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American–Canadian actress (born 1958) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958)[1] is an American-Canadian actress and professional poker player.[2] Known for her distinctive breathy voice and comedic timing,[3][4] she is the recipient of a Saturn Award, a Fantasporto Award, and a GLAAD Award, as well as nominations for an American Comedy Award, a Gemini Award, two MTV Movie Awards, and an Academy Award.
Jennifer Tilly | |
|---|---|
Tilly at the 2024 WonderCon | |
| Born | Jennifer Ellen Chan September 16, 1958 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Stephens College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Phil Laak (2004–present) |
| Relatives | Meg Tilly (sister) |
Following a succession of small parts in film and on television throughout the mid-late 1980s, Tilly made her feature film breakthrough with a supporting role as Olive Neal in Bullets Over Broadway (1994), for which she was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.[5] She subsequently earned acclaim for her portrayal of Violet, a lesbian femme fatale, in Bound (1996). Tilly rose to widespread recognition when she played Tiffany Valentine in Bride of Chucky (1998), reprising the character in several more installments of the Child's Play film series,[6] as well as the Syfy/USA show Chucky (2021–2024). Her association with the franchise has established her as a pop culture icon and scream queen.[7][8] Since 1999, Tilly has voiced Bonnie Swanson on the Fox animated sitcom Family Guy.
Tilly's other film credits include The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Made in America (1993), Liar Liar (1997), Music from Another Room (1998), Stuart Little (1999), The Cat's Meow (2001), Monsters, Inc. (2001), The Haunted Mansion (2003), Home on the Range (2004), and Tideland (2005). On stage, she appeared in the Broadway revivals of The Women (2001) and Don't Dress for Dinner (2012), and was the recipient of a Theatre World Award in 1993 for her performance in the off-Broadway play One Shoe Off.
Tilly is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, the first celebrity to win such a tournament.[9] She won the third World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament in 2005, and was nominated for PokerListings' Spirit of Poker Living Legend Award in 2014.[10] As of 2019, her live tournament winnings exceeded $1 million.[11]
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Tilly was born Jennifer Ellen Chan on September 16, 1958, in Harbor City, Los Angeles, to Harry Chan, a used car salesman, and Patricia (née Tilly), a Canadian schoolteacher and former stage actress.[12] Her father was of Chinese descent and her mother was of Irish and Finnish ancestry.[13][14][15][16] She has an older brother, Steve, and two younger sisters, Meg and Rebecca.[17]
Following her parents' divorce when she was five, Tilly was raised by her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on rural Texada Island in British Columbia. According to her sister Meg, Ward was a sadistic pedophile. Their sister Rebecca agreed, but Jennifer did not comment on the issue.[18] Her mother divorced again when Tilly was 16. The family then moved to Langford, a suburb of Victoria, British Columbia, where Tilly attended Belmont Secondary School.[19]
During her high school years, she developed an interest in theater, which prompted her to actively participate in plays as an extra with the assistance of her mother.[20] Tilly holds a bachelor's degree in theater from Stephens College in Missouri.[21]
In 1983, Tilly had small roles and had a recurring guest role on Hill Street Blues as Gina Srignoli, a mobster's widow who becomes romantically involved with detective Henry Goldblume. She played Frasier Crane's seductive-but-ditzy date Candi Pearson on an episode of the fourth season of Cheers and appeared as a similar character on the eleventh season of Frasier.
She appeared as Garry's girlfriend on It's Garry Shandling's Show, which aired on Showtime. She was also cast as a high-end prostitute on the short-lived comedy Key West, alongside Fisher Stevens. In 1989, she had a prominent role in the comedy Let It Ride, starring Richard Dreyfuss. Tilly's breakthrough film role was short but memorable appearance as a waitress who fails miserably when auditioning to be a singer in The Fabulous Baker Boys, a role that was written specially for her by Steve Kloves. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Olive Neal, a hopelessly bad actress in Woody Allen's 1994 comedy Bullets Over Broadway but she lost to her co-star Dianne Wiest. In 1994, she also had a small role in The Getaway with Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.
