Jenna Elfman Biography

NAME: Jenna Elfman

OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Television Actress

BIRTH DATE: September 30, 1971 (Age: 40)

EDUCATION: University of California at Northridge

PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, California

Actress, dancer. Born Jennifer Mary Butala, on September 30, 1971, in Northridge, California. She was the youngest of three children born into a middle-class family. Raised by her parents, Richard and Susan Butala, Elfman enjoyed a carefree childhood in Southern, California, where she began classical ballet training at age five. In 1989, she entered Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a dance major. Shortly after her enrollment, she abandoned a professional ballet career when a recurring ankle injury limited her range of motion.

After briefly attending the University of California at Northridge, Elfman's first step toward a career in show business came when she was awarded the opportunity to perform in the opening presentation for the 1991 Academy Awards Show. The exposure led to greater opportunities, and she was cast in a slew of rock videos for various artists, including Depeche Mode and Chris Isaak. Standing 5"10," tall, the striking California blonde, also toured with ZZ Top as one of the band's signature "Legs" girls.

An ebullient performer who earned fame with her role as a buoyant free-spirit on the popular sitcom "Dharma & Greg" (ABC, 1997-2002), actress Jenna Elfman broke through as a stand out cast member of the failed sitcom, "Townies" (ABC, 1996). A professional dancer who made the switch to acting in the early 1990s, Elfman made immediate strides on the small screen, landing guest starring roles on both dramas and sitcoms, including "Roseanne" (ABC, 1988-1997) and "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005) before landing her first regular gig with "Townies." Though "Townies" was only on the air a short time, network executives were duly impressed with Elfman's talents and signed her to an exclusive deal to develop her own series. The result was "Dharma & Greg," which managed to stay on for five seasons while earning the actress three consecutive Emmy Award nominations. Once the show was canceled, however, Elfman's career hit a brief rough patch that included starring in the failed sitcom, "Courting Alex" (CBS, 2006), while publicly embarrassing herself after a heated argument with a Scientology critic that ignited a brief, but white-hot media firestorm. But Elfman returned to form with her third star turn in a sitcom, "Accidentally On Purpose" (CBS, 2009), which proved that she had both the talent and drive to persevere.