Jenna Fischer Biography

Birth Name : Regina Marie Fischer

Date of Birth : 7 March 1974, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

Height : 5' 5½" (1.66 m)

Occupation : Actress, director

Born on March 7, 1974 in Fort Wayne, IN, Fischer was raised by her father, Jim, and her mother, Anne, a former acting teacher, both of whom started calling her Jenna despite naming her Regina. The family soon picked up stakes from Indiana, however, and settled in St. Louis, MO. Meanwhile, Fischer showed an interest in acting from a very young age, attending her first acting class - taught by her mother - at six years old. After going to Pierremont Elementary School, she attended Nerinx Hall High School, a private, all-girls Catholic school in the St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves. Following high school, she earned a bachelor's degree in theater from Truman State University and soon after moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. To support herself, she worked as an office temp for five years - an experience that no doubt helped her play Pam on "The Office." But before she landed the role, Fischer struggled through numerous casting calls, and even found herself the victim of a fraudulent audition. Thinking she was up for a role as a member of "International Spice Girls," she came to the slow realization that the producer who hired her was really a pimp in a high-end prostitution ring. She quickly changed all her phone numbers and never heard from the "producer" again.

Guest appearances on several TV shows followed, including Spin City, What I Like About You, Strong Medicine and Miss Match. In 2004 she wrote, directed and co-starred (with husband James) in the mockumentary Lollilove, about a rich couple who try to make a difference by giving homeless people lollipops that have cheerful slogans on the wrappers. As a result, Fischer was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Emerging Actor Award at the St. Louis Film Festival and the Tromadance Independent Soul Award at the American Film Market.

In 2005 she became a familiar face to TV viewers as Pam on the sitcom The Office, modelled after the British hit The Office. Playing an unambitious receptionist who doesn't respect her boss, Fischer received a 2007 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and shared a 2007 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with the rest of the cast.