Tilly starred in Bound (1996), directed by the Wachowskis, which portrays a lesbian relationship her character has with Gina Gershon. She played Samantha Cole in the Jim Carrey comedy Liar Liar (1997). In Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000), she played a stripper and part-time dominatrix. She portrayed gossip columnist Louella Parsons in the Peter Bogdanovich historical drama The Cat's Meow (2001).
She gained additional popularity around that time for her portrayal of serial killer Tiffany Valentine in several of the Child's Play horror movie series. The character was first introduced in the fourth installment of the franchise, Bride of Chucky (1998), and subsequently appeared in Seed of Chucky (2004), Curse of Chucky (2013), Cult of Chucky (2017), and the television series Chucky (2021). In Seed of Chucky, she plays a dual role, providing the voice for Tiffany and also playing an exaggerated version of herself. The performance earned her nominations for the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actress and the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance.[22][23] She reprises the role in every subsequent appearance.
In 2001, she starred as Crystal Allen in the Broadway revival of The Women. In 2002 she played Fanny Minafer in the made-for-TV remake of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons.
She is a semi-regular cast member on Family Guy, voicing the Griffin family's neighbor, Bonnie Swanson. She has also done voice-over work for the films Monsters, Inc., Stuart Little and Home on the Range, as well as the children's series Hey Arnold! In Disney's The Haunted Mansion, she portrays Madame Leota (a head in a crystal ball). She has been active in the theatre, winning a Theater World Award for her performance in the off-Broadway play One Shoe Off.
She had a starring role on the sitcom Out of Practice, which starred Henry Winkler and Stockard Channing. The series was cancelled in May 2006. About this time, Tilly started dividing her time between her film career and professional poker. By the end of 2008, she returned to her film and television career. In 2009, Tilly made her Chinese film debut in the Christina Yao film Empire of Silver playing Mrs. Landdeck.
In 2012, she returned to Broadway in Don't Dress for Dinner, garnering an Audience Choice Award nomination for her portrayal of mistress Suzanne. In 2013, she starred in the Wallace Shawn/Andre Gregory collaboration Grasses of a Thousand Colors which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2009 and then moved to the Joseph Papp Theater in 2013. She regularly appeared in the comedy revue Celebrity Autobiography.[24]
In 2024, it was announced that Tilly would be appearing on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, as a friend of the housewives, for the fourteenth season.[25]
| Jennifer Tilly | |
|---|---|
 Tilly after her win at the 2005 World Series of Poker $1,000 Ladies Only Event – No Limit Hold'em | |
| Nickname(s) | The Unabombshell, J Tilla the Killa |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 20[26] |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | None |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 6[27] |
Tilly's father was a gambler and a poker player, and gave her the video game World Series of Poker. She was subsequently taught the real game by her boyfriend when she moved to Hollywood.[28]
On June 27, 2005, Tilly won a World Series of Poker bracelet (and $158,625) in the Ladies' No-Limit Texas hold 'em event, beating 600 other players.[9] She followed up this accomplishment on September 1, 2005, by winning the third World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament held at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, a suburb of Los Angeles. Tilly has appeared in the GSN Poker Royale series.[29] Tilly played in the Celebrity Poker Showdown which aired June 14, 2006, on Bravo. She came in third place after being beaten by Bravo's online poker champion Ida Siconolfi. She also participated in the Poker After Dark show.
