Jennifer Jason Leigh was born February 5, 1962 in Hollywood, California, USA. She is an American actress who has appeared in numerous films.

Her first important TV role was as the anorexic heroine of The Best Little Girl in the World (1981), for which she voluntarily went down to 86 pounds before the cameras turned. This "method" approach was typical of Leigh, who, even after obtaining stardom, indulged in intense subtextual preparation, such as writing a diary in the style of whichever character she happened to be playing. A lighter excursion followed with Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), which cast her as Phoebe Cates' sexually curious best friend. But just as Leigh's career was building and she was becoming a star, tragedy struck when her father, who was shooting a role in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), was killed during an accident on the set.

She also starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), creepy in Single White Female (1992) and funny in The Big Picture (1989). Other films include Easy Money (1983), Heart of Midnight (1988), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), Dolores Claiborne (1995), Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) , A Thousand Acres (1997), eXistenZ (1999), Skipped Parts (2000), and The Anniversary Party (2001).

On September 3, 2005, she married director Noah Baumbach, whom she'd been dating for four years. It is the first marriage for both.

Filmography

• America (2008)
• Synecdoche, New York (2007)
• Margot at the Wedding (2007)
• Lymelife (2007)
• Rag Tale (2005)
• Easter Sunday (2005)
• The Jacket (2005)
• Childstar (2004)
• Palindromes (2004)
• Maquinista, El (2004)
• In the Cut (2003)
• "Mission Hill" (1 episode, 2002)
• Road to Perdition (2002)
• Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002)
• Crossed Over (2002)
• "Frasier" (1 episode, 2001)
• The Quickie (2001)
• The Anniversary Party (2001)
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
• Skipped Parts (2000)
• The King Is Alive (2000)
• "Twitch City" (1 episode, 2000)
• Beautiful View (2000)
• Spawn 3: Ultimate Battle (1999)
• eXistenZ (1999)
• "Superman" (1 episode, 1999)
• "Hercules" (3 episodes, 1998)
• Thanks of a Grateful Nation (1998)
• "Tracey Takes On..." (1 episode, 1998)
• "King of the Hill" (1 episode, 1998)
• The Love Letter (1998)
• A Thousand Acres (1997)
• Washington Square (1997)
• "Spawn" (1997)
• Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
• Kansas City (1996)
• Georgia (1995)
• Dolores Claiborne (1995)
• Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
• The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
• Short Cuts (1993)
• Single White Female (1992)
• The Prom (1992)
• Rush (1991)
• Crooked Hearts (1991)
• Backdraft (1991)
• Buried Alive (1990)
• Miami Blues (1990)
• Fire Princess (1990)
• Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)
• The Big Picture (1989)
• Heart of Midnight (1988)
• Sister, Sister (1987)
• Under Cover (1987)
• Picnic (1986)
• The Men's Club (1986)
• The Hitcher (1986)
• Flesh+Blood (1985)
• Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)
• Girls of the White Orchid (1983)
• Easy Money (1983)
• "ABC Afterschool Specials" (1 episode, 1983)
• The First Time (1982)
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
• "Trapper John, M.D." (1 episode, 1982)
• Wrong Is Right (1982)
• The Best Little Girl in the World (1981)
• The Killing of Randy Webster (1981)
• "CBS Afternoon Playhouse" (1 episode, 1981)
• Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
• "The Waltons" (1 episode, 1981)
• Angel City (1980)
• "Disneyland" (1 episode, 1978)
• The Young Runaways (1978)
• "Baretta" (1 episode, 1977)
• Tod eines Fremden (1973)

Awards

• Montreal Film Festival Best Actress Award "Georgia" 1995
• New York Film Critics Award Best Actress "Georgia" 1995
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Actress "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" 1994
• National Society of Film Critics Award Best Actress "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" 1994
• MTV Movie Award Best Villain "Single White Female" 1993
• Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Supporting Actress "Miami Blues" and "Last Exit to Brooklyn" 1990
• New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Supporting Actress "Miami Blues" and "Last Exit to Brooklyn" 1990