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Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28,
1972) is an American television, movie, and theatre actress. Her most
notable roles were in the television series Saved by the Bell and the 1995
Paul Verhoeven movie Showgirls.
Berkley was born and raised in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a community
located among Detroit's northern suburbs in Oakland County. She was born
with different eye colors. Her right eye is half green and half brown. The
other eye is green. She is the daughter of Jere, a gift basket business
owner, and Fred Berkley, a lawyer. She graduated from North Farmington
High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, in 1990, after previously
having attended the Cranbrook Kingswood School, a private school in
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
From a young age she danced, and she practiced in a room that her parents
arranged for her in the basement of their house. In 1982, at the age of
ten, she auditioned for the lead role in the film Annie, but was turned
down. As her love for dancing increased, she became more interested in
pursuing it professionally, traveling to New York to train with other
dancers and choreographers. She began to take part in several ballets,
including Swan Lake and, in 1983, she appeared in some musicals.
Berkley was a teen model for Elite before pursuing an acting career. She
made her television movie debut in 1987 with a role in the TV movie Frog
and following this, made a number of guest appearances on several
television shows. In 1989, at the age of seventeen, she auditioned for the
role of Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell, but the producers of the show
could not decide whether to cast her or Tiffani Thiessen. In the end, they
created for Berkley the character Jessie Spano, a role she played from
1989 to 1993, as well as in both of the show's TV movie installments.
After leaving Saved by the Bell to try and break into film, Berkley
auditioned for the role of Nomi Malone, a character in the infamous 1995
Paul Verhoeven film Showgirls. The sex and nudity-laden movie was given a
controversial NC-17 rating in the United States (the first big budget film
that was deliberately intended to receive this rating), was a box office
bomb, and was widely panned by critics.
Following the failure of Showgirls and being awarded two Razzie awards for
her performance in the film, Berkley decided to audition for smaller roles
in quality films, hoping to improve upon her acting skills before
accepting another leading role. As a result, she appeared in a small role
in The First Wives Club, a comedy starring Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and
Bette Midler, before accepting the title role in the straight to video
anime Armitage III: Poly Matrix which also starred Kiefer Sutherland. She
then played a Madonna body double named Tina in the independent film The
Real Blonde
As time has put distance between Berkley and the infamous film (which has
since achieved cult status among film fans and placed number 36 on
Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 50 Cult Movies and is also one of
top 20 highest grossing movies of all time for MGM), she has performed
well in strong supporting roles in independent movies such as The Taxman,
Tail Lights Fade, Roger Dodger (which her manager advised her not to do),
and Moving Malcolm. She also had a small role as a call girl hired by Al
Pacino's character in Oliver Stone's sports drama Any Given Sunday, as
well as a key supporting role in Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade
Scorpion.
Berkley appeared on stage opposite Eddie Izzard for her role as Honey in
the London stage version of Lenny. She went on to make her Broadway debut
in the comedy Sly Fox, opposite Richard Dreyfuss in February 2004, just
three months after her marriage to artist Greg Lauren. She replaced
Catherine Kellner as Bonnie in the 2005 Off Broadway production of David
Rabe's Hurlyburly, appearing alongside Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey, and
Bobby Cannavale.
Berkley received much praise for her role in Hurlyburly, with Charles
Isherwood of The New York Times even going as far as apologizing to her
for his past criticisms of her ability, stating that the fact she held
"her own among this skilled company of scene-stealers is a testament to
how much her talent has grown". Her most recent stage appearance was at
the sixth annual 24 Hour Plays alongside Jennifer Aniston, Rosie Perez,
and Lili Taylor, in which six writers, six directors, twenty-four actors,
and production crews have twenty-four hours to write, direct, and perform
six ten-minute plays.