When playing poker on television, Tilly often wears low-cut tops with push-up bras that expose considerable cleavage in order to "look cute", but noted that "if people are really playing poker, they don't care. Nothing looks better to them than a pair of aces. They're not looking at your pair. They're looking at their pair."[30] Tilly appears in the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions 2007 Edition video game, along with her boyfriend Phil Laak, which was released in 2007 by Activision.[31]
In a television interview in 2005, Tilly stated that at that point in her career she was more interested in pursuing poker than acting.[32] By December 2008, Tilly announced her retirement from poker as a career. In her monthly column in Bluff Magazine, she said: "I love poker but greatness in poker is an elusive dream. There are too many variants. Trying to find validation in poker is like trying to find a virgin in a whorehouse. I'm not giving up poker entirely – gambling is an addiction after all. I'm just going to treat it more like a hobby and less like a career."[33]
In January 2010, she resumed her poker career.[34] She was nominated for PokerListings' Spirit of Poker Living Legend Award in 2014,[35] and as of July 2019[update], her live tournament winnings exceeded $1 million.[11]
Tilly was married to Sam Simon, developer and producer of The Simpsons, from 1984 until 1991.[36] As of 2018, Tilly receives 30 percent of net proceeds that Simon's estate receives from the show, an arrangement she credits with allowing her to be choosier about her roles.[37][38] She has been in a relationship with professional poker player Phil Laak since 2004.[39][40]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | No Small Affair | Mona | |
| 1985 | Moving Violations | Amy Hopkins | |
| 1986 | Inside Out | Amy | |
| 1987 | He's My Girl | Lisa | |
| 1988 | Remote Control | Allegra James | |
| 1988 | Johnny Be Good | Connie Hisler | |
| 1988 | Rented Lips | Mona Lisa | |
| 1988 | High Spirits | Miranda | |
| 1989 | Far from Home | Amy | |
| 1989 | Let It Ride | Vicki | |
| 1989 | The Fabulous Baker Boys | Blanche "Monica" Moran | |
| 1991 | The Doors | Okie Girl | Uncredited. Deleted Scenes. |
| 1991 | Scorchers | Talbot | |
| 1992 | Shadow of the Wolf | Igiyook | |
| 1993 | Made in America | Stacy | |
| 1994 | The Getaway | Fran Carvey | |
| 1994 | Double Cross | Melissa | |
| 1994 | Bullets Over Broadway | Olive Neal | |
| 1995 | Embrace of the Vampire | Marika | |
| 1995 | Bird of Prey | Kily Griffith | |
| 1995 | Man with a Gun | Rena Rushton / Kathy Payne | |
| 1996 | Edie & Pen | Edie Piper | |
| 1996 | The Pompatus of Love | Tarzaan | |
| 1996 | Bound | Violet | |
| 1996 | American Strays | Patty Mae | |
| 1996 | House Arrest | Cindy Figler | |
| 1997 | Liar Liar | Samantha Cole | |
| 1997 | The Wrong Guy | Lynn Holden | |
| 1998 | Music from Another Room | Nina | |
| 1998 | Relax...It's Just Sex | Tara Ricotto | |
| 1998 | Hoods | Mary Crippa | |
| 1998 | Bride of Chucky | Tiffany Valentine | |
| 1999 | The Muse | Herself | |
| 1999 | Bartok the Magnificent | Piloff (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 1999 | Goosed | Charlene | |
| 1999 | Do Not Disturb | Cathryn | |
| 1999 | Stuart Little | Mrs. Camille Stout (voice) | |
| 1999 | Play It to the Bone | Ringside Fan | |
| 2000 | Cord (also released as Hide and Seek) | Helen | |
| 2000 | Bruno | Dolores | |
| 2000 | The Crew | Ferris "Maureen" Lowenstein | |
| 2000 | Dancing at the Blue Iguana | Jo | |
| 2001 | Dirt | Hooker | |
| 2001 | Fast Sofa | Ginger Quail | |
| 2001 | The Cat's Meow | Louella Parsons | |
| 2001 | Ball in the House | Dot | |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Celia Mae (voice) | |
| 2003 | Hollywood North | Gillian Stevens | |
| 2003 | Jericho Mansions | Donna Cherry | |
| 2003 | The Haunted Mansion | Madame Leota | |
| 2003 | Happy End | Edna | |
| 2004 | Second Best | Carole | |
| 2004 | Perfect Opposites | Elyse Steinberg | |
