Jennifer Jason Leigh
Acting • Born 1962-02-05
Biography
Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). She received critical praise for her performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Miami Blues (1990), Backdraft (1991), Single White Female (1992), and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Dorothy Parker in Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994). Leigh starred in a 1995 film written by her mother, screenwriter Barbara Turner, titled Georgia. She co-wrote and co-directed a film with Alan Cumming titled The Anniversary Party (2001). Leigh starred in the crime drama Road to Perdition (2002) and the family drama Margot at the Wedding (2007). She had a recurring role on the Showtime comedy-drama series Weeds (2009–2012). She received critical acclaim for her voice work in Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa (2015). For her role as fugitive Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight (2015), she was nominated for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. From 2017 to 2021, she starred in the Netflix comedy-drama series Atypical while featuring in the science fiction films Annihilation (2018) and Possessor (2020). She has since starred in the fifth season of the crime drama series Fargo (2023). For her stage work, Leigh was nominated for a Drama Desk award for her off-Broadway performance as Beverly Moss in Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1998 when she became the replacement for the role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret.
Filmography
129 credits
Short Cuts
Movie • 1993
Lois Kaiser
The King Is Alive
Movie • 2000
Gina
eXistenZ
Movie • 1999
Allegra Geller
Road to Perdition
Movie • 2002
Annie Sullivan
Backdraft
Movie • 1991
Jennifer Vaitkus
The Machinist
Movie • 2004
Stevie
In the Cut
Movie • 2003
Pauline
Rush
Movie • 1991
Kristen Cates
Synecdoche, New York
Movie • 2008
Maria
Kansas City
Movie • 1996
Blondie O'Hara
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
Movie • 1994
Dorothy Parker
Dolores Claiborne
Movie • 1995
Selena St. George
The Hudsucker Proxy
Movie • 1994
Amy Archer
Wrong Is Right
Movie • 1982
Young Girl
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Movie • 1989
Tralala
Flesh + Blood
Movie • 1985
Agnes
The Anniversary Party
Movie • 2001
Sally Nash Therrian
The Hitcher
Movie • 1986
Nash
Single White Female
Movie • 1992
Hedra 'Hedy' Carlson
Greenberg
Movie • 2010
Beth (Beller's Party)
The Jacket
Movie • 2005
Dr. Beth Lorenson
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Movie • 1982
Stacy Hamilton
Skipped Parts
Movie • 2000
Lydia Callahan
Margot at the Wedding
Movie • 2007
Pauline
The Man Who Wasn't There
Movie • 2001
Female Inmate (voice) (uncredited)
Childstar
Movie • 2004
Suzanne
Der Regisseur Uli Edel - Fakten und Fiktion
Movie • 2009
Self
Miami Blues
Movie • 1990
Susie Waggoner
Searching for Debra Winger
Movie • 2002
Self (uncredited)
Buried Alive
Movie • 1990
Joanna Goodman
The Big Picture
Movie • 1989
Lydia Johnson
Washington Square
Movie • 1997
Catherine Sloper
Heart of Midnight
Movie • 1988
Carol
A Thousand Acres
Movie • 1997
Caroline Cook
The Quickie
Movie • 2001
Lisa
Easy Money
Movie • 1983
Allison Capuletti
Sharp Stick
Movie • 2022
Marilyn
Thanks of a Grateful Nation
Movie • 1998
Teri Small
Grandview, U.S.A.
Movie • 1984
Candy Webster
Crooked Hearts
Movie • 1991
Marriet Hoffman
The Men's Club
Movie • 1986
Teensy
The Love Letter
Movie • 1998
Lizzie Whitcomb
Rag Tale
Movie • 2005
Mary Josephine 'MJ' Morton
Under Cover
Movie • 1987
Tanille Laroux
Eyes of a Stranger
Movie • 1981
Tracy Harris
Georgia
Movie • 1995
Sadie Flood
Sister, Sister
Movie • 1987
Lucy Bonnard
Would You Kindly Direct Me to Hell?: The Infamous Dorothy Parker
Movie • 1994
Self
Girls of the White Orchid
Movie • 1983
Carol Heath
The Killing of Randy Webster
Movie • 1981
Amy Wheeler
The Best Little Girl in the World
Movie • 1981
Casey Powell
Kill Your Darlings
Movie • 2013
Naomi Ginsberg
The Spectacular Now
Movie • 2013
Sara Keely
Crossed Over
Movie • 2002
Karla Faye Tucker
The Prom
Movie • 1992
Lana
The Moment
Movie • 2013
Lee
Hateship Loveship
Movie • 2014
Chloe
Poolman
Movie • 2024
Susan Kerkovish
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Movie • 1995
Self
The First Time
Movie • 1982
Bonnie Dillon
Jake Squared
Movie • 2014
Sheryl
Welcome to Me
Movie • 2015
Deb Moseley
Amityville: The Awakening
Movie • 2017
Joan Walker
Me
Movie • 2014
Kelly
Palindromes
Movie • 2005
'Mark' Aviva
The Hateful Eight
Movie • 2015
Daisy Domergue
Have You Ever Been Ashamed Of Your Parents?
