Jennifer Tilly

Jennifer Tilly Headshot

Actress • Poker Player

Birth Date: September 16, 1958

Age: 65 years old

Birth Place: Harbor City, California

Siblings: Meg Tilly

Jennifer Tilly's statuesque figure and breathless falsetto often obscured her gifted talent in both comedic and dramatic fare, as evidenced by her Oscar-nominated turn in "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994) and memorable appearances in films like "Bound" (1996) and "Bride of Chucky" (1998). Born Jennifer Ellen Chan on September 16, 1958 in Harbor City, Los Angeles, she and her siblings - which included sister and fellow actress Meg Tilly - hailed from an ethnically diverse background, with a Chinese father and a mother with Irish, Finnish and First Nations heritage. Tilly's parents split when she was five years of age, and her mother relocated the children to Texada Island, the largest of the Northern Gulf Islands off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Tilly later attended Belmont High School in Victoria, BC, before heading to Missouri to earn a theater degree from Stephens College. Her screen-acting career began on television, where she established her talent for both comedies and dramatic fare like "Hill Street Blues" (NBC, 1981-1987), where she won notices as a mobster's widow who became romantically involved with Joe Spano's detective. Tilly soon settled into steady work as a character actress, playing an array of ditzy bombshells on series like "It's Garry Shandling's Show" (Showtime, 1986-1990) and features like "Johnny Be Good" (1988) and "Let It Ride" (1989). But a turn as a hopelessly tone-deaf singer in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" (1989) alerted critics and viewers to her comic gifts, which she followed with an Oscar-nominated turn as a gangster's moll with acting aspirations in Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway." Two years later, Tilly found a solid showcase for her dramatic talents in the Wachowskis' neo-noir "Bound," for which she again played a gangster's paramour, albeit one with plans to steal her boyfriend's fortune with the help of an ex-con (Gina Gershon) with whom she has become romantically involved. By the mid-1990s, Tilly was working steadily across a wide variety of projects, from mainstream comedies like "Liar Liar" (1997) and indie fare like Albert Brooks' "The Muse" (1999) and Peter Bogdanovich's "The Cat's Meow" (2001). Her unique voice also helped her move successfully into animation projects like "Family Guy" (Fox, 1999- ) and "Monsters, Inc." (2001), though her most memorable turn in this capacity was as Tiffany Valentine who, like her boyfriend, serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), has her soul transferred to a malevolent doll in Ronny Yu's "Bride of Chucky." Tilly would reprise the role in three sequels, including 2017's "Cult of Chucky," and would maintain a steady presence in features and on television into the new millennium while also honing a new and wildly successful second career on the professional poker circuit, where she captured sizable windfalls on the World Poker Tour and other professional competitions. She would briefly retire from poker in the mid-2000s to refocus on acting, which included a starring role in the 2001 Broadway revival of "The Women."