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Grace (voice) | |
| 2004 | El Padrino | Sebeva | |
| 2004 | Saint Ralph | Nurse Alice | |
| 2004 | Love on the Side | Alma Kerns | |
| 2004 | Seed of Chucky | Tiffany Valentine (voice) / Herself | |
| 2005 | Lil' Pimp | Miss De La Croix (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2005 | The Civilization of Maxwell Bright | Dr. O'Shannon | |
| 2005 | Bailey's Billion$ | Dolores Pennington | |
| 2005 | Tideland | Queen Gunhilda | |
| 2006 | The Poker Movie | Herself | |
| 2007 | Intervention | Jane | |
| 2008 | Deal | Karen "Razor" Jones | |
| 2008 | The Caretaker | Miss Perry | |
| 2008 | Bart Got a Room | Melinda | |
| 2008 | Inconceivable | Salome "Sally" Marsh | |
| 2009 | An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong | Mrs. Rundell | |
| 2009 | Empire of Silver | Mrs. Landdeck | |
| 2009 | Made in Romania | Herself | |
| 2010 | The Making of Plus One | Amber | |
| 2012 | 30 Beats | Erika | |
| 2013 | Amelia's 25th | Miss Celie | |
| 2013 | Curse of Chucky | Tiffany Valentine | Cameo, direct-to-video |
| 2013 | Return to Babylon | Clara Bow | |
| 2013 | The Secret Lives of Dorks | Ms. Stewart | |
| 2015 | Unity | Herself | Documentary |
| 2015 | Rebel With a Cause, the Sam Simon Story | Herself | Documentary |
| 2016 | A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits | Divine | Direct-to-video |
| 2017 | Cult of Chucky | Tiffany Valentine | Direct-to-video |
| 2017 | Ray Meets Helen | Ginger | |
| 2019 | 7 Days to Vegas | Jennifer | |
| 2020 | Poker Queens | Herself | Documentary |
| 2021 | High Holiday | Stephanie Cooksey |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Oh Madeline | Laurie | Episode: "Madeline Acts Forward at the Retreat" |
| 1983 | Boone | Sonia | Episode: "Words and Music" |
| 1984 | Shaping Up | Shannon Winters | 4 episodes |
| 1984–1985 | Hill Street Blues | Gina Srignoli | 6 episodes |
| 1985 | Remington Steele | Eva Wilson / Blitzen | Episode: "Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Steele" |
| 1986 | Stir Crazy | Karen | Episode: "Basic Straining" |
| 1986 | Cheers | Candi Pearson | Episode: "Second Time Around" |
| 1987 | It's Garry Shandling's Show | Angelica | Episodes: "It's Garry and Angelica's Show: Part 1 & 2" |
| 1989 | Moonlighting | Nurse Saundra | Episode: "Plastic Fantastic Lovers" |
| 1992 | Dream On | Ryan | Episode: "What Women Want" |
| 1993 | At Home with the Webbers | Miranda Webber | Television film |
| 1993 | Key West | Savannah Sumner | 13 episodes |
| 1994 | Heads | Tina Abbot | Television film |
| 1997 | Gun | Phyllis | Episode: "All the President's Women" |
| 1997 | Bella Mafia | Moyra Luciano | Television film |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | Bonnie Swanson (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2000 | Hey Arnold! | Lola (voice) | Episode: "Suspended/Ernie in Love" |
| 2000–2003 | Scruff | Tricks (voice) | Main role |
| 2001 | Sister Mary Explains It All | Philomena Rostovich | Television film |
| 2001 | The Kid | Waitress (voice) | Television film |
| 2002 | The Magnificent Ambersons | Fanny Minafer | Television film |
| 2002 | Stage on Screen: The Women | Crystal Allen | Television film |
| 2004 | Frasier | Kim | Episode: "Miss Right Now" |
| 2005–2006 | Out of Practice | Crystal | 14 episodes |
| 2006 | The Initiation of Sarah | Dr. Eugenia Hunter | Television film |
| 2009 | The Cleveland Show | Bonnie Swanson (voice) | Pilot episode |
| 2010 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Terpsie Pratt | Episode: "Take My Life, Please!" |
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Ginny | Episode: "Dream Big" |
| 2011, 2014 | Modern Family | Darlene | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself – Guest Judge | Episode: "Frenemies" |
| 2012 | The Simpsons | Herself (voice) | Episode: "Gone Abie Gone" |