Berkley has been seen in many dramatic television roles, guest starring on
series such as CSI, NYPD Blue, Without a Trace, Threshold, and Law &
Order: Criminal Intent. However, she stayed true to her comic roots with a
recurring role in the successful and critically acclaimed sitcom Titus, in
which she played the title character's sister, Shannon. She also starred
in the Lifetime TV movie Student Seduction, in which she played Christie
Dawson, a high school teacher wrongfully accused of sexual harassment by
one of her students who becomes obsessed with her. This was followed by
another made-for-television movie in 2007, entitled Black Widow in which
she played a woman suspected of killing her husbands for their money. The
film Meet Market, which she starred in along with Julian McMahon, Krista
Allen, and Aisha Tyler was released straight to DVD in 2008 after having
been in limbo since it was completed in 2004.
In 2008, Berkley signed on to star in a multi-episode arc of CSI: Miami,
in which she plays Horatio Caine's (David Caruso) ex-lover, Julia Winston,
who is also the mother of his recently discovered son. The episodes which
Berkley appeared in were very highly rated and all of them featured in the
top 10 Nielsen ratings chart. She has since appeared in the show's season
six finale.
Berkley hosted Bravo's reality series, Step It Up and Dance, a competition
featuring the exploits of ten wannabe dancers who compete against each
other to win a cash prize of $100,000 as well as the opportunity to work
with and perform for some of the country's top choreographers. The show
premiered in April 2008 on Bravo and was very successful, making history
for the Bravo network. The show came out as the network's strongest ever
in its time slot (10/11c) with 826,000 viewers, among whom 574,000 were
aged 18 to 49. The second episode was also very successful in the ratings,
with an average of 633,000 viewers for its regular time slot of 9/10c. The
show continued to perform well throughout its run, averaging 756,000
viewers each week - of whom 522,000 were aged 18 to 49 - and helped
contribute to Bravo's highest-rated April ever. According to Berkley
hosting the show is a very fulfilling job. She was recently quoted as
saying that she gets "invested in the dancers" because she has befriended
many of them offstage.
During the press tour for Step It Up and Dance, Berkley appeared on
various shows including various morning news programs, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel
Live!, Fuse TV's The Sauce, E!'s Chelsea Lately, CNBC's The Big Idea with
Donny Deutsch, and ABC's The View. While on The View, she spoke of her
admiration for co-host Whoopi Goldberg, calling her "an extraordinary
being". Her appearance on the show was unique in that she brought the
ladies of the show tap shoes and taught them a short dance routine.
Despite the show's success, it was not renewed for a second season and its
show page has since been removed from the Bravo website.
Berkley starred alongside Thomas Jane in the David Arquette directed short
film The Butler's in Love which premiered at Mann's Chinese Theater in Los
Angeles in June 2008.
In 2009, Berkley starred in a multi-episode arc of the Showtime series The
L Word, during its sixth and final season. She played Kelly Wentworth, the
straight girl that got away from Jennifer Beals' character Bette Porter in
college. Berkley and Beals are best friends in real life, having
previously worked on the 2002 independent film Roger Dodger. She continued
with television work, reprising her role as Julia Winston in CSI: Miami,
appearing in three more episodes, including the season seven finale. She
was cast as Trudy, a former drug addict turned born again Christian who
becomes infatuated with her pastor in the sequel to cult hit Donnie Darko,
S. Darko. She will also appear as Tracy in the upcoming comedy Women in
Trouble.
While making an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in June 2009,
Berkley's Saved by the Bell co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar - as Zack Morris -
expressed his desire to take part in Fallon's "class reunion" of the
show's original cast members and revealed that Berkley has also agreed to
take part in the reformation. It is unclear whether the reunion will
simply be an interview with the original cast on an episode of Fallon's
show, or whether a new TV movie or series will be produced.
It was also confirmed that Berkley, in conjunction with MTV, is developing
a reality series which focuses on her Ask-Elizabeth self-help program—and
has the same name as its working title, Ask-Elizabeth—for teen girls. The
show will follow the actress as she travels around the country and meets
with girls of all ages to discuss various topics that are important to
them. The show is expected to air in late 2009.
Following the failure of Showgirls, Berkley later commented that her
experience of the film and of her being made a scapegoat for the movie's
failure was "definitely a cruel time," but also that it helped her "find
out" what she "was made of."
