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Elfman visited her high school alma mater, the Los Angeles High School for the Arts ([[LACHSA]]) in May 2006 to urge students to set career goals and encourage them to persist in their chosen professions.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jenna Revisits Her High School | publisher=Edie Films Inc. | url=http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php| date=May 22, 2006 | accessdate=March 18, 2007}}</ref>
Elfman visited her high school alma mater, the Los Angeles High School for the Arts ([[LACHSA]]) in May 2006 to urge students to set career goals and encourage them to persist in their chosen professions.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jenna Revisits Her High School | publisher=Edie Films Inc. | url=http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php| date=May 22, 2006 | accessdate=March 18, 2007}}</ref>

In 1999 Elfman made the controversial statement "AIDS is a state of mind, not a disease" as the reason for refusing to support a charity for HIV-positive children.


===Scientology===
===Scientology===
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On March 27, 2008, she and [[Charlie Sheen]] co-hosted the Scientology-affiliated [[Downtown Medical|New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project]] Charity Event at Geisha House in Hollywood, California.<ref>[http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php ''Jenna hosts NY Rescue Workers Detoxification Project Charity Event''.] March 27, 2008.</ref>
On March 27, 2008, she and [[Charlie Sheen]] co-hosted the Scientology-affiliated [[Downtown Medical|New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project]] Charity Event at Geisha House in Hollywood, California.<ref>[http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php ''Jenna hosts NY Rescue Workers Detoxification Project Charity Event''.] March 27, 2008.</ref>

=== Philanthropy ===
In February 2006, Elfman donated an hour of her time to be auctioned to the highest bidder on [[eBay]] as part of the "Lunch With A Leader" fundraiser, the proceeds of which benefit the work of Communities In Schools.<ref>[http://www5.sys-con.com/read/182104.htm Grammy Award-Winning Singers Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle, Actress Jenna Elfman Top the List of Entertainers to Participate in Online Celebrity Auction<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> She participated in the auction in both 2007<ref>[http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php date=2007-02-06 Your Chance to have lunch with Jenna in person!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and 2008<ref>[http://www.lunchwithaleader.com/categories.asp Communities in Schools Lunch With a Leader – Jenna Elfman<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> as well.

Elfman donated her lip print for a limited edition U.S. postage stamp created by [[Zazzle]] to celebrate Valentine's Day in both 2007<ref>[http://www.shoppingblog.com/cgi-bin/sblog.pl?sblog=128071 Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel and Other Celebs Offer Kiss Stamps for Charity – January 28, 2007<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and 2008.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS108586+14-Jan-2008+PRN20080114 | title=Seal It With a Kiss This Valentine's Day Using Zazzle Custom Stamps | date=January 14, 2008 | work=Reuters}}</ref> Proceeds for the "Kiss Stamps" went to support the programs of The [[Humane Society of the United States]] (HSUS). In February 2011, she filmed a PSA for The [[Humane Society of the United States]] to inspire people to donate to help animals.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jenna in a new Public Service Announcement for the Humane Society | publisher=Edie Films Inc. | url=http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php| date=February 11, 2011}}</ref>

As a criminal rehabilitation activist, Elfman has traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for criminal reform. On April 5, 2007, she was presented with the Goodwill Ambassador Award for her work in human rights and criminal rehabilitation at the Women Ambassadors Foundation 12th Annual Conference.<ref>[http://www.washdiplomat.com/DPouch/2007/May/050207lifestyle.html Women Ambassadors at Howard <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On April 9, 2008, she was a guest <ref>[http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/09/bush_signs_prisoners_second_chance_act/1434/ Bush signs prisoners' Second Chance act <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> at the signing of a new bill by U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] that aimed to reduce prisoner [[recidivism]], entitled the [[Second Chance Act of 2007]] ({{USBill|110|H.R.|1593}}).<ref>[http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080409-2.html President Bush Signs H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007 <!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In September 2008, Elfman joined the Charity Water month-long "September Campaign," asking for donations in lieu of birthday gifts in order to raise money to build freshwater wells in Ethiopia.<ref>[http://www.charitywater.org/birthdays/fundraiser/sept/view/2125 Charity Water September Campaign – Jenna Elfman]</ref>