| 2013, 2014 | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | Amanda Levay / The Sorceress (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Spun Out | Maggie Felgate | Episode: "The Secret of My Ex-Wife's Success" |
| 2018 | SuperMansion | Marjorie (voice) | Episode: "A Prayer for Mister T: A SuperMansion Thanksgiving Special" |
| 2020 | JJ Villard's Fairy Tales | Little Red Riding Hood (voice) | Episode: "Little Red Riding Hood" |
| 2020, 2022–present | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | Herself | Episode: "To Live and Text in Beverly Hills", "Secrets Revealed", "The Crystal Conundrum", "The Eaglewoman Has Landed", & "Sutton-ly Suspicious" Guest: Seasons 10, 12 & 13, Friend: Season 14 |
| 2021 | Calls | Mother (voice) | Episode: "The Beginning" |
| 2021 | Monsters at Work | Celia Mae (voice)[41] | Main role: Season 1 only |
| 2021–2024 | Chucky | Tiffany Valentine / Herself (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2022 | Bee and PuppyCat: Lazy In Space | Violet (voice) | Guest |
| 2022 | Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror | Herself | Docuseries |
| 2023 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Petunia (voice) | Episode: "The Flower Plot" |
| 2024 | The Boulet Brothers' Dragula | Herself – Guest Judge | Episode: "Killer Dolls" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kevin Pollak's Chat Show | Herself/Guest | Episode: "335" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff | Bonnie Swanson | |
| 2023 | Dead by Daylight | The Good Gal (Tiffany Valentine) | DLC |
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | CableACE Award | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | It's Garry Shandling's Show | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Theatre World Award | Outstanding Newcomer | One Shoe Off | Won | [42][43] |
| 1994 | Awards Circuit Community Award | Best Cast Ensemble (shared with the cast) | Bullets Over Broadway | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | [44] | |
| American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
| Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-series | Heads | Nominated | [44] | |
| 1997 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actress | Bound | Nominated | |
| Fantasporto Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | |||
| MTV Movie Award | Best Kiss (shared with Gina Gershon) | Nominated | |||
| 1998 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite Supporting Actress - Comedy | Liar Liar | Nominated | |
| Eyegore Awards | Best Actress | Herself | Won | [45] | |
| 1999 | Saturn Award | Best Actress | Bride of Chucky | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Fantafestival | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 2001 | DVD Exclusive Award | Best Actress in a DVD Premiere Movie | Ball in the House | Won | |
| 2004 | Fangoria Chainsaw Award | Best Actress | Seed of Chucky | 3rd place | [22] |
| MTV Movie Award | Best Frightened Performance | Nominated | [23] | ||
| 2006 | GLAAD Media Award | Golden Gate Award | Herself | Honored | |
| Asheville Film Festival | Career Achievement Award | Honored | [46][47] | ||
| 2007 | San Diego Film Festival | Best Actress | Intervention | Won | [48] |
| 2008 | Florida Film Festival | Artistic Achievement | Herself | Honored | [49] |
| 2010 | TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Award | Barbara Tipple Award for Best Actress | Intervention and Inconceivable | Won | |
| 2015 | Behind the Voice Actors Award | Best Female Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Guest Role - Action/Drama | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Garden State Film Festival | Best Ensemble (Feature) (shared with the cast) | 7 Days to Vegas | Won | |
| 2022 | Saturn Award | Best Guest-Starring Performance: Network / Cable Series | Chucky | Won | [50][51] |
In addition, she received Drama-Logue Awards for her work in the theater plays Vanities and One Shoe Off.[42]
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