Berkley is a committed animal rights activist and in 1997, donned a $600
form-fitting gown made entirely of collard greens for the "Lettuce Be
Lean" campaign, sponsored by PETA to try to encourage people to embrace
vegetarianism. In 2008 & 2009, she was among a number of celebrities to be
nominated for Sexiest Vegetarian of the Year.
Berkley is best friends with Jennifer Beals, who starred in Flashdance
(1983), another well-known Joe Eszterhas film; the pair also appeared
together in the 2002 independent movie Roger Dodger.
In 2000, Berkley was made the subject of a $45 million lawsuit when actor
and screenwriter Roger Wilson took action against Leonardo DiCaprio,
claiming that DiCaprio had encouraged his friends to assault Wilson in a
street fight after he tried to defend Berkley, who had been the subject of
DiCaprio and his friends' unwanted advances.
On November 1, 2003, Berkley married artist and occasional actor Greg
Lauren at the Esperanza Hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The pair met
during a dance class in 2000 and soon formed a close relationship. The
entire wedding party (including Berkley and Lauren) was garbed in
creations by Greg's uncle, fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Berkley wore a
silk sheath dress with pearled spaghetti straps while Lauren wore a white
tuxedo jacket and a black bow tie. At the wedding, she and Lauren danced a
routine choreographed by the teacher of the dance class in which they met.
Berkley formally changed her name to Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, however,
she still uses her maiden name professionally.
Berkley volunteers in her free time, working with teen girls in junior
high and high schools around the world. She is active in various outreach
programs such as dance classes for young teens, volunteer work with the
elderly, and volunteer work for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS
Foundation.
In 2006, after Berkley's husband commented on the number of girls who came
to her asking for advice and joked that she should have her own column,
she decided to take action and created her own website to help teen girls.
The website, which she facilitates herself is a self-esteem program called
Ask-Elizabeth. She regularly meets with young girls to discuss different
issues and topics and to help them with any problems that they are going
through and speaks of her own troubles in the past.
Berkley is developing her own production company, named 5,6,7,8
Productions, and hopes to use it for various projects both as an actress
and producer. |
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"Ever since those reviews for
Showgirls, it's like I was that woman in The Scarlet Letter. Except
that instead of having to wear the letter 'A' for adulteress, I was
condemned to wear an 'S' for showgirl."
On making 'Roger Dodger': "I really loved it. On set, it was like
being part of a real family. Everybody was there because they wanted
to be and not because of some pay check - there were no dressing
rooms or big trailers; you'd get ready in a bathroom. Here's this $2
million movie that could have gone nowhere or everywhere. But it's
one of the most special experiences that I've ever had. I want more
similar experiences. I'm not 'Showgirl' - that's the point!"
"The First Wives Club" gave me a certain level of confidence.
Because I was working with these three women - Goldie Hawn, Bette
Midler, and Diane Keaton - who as women have been through every high
and low. Goldie especially took me under her wing and was really
supportive. She told me, "I don't like the way you were directed in
that movie ["Showgirls"], but there's something there that you can't
deny. So you just keep doing what you're doing and someone will get
it, and someone will show the real you, and not just some idea of
you."
On working with high profile directors: I'm very grateful, because a
lot of actors would kill to work with any one of them. It's been a
very conscious choice on my part to work with the best - even if it
was taking a small supporting role. After "Showgirls", I really
wanted to surround myself with the best people. I wanted to build it
that way instead of doing flashy roles just like "Showgirls", which
would have hurt me.