Movie • 1983
Andrea Fairchild
Partners in Life
Movie • 1990
Blossom
LBJ
Movie • 2017
Lady Bird Johnson
Night Always Comes
Movie • 2025
Doreen
Annihilation
Movie • 2018
Dr Ventress
Angel City
Movie • 1980
Kristy Teeter
Morgan
Movie • 2016
Dr. Kathy Grieff
Good Time
Movie • 2017
Corey Ellman
White Boy Rick
Movie • 2018
Alex Snyder
Hey Arnold! The Movie
Movie • 2002
Bridget (voice)
Open
Movie • 2014
Holly
I Think I'm Having A Baby
Movie • 1981
Laurie Mcintyre
Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country
Movie • 1993
Self
Possessor
Movie • 2020
Girder
The Making of 'Last Exit to Brooklyn'
Movie • 2006
Frame by Frame: The Invisible Art of Production Designer Carol Spier
Movie • 2000
Self
Easter Sunday
Movie • 2005
Mother
Sid & Judy
Movie • 2019
Judy Garland (voice)
The Woman in the Window
Movie • 2021
Jane Russell 2
Awake
Movie • 2021
Dr. Murphy
Alex of Venice
Movie • 2015
Maureen
The Young Runaways
Movie • 1978
Heather
Picnic
Movie • 1986
Madge Owens
The Spy Who Never Was
Movie • 1976
Girl Playing with Ball (uncredited)
Anomalisa
Movie • 2015
Lisa Hesselman (voice)
None of Them Are You: Crafting Anomalisa
Movie • 2016
Self
QT8: The First Eight
Movie • 2019
Self
Bastard Out of Carolina
Movie • 1996
Anney Boatwright
Cinema Cinema
Movie • 1997
Herself
Crime 101
Movie • 2026
Angie
Celebrity Naked Ambition
Movie • 2003
Self (archive footage)
New England Toys
Movie
Inside the Actors Studio
TV • 1994
Self
Mission Hill
TV • 1999
Eunice 'Weirdie' Eulmeyer (voice)
King of the Hill
TV • 1997
Amy (voice)
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV • 1988
Baretta
TV • 1975
Marcie (as Jennifer Leigh)
Hercules
TV • 1998
Tempest (voice)
Superman: The Animated Series
TV • 1996
Cetea (voice)
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV • 1951
Elizabeth Whitcomb
The Waltons
TV • 1972
Kathy Seals
Spawn
TV • 1997
Where Are They Now?
TV • 1999
Self
Weeds
TV • 2005
Jill Price-Grey
Revenge
TV • 2011
Kara Wallace Clarke
Family
TV • 1976
Jenny Blair
Tracey Takes On...
TV • 1996
Paige Garland
The Wonderful World of Disney
TV • 1954
Heather
Trapper John, M.D.
TV • 1979
Karen McCall
Fargo
TV • 2014
Lorraine Lyon
Frasier
TV • 1993
Estelle (voice)
Atypical
TV • 2017
Elsa Gardner
Hunters
TV • 2020
Chava Apfelbaum
Patrick Melrose
TV • 2018
Eleanor Melrose
Twitch City
TV • 1998
Faith
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
Twin Peaks
TV • 1990
Chantal Hutchens
Lisey's Story
TV • 2021
Darla Debusher
HBO First Look
TV • 1992
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
TV • 2014
Self
All's Fair
TV • 2025
Cheryl Goodfader
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
TV • 2026
Victoria
The Affair
TV • 2014
Adeline