On March 2, 2011, she participated in the [[National Education Association]] (NEA) Read Across America program by reading to school children in Compton, California in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jenna celebrates Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read Across America Week| publisher=Edie Films Inc. | url=http://www.jennaelfman.com/club/events_calendar.php| date=March 29, 2011}}</ref>

Elfman walked the catwalk in [[The Heart Truth]] Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show in [[New York]] on February 8, 2012 to raise awareness for heart disease. The annual event is headed by the [[National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute]].<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57373509-10391698/red-dress-catwalk-draws-attention-to-heart-disease/ CBSNews.com - Red Dress fashion show draws attention to heart disease]</ref>

On March 6, 2012, Elfman hosted Laugh For Sight’s <ref>[http://laughforsight.com/]</ref> comedy show at [[The Improv]] in [[Los Angeles]] to benefit the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.<ref>[http://www.laughspin.com/2012/03/06/jenna-elfman-shines-a-light-on-comedy-charity-laugh-for-sight-interview/ Laughspin.com - Jenna Elfman Interview]</ref>


==Filmography ==
==Filmography ==

Revision as of 22:48, 8 May 2012

Jenna Elfman
Elfman at the The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection Fashion Show 2012
Born
Jennifer Mary Butala

(1971-09-30) September 30, 1971 (age 53)
Los Angeles, California
OccupationActress/producer
Years active1990–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1995)​
2 children
Websitehttp://www.jennaelfman.com/

Jennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman (born September 30, 1971) is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose.

Early life

Elfman was born Jennifer Mary Butala in Los Angeles, the daughter of Sue (née Grace), a homemaker, and Richard Wayne Butala, a Hughes Aircraft executive.[1] She is of Croatian ancestry on her father's side[2] and was raised Roman Catholic.[3]

Career

Elfman appeared as a dancer in the music video for "Halo", a song by Depeche Mode that was included on the band's 1990 video album Strange Too. She also appeared in the video for Chris Isaak's 1995 single "Somebody's Crying".

The short-lived 1996 sitcom Townies didn't catch on with viewers but did impress critics, particularly the performances of Elfman and co-star Lauren Graham. The next year, Elfman started a five-year run as Dharma in Dharma and Greg. Elfman guest starred in two episodes of Two and a Half Men in 2004, returning for a cameo in 2011, and one episode of Brothers and Sisters in 2007. She made a guest appearance in the sixth episode of season four of My Name Is Earl as a cheer team leader.[4]

Elfman starred in the CBS comedy Accidentally on Purpose.[5] The show was canceled after a single (2009–2010) season.[6]

She appeared in a supporting role in a feature film, Friends with Benefits,[7] starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, released in 2011. Also in 2011, she returned to Two and a Half Men in Season 9 as a guest star, this time reprising her "Dharma" character together with former co-star Thomas Gibson ("Greg").

Elfman will act in the season finale of Shameless on April 1, 2012.[8]

She will be appearing in a recurring role in Season 5 of Damages.[9]

Personal life

Elfman met her husband, actor Bodhi Elfman, at a Sprite commercial audition in February 1991. They married on February 18, 1995, making director Richard Elfman her father-in-law and noted composer Danny Elfman her uncle-in-law.

On July 23, 2007, Elfman and her husband's first child, a son, Story Elias, was born in Los Angeles.[10] On September 16, 2009, when Elfman announced she was expecting her second child, she suggested that the pregnancy would help with her role in Accidentally on Purpose.[11] On March 2, 2010, their son Easton Quinn Monroe was born.[12]

Elfman visited her high school alma mater, the Los Angeles High School for the Arts (LACHSA) in May 2006 to urge students to set career goals and encourage them to persist in their chosen professions.[13]

Scientology

In 2005 she appeared at the Scientology-owned Citizens Commission on Human Rights' Psychiatry: An Industry of Death[14] museum grand opening and she and husband Bodhi are listed on the organization's website as members of the board of advisors from the arts, entertainment and media community.[15]