"The first thing I want to say is that I think that "Threshold"
(2005) is one of the best new shows out there, which is one of the
reasons I wanted to join this amazing cast. Barbara Nance, the
writer of this episode, created an incredible, strong female
character who I knew I would have a lot of fun playing. There are
fight scenes, there is glamor, and there's this fun cat-and-mouse
game between me and Brian Van Holt, who plays Cavennaugh. All the
dynamics were in place. But what was fun was when Carla called me
not knowing that they had offered it, and even though we only have a
couple of scenes together, we were both so excited. Across the
board, the cast is amazing. The only other guest spots I've done in
the last couple of years were on shows that were already
established, like Without a Trace and CSI and NYPD Blue, so it was
fun to be a part of something from the beginning." (23 November
2005)
About Lauren Hutton: "Women shine when they are at their most
natural, and Lauren Hutton has a certain timelessness I admire. She
knows what works for her." (In Style Makeover, Volume 13, Number 9,
Fall 2006) |
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S. Darko (2009) (V) .... Trudy
... aka S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale (USA: DVD box title)
... aka S. Darko: Donnie Darko 2 (UK: promotional title)
"CSI: Miami" .... Julia Winston (9 episodes, 2008-2009)
... aka CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
- Dissolved (2009) TV episode .... Julia Winston
- Chip/Tuck (2009) TV episode .... Julia Winston
- Divorce Party (2009) TV episode .... Julia Winston
- Bombshell (2008) TV episode .... Julia Winston
- Resurrection (2008) TV episode .... Julia Winston
(4 more)
Women in Trouble (2009) .... Tracy
"The L Word" .... Kelly Wentworth (4 episodes, 2009)
- Lactose Intolerant (2009) TV episode .... Kelly Wentworth
- Litmus Test (2009) TV episode .... Kelly Wentworth
- Leaving Los Angeles (2009) TV episode .... Kelly Wentworth
- Least Likely (2009) TV episode .... Kelly Wentworth
The Butler's in Love (2008) .... The Bride
Black Widow (2008) (TV) .... Olivia Whitfield/Grace Miller
... aka Dark Beauty (USA: recut version)
Be Kind Rewind (2008) (uncredited) .... Girl In Library
Meet Market (2008) .... Linda
"Law & Order: Criminal Intent"
.... Danielle Quinn (1 episode, 2006)
... aka Law & Order: CI (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- Dollhouse (2006) TV Episode .... Danielle Quinn
"Threshold" .... Christine Polchek (1 episode, 2005)
- Progeny (2005) TV Episode .... Christine Polchek
"Without a Trace" .... Post-Makeover Lynette Shaw (1 episode, 2004)
... aka W.A.T (USA: short title)
- American Goddess (2004) TV Episode .... Post-Makeover Lynette Shaw
Meet Market (2004) .... Linda
Moving Malcolm (2003) .... Liz Woodward
Student Seduction (2003) (TV) .... Christie Dawson
Detonator (2003) .... Jane Dreyer
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" .... Renée, Foam Dancer (1 episode,
2003)
... aka C.S.I. (USA: short title)
... aka CSI: Las Vegas (USA: syndication title)
... aka CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
... aka Experts, Les (Canada: French title)
- Lady Heather's Box (2003) TV Episode .... Renée, Foam Dancer
Control Factor (2003) (TV) .... Karen Bishop
"The Twilight Zone" .... Marisa Sanborn (1 episode, 2002)
- Sanctuary (2002) TV Episode .... Marisa Sanborn
Roger Dodger (2002) .... Andrea
"Titus" .... Shannon (3 episodes, 2001-2002)
- Same Courtesy (2002) TV Episode .... Shannon
- Tommy's Crush (2002) TV Episode .... Shannon
- Shannon's Song (2001) TV Episode .... Shannon
Cover Story (2002) .... Samantha Noble
