Jennifer Westfeldt - Biography

Jennifer Westfeldt (born February 2, 1970) is an American actress and screenwriter known for the hit 2001 independent film Kissing Jessica Stein, which she co-wrote with Heather Juergensen and in which the two women starred.

Early life

Born in Guilford, Connecticut to a Swedish-American father and Jewish mother, Westfeldt was raised in her mother's religion. She graduated from Guilford High School and attended Yale University, where she sang with the a cappella group Redhot & Blue. She is a member of the untitled family of Wästfelt in the nobility of Sweden.

Acting career

After acting off-Broadway in Lipschtick, a series of sketches she co-wrote with Juergensen, she relocated to Hollywood, where she was cast in a recurring role in Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place during its first season on ABC. In 2001 she was featured in three episodes of Judging Amy. Additional television credits include appearances in Grey's Anatomy and Numb3rs, a regular role in Notes from the Underbelly, and the television movie Before You Say I Do with David Sutcliffe.

Westfeldt made her feature film debut in the 2001 screen adaptation of the Joy Fielding novel See Jane Run. Later that year she appeared in her breakthrough role, the titular character in Kissing Jessica Stein, for which she and Juergensen were nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. The film was an extended version of one of the sketches they had written for Lipschtick.

In 2004, Westfeldt starred opposite Paul Schneider in the film How to Lose Your Lover and made her Broadway debut in a revival of Wonderful Town. Her performance won her the Theatre World Award and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. She returned to the stage as a victim of the House Un-American Activities Committee opposite Josh Radnor in Finks, which premiered at the Powerhouse Theater in Vassar College in Poughkeepsie in July 2008.

Westfeldt wrote, produced, and stars in Ira and Abby, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2006.

In 2010, she was a guest star for the show 24 for the eighth season. She first appeared in the first four episodes of the season which aired January 17, 2010 and January 18, 2010. She returned to the season in the final episodes of the series.

Personal life

Westfeldt has been in a relationship with actor Jon Hamm since 1997.

External links

• Interview on AOL Television