On May 24, 2006, she was the keynote speaker at the Human Rights Hero Award event in participation with the Scientology-affiliated groups Youth for Human Rights International and Artists for Human Rights (AFHR), an organization formed with the purpose of bringing artists together with the common cause of raising awareness of human rights around the world. The event took place in Washington, D.C., and was attended by members of Congress and the general public. Awards were presented to individuals who through their actions have brought about greater human rights.[16]

On March 27, 2008, she and Charlie Sheen co-hosted the Scientology-affiliated New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project Charity Event at Geisha House in Hollywood, California.[17]

Philanthropy

In February 2006, Elfman donated an hour of her time to be auctioned to the highest bidder on eBay as part of the "Lunch With A Leader" fundraiser, the proceeds of which benefit the work of Communities In Schools.[18] She participated in the auction in both 2007[19] and 2008[20] as well.

Elfman donated her lip print for a limited edition U.S. postage stamp created by Zazzle to celebrate Valentine's Day in both 2007[21] and 2008.[22] Proceeds for the "Kiss Stamps" went to support the programs of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). In February 2011, she filmed a PSA for The Humane Society of the United States to inspire people to donate to help animals.[23]

As a criminal rehabilitation activist, Elfman has traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for criminal reform. On April 5, 2007, she was presented with the Goodwill Ambassador Award for her work in human rights and criminal rehabilitation at the Women Ambassadors Foundation 12th Annual Conference.[24] On April 9, 2008, she was a guest [25] at the signing of a new bill by U.S. President George W. Bush that aimed to reduce prisoner recidivism, entitled the Second Chance Act of 2007 (H.R. 1593).[26]

In September 2008, Elfman joined the Charity Water month-long "September Campaign," asking for donations in lieu of birthday gifts in order to raise money to build freshwater wells in Ethiopia.[27]

On March 2, 2011, she participated in the National Education Association (NEA) Read Across America program by reading to school children in Compton, California in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.[28]

Elfman walked the catwalk in The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show in New York on February 8, 2012 to raise awareness for heart disease. The annual event is headed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.[29]

On March 6, 2012, Elfman hosted Laugh For Sight’s [30] comedy show at The Improv in Los Angeles to benefit the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.[31]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Tanya
1998 Dr. Dolittle Owl Voice
1998 Can't Hardly Wait The Angel Uncredited
1998 Krippendorf's Tribe Prof. Veronica Micelli
1999 EDtv Shari
1999 Venus Venus
2000 The Tangerine Bear Lorelei Voice
2000 Cyberworld Phig Voice
2000 Keeping the Faith Anna Riley Nominated — Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Comedy/Romance
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2001 Town & Country Auburn
2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action Kate
2004 Clifford's Really Big Movie Dorothy Voice
2005 Touched Angela Martin Executive producer
2005 What's Hip, Doc? Supermodel Voice
2008 Struck Pregnant date Short film
2009 The Six Wives of Henry Lefay Ophelia
2009 Love Hurts Darlene
2011 Friends with Benefits Annie
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Murder, She Wrote Ballet Dancer in background 1 episode
1994 The George Carlin Show Psychedelic girl 1 episode
1995 The Monroes Lily 1 episode
1995 Roseanne Garland 1 episode
1996 Townies Shannon Canotis 15 episodes, 5 unaired
1996 Murder One Angela Scalese 1 episode
1996 Almost Perfect Becky Toll 1 episode
1997 The Single Guy Jordan 1 episode
1997–2002 Dharma & Greg Dharma Finklestein Montgomery 119 episodes
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1999)
TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress in a Comedy (1999, 2000)
Nominated — American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication (1999)
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (1998, 1999, 2000)
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1998, 2000)
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2000, 2001, 2002)
Nominated — TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress in a Comedy (2001)
2002 Obsessed Ellena Roberts Television movie
2004 Two and a Half Men Frankie 2 episodes
2006 Courting Alex Alex Rose 13 episodes, producer
2007 Brothers & Sisters Lizzie Jones-Baker 1 episode
2008 My Name Is Earl Kimmi Himmler 1 episode
2009–10 Accidentally on Purpose Billie 18 episodes
2011 Two and a Half Men Dharma Montgomery Episode: "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt"
2012 Shameless Jill Season 2 Finale (to air April 1, 2012[32]
2012 Damages Naomi Walling Recurring role[33]