... aka Ambition fatale (Canada: French title)
The Shipment (2001) .... Candy Colucci
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) .... Jill
... aka Im Bann des Jade Skorpions (Germany)
The Elevator (2001) (TV) .... Celeste
Becoming Dick (2000) (TV) .... Maggie
"NYPD Blue" .... Nicole Graf (2 episodes, 2000)
- Tea and Sympathy (2000) TV Episode .... Nicole Graf
- Roll Out the Barrel (2000) TV Episode .... Nicole Graf
"Jack & Jill" .... Gabi (1 episode, 2000)
- Under Pressure (2000) TV Episode .... Gabi
Any Given Sunday (1999) .... Mandy Murphy
Tail Lights Fade (1999) .... Eve
... aka Rallye, Le (Canada: French title)
"Brother's Keeper" .... Amy (1 episode, 1999)
- You Are Me (1999) TV Episode .... Amy
Last Call (1999/II) .... Helena
Africa (1999/I) .... Barbara Craig
Random Encounter (1998) .... Alicia 'Allie' Brayman
... aka Rencontre fortuite (Canada: French title)
Taxman (1998) .... Nadia Rubakov
The Real Blonde (1997) .... Tina
Armitage III: Poly Matrix (1997) (V) (voice) .... Naomi Armitage
... aka Armitage III: Polymatrix
"Perversions of Science" .... Ruth (1 episode, 1997)
- Planely Possible (1997) TV Episode .... Ruth
A Time to Revenge (1997) (scenes deleted) .... Tiffany Whittmar
The First Wives Club (1996) .... Phoebe LaVelle
Showgirls (1995) .... Nomi Malone
... aka Showgirls (France)
White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild (1995) .... Crystal
... aka Legend of the Wild
Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas (1994) (TV) .... Jessie
Spano
Molly & Gina (1994) .... Kimberly Sweeny
... aka A Time to Die (Europe)
... aka Burnhill
Bandit: Bandit Goes Country (1994) (TV) .... Beth
... aka Bandit Goes Country
"Burke's Law" .... Heather Charles (1 episode, 1994)
- Who Killed the Beauty Queen? (1994) TV Episode .... Heather
Charles
"Diagnosis Murder" .... Shannon Thatcher (1 episode, 1994)
- Flashdance with Death (1994) TV Episode .... Shannon Thatcher
"Saved by the Bell" .... Jessica 'Jessie' Myrtle Spano / ... (70
episodes, 1989-1993)
- Graduation (1993) TV Episode .... Jessica 'Jessie' Myrtle Spano
(1989-1992)
- The Time Capsule (1992) TV Episode .... Jessica 'Jessie' Myrtle
Spano
- Slater's Friend (1992) TV Episode .... Jessica 'Jessie' Myrtle
Spano
- Earthquake (1992) TV Episode .... Jessica 'Jessie' Myrtle Spano
- Snow White and the Seven Dorks (1992) TV Episode .... Jessica
'Jessie' Myrtle Spano
(65 more)
Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style (1992) (TV) .... Jessie Spano
"Baywatch" .... Courtney Bremmer (2 episodes, 1992)
... aka Baywatch Hawaii (USA: new title)
- Showdown at Malibu Beach High (1992) TV Episode .... Courtney
Bremmer
- Pier Pressure (1992) TV Episode .... Courtney Bremmer
"Step by Step" .... Lisa Morgan (1 episode, 1992)
- J.T.'s World (1992) TV Episode .... Lisa Morgan
"Raven" .... Deborah (1 episode, 1992)
- The Death of Sheila (1992) TV Episode .... Deborah
"Life Goes On" .... Selena (1 episode, 1990)
- La Dolce Becca (1990) TV Episode .... Selena
"Married People" .... Isabel (1 episode, 1990)
- Once More, with Passion (1990) TV Episode .... Isabel
"Valerie" .... Ashley (2 episodes, 1990)
... aka The Hogan Family (USA: new title)
... aka The Hogans
... aka Valerie's Family (USA: new title)
- California Dreamin': Part 2 (1990) TV Episode .... Ashley
- California Dreamin': Part 1 (1990) TV Episode .... Ashley
"Day by Day" .... Lizabeth (1 episode, 1988)
- Girl Wars (1988) TV Episode .... Lizabeth
Platinum Blonde (1988)
Frog (1987) (TV) .... Kathy
"Silver Spoons" .... Melissa (1 episode, 1986)
- Rick Moves Out (1986) TV Episode .... Melissa
"Gimme a Break!" (1 episode, 1986)
- Getting to Know You (1986) TV Episode |
