Jenna Elfman

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Birthday:

30 September 1971, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name:

Jennifer Mary Butala

Height:

178 cm

Jenna Elfman was born in Los Angeles, California, and began her career appearing in commercials. She studied with Milton Katselas, the renowned acting teacher. She then began appearing in TV shows before landing the role of Dharma in the hit ABC television show Dharma & Greg (1997).Her first starring role in a film was in Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), alongside Richard Dreyfuss. She won a Golden Globe award for her role in Dharma & Greg (1997) and has since appeared in such films as Keeping the Faith (2000) and Edtv (1999). Show less «

Creatively, you need to go live life. As an artist, you are representing life. So you have to rub elbows and be out in it.

I think that marriage is an amazing institution and should be preserved, and you can have great marriages, and you must because sharing your...Show more »

I think that marriage is an amazing institution and should be preserved, and you can have great marriages, and you must because sharing your life with someone is like the greatest thing. And I loved being able to set a good example for that on television. Show less «

I loved that about her because I knew it would open the door for a lot of comedy, because I knew that the conflict would come, because not m...Show more »

I loved that about her because I knew it would open the door for a lot of comedy, because I knew that the conflict would come, because not many people live like the way she does. Show less «

I just think that it's such a good show and timeless and still very funny, and that just makes me happy to have that whole first season in o...Show more »

I just think that it's such a good show and timeless and still very funny, and that just makes me happy to have that whole first season in one concentrated space for people to enjoy so that it's not hit and miss trying to find it in syndication always. Show less «

I just think it's fun to remind people that good television has exited and it can exist again and just to give them pleasure and enjoy it an...Show more »

I just think it's fun to remind people that good television has exited and it can exist again and just to give them pleasure and enjoy it and make them laugh. Show less «

I just kind of understood it, and I threw my love for others and love for life into the character, and was having a blast. I loved playing D...Show more »

I just kind of understood it, and I threw my love for others and love for life into the character, and was having a blast. I loved playing Dharma. I loved it! Show less «

I got good notice from that show, and on the last day of filming Townies (1996), Twentieth Century Fox called, wanting to meet with me about...Show more »

I got good notice from that show, and on the last day of filming Townies (1996), Twentieth Century Fox called, wanting to meet with me about a development deal. Show less «

I can't say I can foresee the future and tell the stars, you know. But I do have an understanding for my own reality, just elements and thin...Show more »

I can't say I can foresee the future and tell the stars, you know. But I do have an understanding for my own reality, just elements and things that I've learned from. Show less «

Especially while television I think is going through some growing pains or is in need of - I think current comedy is a bit, uh, not happenin...Show more »

Especially while television I think is going through some growing pains or is in need of - I think current comedy is a bit, uh, not happening, you know? Show less «

Comedy is much more challenging, because you have to have the same level of belief but you have to make people laugh, and that's definitely ...Show more »

Comedy is much more challenging, because you have to have the same level of belief but you have to make people laugh, and that's definitely a challenge. Show less «

And you know, we did it as an independent film, and we weren't expecting it to be on television, and Lifetime ended up buying it. And the vi...Show more »

And you know, we did it as an independent film, and we weren't expecting it to be on television, and Lifetime ended up buying it. And the viewers responded intensely to that film. Show less «

The most memorable moment was playing drums with Bob Dylan.

Like, to do a pilot, you don't know what's going to happen with it.

It's such a pleasurable experience to look back, and all of the fun I had just comes rushing back.

It proved to me, though, that comedy is so much harder.

In comedy, something may be more absurd, but you have to believe just as much as you do when you're doing drama.

Drama is not hard for me. It just didn't seem hard.

And you don't want to just totally mess up the rhythm when you're playing with Bob Dylan.

Not hippie - my parents were not hippies - but they were very supportive and encouraging, and that does a lot for someone, and it gives them...Show more »

Not hippie - my parents were not hippies - but they were very supportive and encouraging, and that does a lot for someone, and it gives them a lot of confidence. Show less «

And I'm so excited to remind people and even gain new fans who find out about Dharma - a new generation who could find out about Dharma and ...Show more »

And I'm so excited to remind people and even gain new fans who find out about Dharma - a new generation who could find out about Dharma and enjoy her and all the characters on the show. Show less «

And as a character, what I found very inspiring about playing Dharma, especially at that time, is that the women on television were more neu...Show more »

And as a character, what I found very inspiring about playing Dharma, especially at that time, is that the women on television were more neurotic than they were free. And I thought, this is a rare bird and this is unique on television and I think it's really refreshing. Show less «

You know, she was a girl. She was a female. And she wasn't like, trying to compete in a man's world and she wasn't trying to be in a man's p...Show more »

You know, she was a girl. She was a female. And she wasn't like, trying to compete in a man's world and she wasn't trying to be in a man's position, she was just who she was. And I think that was like, a good thing. Show less «

Yeah, I think the common denominator - and this is probably going to sound like Acting 101 - but the common denominator is belief in the cha...Show more »

Yeah, I think the common denominator - and this is probably going to sound like Acting 101 - but the common denominator is belief in the character in the moment. Show less «

There's a power in women being women. There's a role for men, but we don't have to be men, because we're women. I think that representing th...Show more »

There's a power in women being women. There's a role for men, but we don't have to be men, because we're women. I think that representing that on television is a cool thing. Show less «

Playing in front of an audience was just such a turn-on for me, and you have 200 people in the audience and it's like doing live theater. An...Show more »

Playing in front of an audience was just such a turn-on for me, and you have 200 people in the audience and it's like doing live theater. And filming something that goes to millions of people several weeks later, it's an interesting dynamic. Show less «

It was the most pleasurable thing I've ever done, playing this character, and I just remember feeling so at home and so - I don't know, I wa...Show more »

It was the most pleasurable thing I've ever done, playing this character, and I just remember feeling so at home and so - I don't know, I was just happy - and it just wasn't ever work! It was like a sandbox for me, and I would crack myself up rehearsing. Show less «

I'll probably stick to comedy for the time being. I mean, a great piece of work is a great piece of work, and I'm up for good work anytime. ...Show more »

I'll probably stick to comedy for the time being. I mean, a great piece of work is a great piece of work, and I'm up for good work anytime. But I do love comedy! Show less «