Jennifer Grey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jennifer Grey
Grey at the 2024 New York Film Festival
Born	(1960-03-26) March 26, 1960 (age 65) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Clark Gregg ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2021)​
Children	1
Parents	Joel Grey (father) Jo Wilder (mother)
Relatives	Mickey Katz (grandfather) Ronald A. Katz (uncle)

Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is a famous American actress. She started acting in movies in 1984 with Reckless. She became very well-known after starring in the teen comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

Jennifer Grey gained worldwide fame for her role as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the romantic movie Dirty Dancing (1987). This role even earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She has also appeared in many other films like Red Dawn (1984), The Cotton Club (1984), and Bounce (2000).

On television, Jennifer Grey starred in the series It's Like, You Know... (1999–2001). She also won season eleven of the popular show Dancing with the Stars in 2010. She also voiced characters in animated shows like Phineas and Ferb.

Early Life and Education

Jennifer Grey was born on March 26, 1960, in New York City. Her mother, Jo Wilder, was an actress and singer. Her father, Joel Grey, was a stage and screen actor who won an Academy Award. Her grandfather, Mickey Katz, was a comedian and musician. Both of Jennifer's parents came from Jewish families.

Jennifer went to the Dalton School in Manhattan. This was a private school where she studied dance and acting. Here, she met her best friend, actress Tracy Pollan. After finishing school in 1978, Jennifer studied acting for two years. She attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in Manhattan. While waiting for acting jobs, she worked as a waitress.

Jennifer Grey's Acting Career

Starting Out in Acting

Jennifer Grey's first commercial was at age 19 for Dr. Pepper. Her first small movie role was in Reckless (1984). She then had another small part in Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club in the same year. In 1984, she also starred in the war film Red Dawn. The next year, she appeared in the movie American Flyers.

Jennifer Grey with William Baldwin at the 1988 Academy Awards

Becoming a Star

In 1986, Jennifer Grey played Jeannie Bueller in the comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. She acted alongside Matthew Broderick in this movie. The film was very popular and received good reviews.

The next year, she worked again with Patrick Swayze, who was also in Red Dawn. They starred in Dirty Dancing. Jennifer played Frances "Baby" Houseman in this coming-of-age love story. In the movie, Baby falls in love with the dance instructor, Johnny Castle, during a summer vacation. This low-budget film became a huge surprise hit. It was the first movie to sell one million copies on video. Many people still consider it a classic film today. Jennifer was paid $50,000 for her role. This movie really made her career famous, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Jennifer Grey also performed on Broadway theatre in 1993. She appeared in a play called The Twilight of the Golds.

After Dirty Dancing, Jennifer felt that her appearance might limit her future roles. She decided to have a nose procedure. The change was bigger than she expected. It made her look so different that even close friends did not recognize her. This major change affected her acting career. She once said it was like going from being a celebrity to being unknown. She even thought about changing her name to start fresh, but she decided not to.

Later Acting Roles

From 1999 to 2000, Jennifer Grey starred as herself in the TV show It's Like, You Know... on ABC. The show even joked about her nose procedure.

She appeared with famous actresses like Shirley MacLaine and Liza Minnelli in the TV movie The West Side Waltz. Jennifer also had a small role in an episode of Friends as Mindy. In 2000, she was in the film Bounce with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck. She played Daphne in the HBO series John from Cincinnati in 2007. In 2010, she played Abbey in an episode of House.

Jennifer Grey was a contestant on season eleven of Dancing With the Stars. Her dance partner was professional dancer Derek Hough. She started very strong, often getting the highest scores. Even though she faced some injuries and stress, she kept improving. On November 23, 2010, Jennifer and Derek won the competition. She became the oldest female winner of the show.

In 2011, Jennifer appeared in the Lifetime movie Bling Ring. She also filled in as a guest judge on the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing. Jennifer voiced Mrs. Kurokawa in the English version of Hayao Miyazaki's film The Wind Rises. From 2014 to 2017, she played Judy Meyers on the show Red Oaks. In 2018, she co-starred in the film Untogether. Jennifer also presented at the 2015 Tony Awards with her father, Joel. In 2022, she released her memoir, a book about her life, called Out of the Corner.

Personal Life and Family

Jennifer Grey with her then-husband, actor Clark Gregg (far left) at the November 30, 2010 Epic Mickey launch party

In 1987, Jennifer Grey was in a car accident in Northern Ireland. She suffered a neck injury called whiplash. This accident was very difficult for her. She has said that the sadness and guilt she felt after the crash made it hard for her to enjoy the success of Dirty Dancing. She stepped away from acting for a while after that.

Jennifer Grey married actor and director Clark Gregg on July 21, 2001. They have one daughter together. They lived in Venice, California. The couple also acted together in the Lifetime movie The Road to Christmas in 2006. In July 2020, Jennifer and Clark announced they had separated. Their divorce was finalized in February 2021.

Jennifer Grey has reconnected with her Jewish faith in recent years. In 2015, she said, "I love being a Jew. I've gotten a lot more Jewish in the last five years because of my daughter's bat mitzvah, and I realized I really care about being a Jew."

Before competing on Dancing with the Stars in 2010, Jennifer had a health check-up. Doctors found that her spinal cord was compressed from her old car accident. She had surgery to fix it. They also found a small growth on her thyroid, which they removed in 2009. Jennifer said she believed the growth was removed before it could spread, and she was healthy.

In January 2017, Jennifer Grey took part in the 2017 Women's March in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Television

Dancing with the Stars Performances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jennifer Grey para niños