jennifer Garner met actor Scott Foley on the set of Felicity in 1998. They married in 2000 and later divorced in 2004. She then dated her Alias co-star Michael Vartan for a while.
Jennifer began dating Ben Affleck in 2004. They had become friends while working on the movies Pearl Harbor and Daredevil. They married in 2005. Jennifer and Ben have three children together: Violet Anne Affleck, Fin Affleck, and Samuel Garner Affleck. They announced their divorce in 2015, and it was finalized in 2018. Jennifer has been dating businessman John C. Miller since 2018.
Although Jennifer didn't go to church regularly after moving to Los Angeles, her three children were baptized in the United Methodist Church in her hometown. In 2015, she and her family started attending weekly Methodist church services in Los Angeles.
Filmography and awards
See also
In Spanish: Jennifer Garner para niños
