Jennifer Grey

Jennifer Grey
Name	Jennifer Grey
Caption	Grey in 2011
Birth date	26 March 1960
Birth place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Clark Gregg, (2001–2020)
Parents	Joel Grey, Jo Wilder
Alma mater	Dalton School, Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre

Jennifer Grey. An American actress who rose to international fame for her iconic role in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, a performance that earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. The daughter of Oscar-winning performer Joel Grey and actress Jo Wilder, her career was significantly impacted by a rhinoplasty that altered her recognizable appearance. Grey later re-emerged into the public eye by winning the eleventh season of the competition series Dancing with the Stars.

Early life and education

Born in Manhattan, she is the daughter of Academy Award-winning actor and singer Joel Grey and former actress and painter Jo Wilder. She was raised in a show business environment, with her father's work in productions like Cabaret being a major influence. Grey attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York City before pursuing formal acting training. She studied her craft at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, an institution known for teaching the Meisner technique under the guidance of renowned instructor Sanford Meisner.

Career

Grey began her film career with small roles in the early 1980s, appearing in features like The Cotton Club and Red Dawn. Her breakthrough came with a starring role in the 1986 coming-of-age comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off, directed by John Hughes. However, global stardom was achieved the following year with her portrayal of Frances "Baby" Houseman opposite Patrick Swayze in the romantic drama Dirty Dancing. The film's soundtrack, featuring hits like (I've Had) The Time of My Life, became a cultural phenomenon. Following this peak, her career faced challenges; a controversial rhinoplasty led to a loss of professional recognition, a period she later described as "professional suicide." She worked steadily in television, with roles on series like It's Like, You Know... and John from Cincinnati. A major career resurgence came in 2010 when she won the mirrorball trophy on the eleventh season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars with professional partner Derek Hough. She later published a memoir, Out of the Corner, in 2022.

Personal life

In the late 1980s, Grey was engaged to fellow actor Matthew Broderick; their relationship ended after Broderick was involved in a fatal car accident in Northern Ireland. She later began a relationship with actor Johnny Depp after meeting on the set of Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Grey married actor and director Clark Gregg in 2001, and the couple had one daughter, Stella Gregg. They announced their separation in 2020. Grey has been open about her health struggles, including a serious diagnosis of thyroid cancer and a traumatic neck injury sustained during rehearsals for Dancing with the Stars that required major surgery.

Filmography

A selection of her notable film and television work includes *The Cotton Club* (1984), *Red Dawn* (1984), *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986), *Dirty Dancing* (1987), *Bloodhounds of Broadway* (1989), *Wind* (1992), and *Bounce* (2000). On television, she has appeared in series such as *Friends*, *The West Wing*, *It's Like, You Know...*, and *Red Oaks*.

Awards and nominations

For her role in Dirty Dancing, Grey received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. Her victory on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars stands as a significant award in her later career. The film itself was honored with the Academy Award for Best Original Song for (I've Had) The Time of My Life.

Legacy and impact

Grey's portrayal of "Baby" Houseman in Dirty Dancing cemented her as a figure of 1980s popular culture, with the film's final lift scene becoming one of the most iconic moments in American cinema. Her candid discussions about the consequences of cosmetic surgery have been cited in discussions about Hollywood beauty standards and career longevity. Her successful stint on Dancing with the Stars is often noted as a remarkable example of a celebrity career revival in the reality television era.

Category:American film actresses Category:American television actresses Category:Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) participants Category:1960 births Category:Living people