Credits

Access Daily With Mario & Kit

Guest
Show
2022

No Gamble, No Future

Self
Reality
2022

Living with ChuckyStream

Self
Movie
2022
72%

ChuckyStream

Actor
Tiffany Valentine
Series
2021
94%

Monsters at WorkStream

Voice
Celia Mae
Series
2021
65%

CallsStream

Voice
Mother
Series
2021
95%

Best of PokerGO

Self
Show
2021

Poker After Dark: GOAT

Self
Show
2020

The Kelly Clarkson ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2019

Access Daily

Guest
Show
2019

Walk to Vegas

Actor
Jennifer
Movie
2019

Friday Night Poker

Self
Show
2018

Cult of ChuckyStream

Actor
Tiffany
Movie
2017
78%

Ray Meets Helen

Actor
Ginger
Movie
2017

Crazy About Tiffany's

Actor
Movie
2016

A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe FitsStream

Actor
Divine
Movie
2016

SuperMansionStream

Guest Voice
Series
2015

Unity

Narrator
Movie
2015

The Secret Lives of Dorks

Actor
Ms. Stewart
Movie
2013

Poker After DarkStream

Self
Reality
2012

Larry King NowStream

Guest
Talk
2012

Amelia's 25th

Actor
Miss Celie
Movie
2012

30 Beats

Actor
Erika
Movie
2012

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

Made in Romania

Self
Movie
2010

The Making of Plus One

Actor
Amber
Movie
2010

The Cleveland ShowStream

Guest Voice
Bonnie Swanson
Series
2009

Modern FamilyStream

Guest Star
Darlene
Series
2009
85%

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Self
Talk
2009

Drop Dead DivaStream

Guest Star
Ginny
Series
2009
78%

Sam's Game

Guest
Show
2009

An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong

Actor
Mrs. Rundell
Movie
2009

Imps

Actor
Joni (Segment "Sale on Professional Men")
Movie
2009

Empire of Silver

Actor
Missionary
Movie
2009

The Wendy Williams Show

Guest
Talk
2008

Deal

Actor
Karen 'Razor' Jones
Movie
2008

The Caretaker

Actor
Movie
2008

Bart Got a Room

Actor
Melinda
Movie
2008

Return to Babylon

Actor
Clara Bow
Movie
2008

Inconceivable

Actor
Salome "Sally" Marsh
Movie
2008

Intervention

Actor
Jane
Movie
2007

Rachael Ray ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2006

High Stakes Poker

Self
Show
2006

The Initiation of Sarah

Actor
Dr. Eugenia Hunter
Movie
2006

Out of PracticeStream

Guest Star
Series
2005

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Guest
Talk
2005

Tideland

Actor
Queen Gunhilda
Movie
2005

The Civilization of Maxwell Bright

Actor
Dr. O'Shannon
Movie
2005

Bailey's Billions

Actor
Dolores Pennington
Movie
2005

El Padrino

Actor
Sebeva
Movie
2004

Deluxe Combo Platter

Actor
Alma Kerns
Movie
2004

Home on the RangeStream

Voice
Grace
Movie
2004
52%

Seed of ChuckyStream

Actor
Herself, Voice of Tiffany
Movie
2004
34%

A Piece of My Heart

Actor
Elyse Steinberg
Movie
2004

Lil' Pimp

Voice
Miss De La Croix
Movie
2004

Saint Ralph

Actor
Nurse Alice
Movie
2004

Second Best

Actor
Carole
Movie
2004

Nowhere To Go but Up

Actor
Edna
Movie
2003

Happy End

Actor
Movie
2003

The Haunted Mansion

Actor
Madame Leota
Movie
2003

Hollywood North

Actor
Gillian Stevens
Movie
2003

Jericho Mansions

Actor
Donna Cherry
Movie
2003

The Magnificent Ambersons

Actor
Fanny Minafer
Movie
2002

Dirt

Actor
The Hooker
Movie
2001

Sister Mary Explains It All

Actor
Philomena Rostovich
Movie
2001

Monsters, Inc.Stream

Voice
Celia
Movie
2001
96%

The Cat's Meow

Actor
Louella Parsons
Movie
2001

Fast Sofa

Actor
Ginger Quail
Movie
2001

Ball in the House

Actor
Aunt Dot
Movie
2001

CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationStream

Guest Star
Series
2000

Cord

Actor
Helen
Movie
2000

The Crew

Actor
Ferris 'aka Maureen' Lowenstein
Movie
2000

Gahan Wilson's The Kid

Voice
Waitress
Movie
2000

Bruno

Actor
Dolores
Movie
2000

Dancing at the Blue Iguana

Actor
Jo
Movie
2000

Family Guy

Guest Voice
Bonnie Swanson
Show
1999

Family GuyStream

Guest Voice
Bonnie Swanson
Series
1999

Muza

Actor
Movie
1999

The Muse

Self
Movie
1999

Stuart LittleStream

Voice
Mr. Stout
Movie
1999
67%

Bartok the Magnificent

Voice
Piloff
Movie
1999

Goosed

Actor
Charlene
Movie
1999

Do Not Disturb

Actor
Cathryn Richmond
Movie
1999

Music From Another RoomStream

Actor
Nina Swan
Movie
1998
43%

Bride of ChuckyStream

Actor
Tiffany
Movie
1998
48%

Relax... It's Just Sex!

Actor
Tara Ricotto
Movie
1998

Hoods

Actor
Mary Crippa
Movie
1998

Bella Mafia

Actor
Show
1997

Gun

Actor
Show
1997

Liar LiarStream

Actor
Samantha Cole
Movie
1997
83%

The Wrong Guy

Actor
Lynn Holden
Movie
1997

Hey Arnold!Stream

Guest Voice
Series
1996

Man With a Gun

Actor
Rena Rushton/Kathy Payne
Movie
1996

BoundStream

Actor
Violet
Movie
1996
86%

Edie & Pen

Actor
Edie Piper
Movie
1996

American Strays

Actor
Patty Mae
Movie
1996

House ArrestStream

Actor
Cindy Figler
Movie
1996
10%

Embrace of the Vampire

Actor
Marika
Movie
1995

The Pompatus of Love

Actor
Tarzaan
Movie
1995

Bird of Prey

Actor
Kily Griffith
Movie
1995

Mauvaise tête

Actor
Movie
1994

Heads

Actor
Tina Abbot
Movie
1994

Double Cross

Actor
Melissa
Movie
1994

Bullets over BroadwayStream

Actor
Olive Neal
Movie
1994
95%

The Getaway

Actor
Fran Carvey
Movie
1994

FrasierStream

Guest Star
Kim
Series
1993
95%

Key West

Actor
Savannah Sumner
Show
1993

Shadow of the Wolf

Actor
Igiyook
Movie
1993

Made in America

Actor
Stacy
Movie
1993

The Webbers

Actor
Miranda Webber
Movie
1993

Verdad Inconfesable

Actor
Movie
1992

Scorchers

Actor
Talbot
Movie
1992

The SimpsonsStream

Guest Voice
Herself
Series
1989
85%

Far From Home

Actor
Amy
Movie
1989

Let It RideStream

Actor
Vicki
Movie
1989

The Fabulous Baker BoysStream

Actor
Blanche 'Monica' Moran
Movie
1989
97%

Azok a Csodalatos Baker Fiuk

Actor
Movie
1989

Rented Lips

Actor
Mona Lisa
Movie
1988

High Spirits

Actor
Miranda
Movie
1988

He's My Girl

Actor
Lisa
Movie
1987

Remote Control

Actor
Allegra James
Movie
1987

Meurtres en VHS

Actor
Movie
1987

Inside Out

Actor
Amy
Movie
1986

Mary

Writer
Show
1985

MoonlightingStream

Guest Star
Series
1985
89%

Loca Academia de Conductores

Actor
Movie
1985

Loca Escuela de Conductores

Actor
Movie
1985

Moving Violations

Actor
Amy Hopkins
Movie
1985

Shaping Up

Actor
Shannon Winters
Show
1984

No Small Affair

Actor
Mona
Movie
1984

CheersStream

Guest Star
Candi Pearson
Series
1982
87%

Entertainment Tonight

Guest
News
1981

Hill Street BluesStream

Guest Star
Gina Srignoli
Series
1981
97%

Today

Guest
News
1952

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