References

  1. ^ Jenna Elfman Biography (1971–2010)
  2. ^ Elfman, Jenna. (November 21, 2003). "Elfman happily shows her 'Looney' side", Interviewed by Angela Dawson, Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on April 23, 2010. Jenna Elfman says of her maiden name (Butala) origin, "It's Croatian. My great-grandparents are from Croatia. My dad visited Croatia and I'd love to go too someday. He met some relatives who have survived some really incredible, traumatic experiences. He was just so blown away by their stamina – their spiritual stamina – to keep going and to survive and create that life no matter what ... It's really commendable."
  3. ^ "Jenna Elfman". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved May 15, 2010. Elfman was raised in a Roman Catholic home.
  4. ^ "Exclusive! Jenna Elfman Hooks Up With Earl". E! Online – Watch with Kristin. June 5, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Jenna Elfman, Amy Smart on pilot duty." Hollywood Reporter. February 19, 2009.
  6. ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8107
  7. ^ Friends With Benefits at IMDb
  8. ^ http://www.tvline.com/2011/11/elfman-shameless-season-2-house-lies-rossum-bell/ Jenna Elfman gets Shameless
  9. ^ http://www.tvline.com/2011/10/damages-jenna-elfman-season-5/ Jenna Elfman Joins DirecTV’s ‘Damages’
  10. ^ Chiu, Alexis (July 30, 2007). "Jenna Elfman Welcomes a Baby Boy". People. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  11. ^ "Jenna Elfman Expecting Second Baby!". US. September 16, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  12. ^ "Jenna Elfman Welcomes Second Son". People Magazine. March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  13. ^ "Jenna Revisits Her High School". Edie Films Inc. May 22, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
  14. ^ "New L.A. Museum Targets Psychiatry as an "Industry of Death"". CCHR International. December 17, 2005. Retrieved March 18, 2007.
  15. ^ "CCHR Board of Advisors". CCHR International. April 10, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  16. ^ The Human Rights Hero Awards 2006 – Washington, D.C.
  17. ^ Jenna hosts NY Rescue Workers Detoxification Project Charity Event. March 27, 2008.
  18. ^ Grammy Award-Winning Singers Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle, Actress Jenna Elfman Top the List of Entertainers to Participate in Online Celebrity Auction
  19. ^ date=2007-02-06 Your Chance to have lunch with Jenna in person!
  20. ^ Communities in Schools Lunch With a Leader – Jenna Elfman
  21. ^ Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel and Other Celebs Offer Kiss Stamps for Charity – January 28, 2007
  22. ^ "Seal It With a Kiss This Valentine's Day Using Zazzle Custom Stamps". Reuters. January 14, 2008.
  23. ^ "Jenna in a new Public Service Announcement for the Humane Society". Edie Films Inc. February 11, 2011.
  24. ^ Women Ambassadors at Howard
  25. ^ Bush signs prisoners' Second Chance act
  26. ^ President Bush Signs H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act of 2007
  27. ^ Charity Water September Campaign – Jenna Elfman
  28. ^ "Jenna celebrates Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Read Across America Week". Edie Films Inc. March 29, 2011.
  29. ^ CBSNews.com - Red Dress fashion show draws attention to heart disease
  30. ^ [1]
  31. ^ Laughspin.com - Jenna Elfman Interview
  32. ^ http://www.tvline.com/2011/11/elfman-shameless-season-2-house-lies-rossum-bell/ Jenna Elfman gets Shameless
  33. ^ http://www.tvline.com/2011/10/damages-jenna-elfman-season-5/ Jenna Elfman Joins DirecTV’s ‘Damages’
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