Gillian Jacobs
Encyclopedia
Gillian Jacobs is an American
film
, theatre
and television
actress, best known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC
comedy series Community
.
, and grew up in Mt. Lebanon
, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/April-2010/Gillian-Jacobs/
She made her name locally at the Pittsburgh Public Theater
. There she was a perennial contender in the Public's Shakespeare Monologue Contest, which led to her being cast as Titania in its production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
. After graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School in 2000, Jacobs moved to New York City
, New York
, to study acting at The Juilliard School
, where she was a member of the Drama Division's Group 33.
Jacobs is of Irish, Scottish, German and French heritage.
. Although she played Kimberly in the television pilot
of Traveler
, the role was recast when ABC
acquired the series. She subsequently made guest appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent
and Fringe
.
In 2006, Jacobs starred in an Off-Off-Broadway theatre
production of playwright Chris Denham's cagelove. While overall critical reaction to the play was negative, Jacobs earned praise in several reviews. The New York Times
advised readers to "make sure to remember the name of Gillian Jacobs, a stunning Juilliard graduate who has the glow of a star in the making".
She has also appeared in theatrical productions of The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero (2007) and The Little Flower of East Orange (2008), directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
.
Jacobs's film work includes Gardens of the Night
(2007); writer-director Adam Rapp
's Blackbird
(2007); Choke
(2008), based on the Chuck Palahniuk
novel, and The Box (2009).
In 2009, she became a regular on Community
. Jacobs comments on it in an interview in Venus Zine
's Fall 2010 Issue, "There's an absurdity to the show. We exist in a world in which anything can happen week to week, and that pushes me in so many ways."
As of early 2010, the film Watching TV with the Red Chinese was in post-production.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress, best known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy series Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
.
Personal life
Jacobs was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and grew up in Mt. Lebanon
Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Mt. Lebanon is a home rule municipality, formerly a township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 33,137 at the 2010 census....
, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/April-2010/Gillian-Jacobs/
She made her name locally at the Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.Established in 1974, it was housed in the Hazlett Theatre at the Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall on Pittsburgh’s North Side...
. There she was a perennial contender in the Public's Shakespeare Monologue Contest, which led to her being cast as Titania in its production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
. After graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School in 2000, Jacobs moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to study acting at The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, where she was a member of the Drama Division's Group 33.
Jacobs is of Irish, Scottish, German and French heritage.
Career
Jacobs's first national exposure came as Adele Congreve on the television series The Book of DanielThe Book of Daniel (TV series)
The Book of Daniel is a television series broadcast on NBC. The network promoted it as a serious drama about Christians and the Christian faith, but it was controversial with some Christians. The show had been proposed for NBC's 2005 fall line-up, but was rescheduled as a 2006 midseason replacement...
. Although she played Kimberly in the television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of Traveler
Traveler (TV series)
Traveler is a short-lived American television series that ran from May 10, 2007 until July 18, 2007 on ABC in the United States. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Television....
, the role was recast when ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
acquired the series. She subsequently made guest appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
and Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
.
In 2006, Jacobs starred in an Off-Off-Broadway theatre
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
production of playwright Chris Denham's cagelove. While overall critical reaction to the play was negative, Jacobs earned praise in several reviews. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
advised readers to "make sure to remember the name of Gillian Jacobs, a stunning Juilliard graduate who has the glow of a star in the making".
She has also appeared in theatrical productions of The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero (2007) and The Little Flower of East Orange (2008), directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
.
Jacobs's film work includes Gardens of the Night
Gardens of the Night
Gardens of the Night is a 2008 drama film, starring Gillian Jacobs, John Malkovich, Ryan Simpkins and Tom Arnold; and directed and written by Damian Harris.-Plot:...
(2007); writer-director Adam Rapp
Adam Rapp
Adam Rapp is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, musician and film director. His play Red Light Winter was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2006.-Early life:...
's Blackbird
Blackbird (2007 film)
Blackbird, is a 2007 American film. It was adapted from a stageplay by Adam Rapp.It played at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It won "Best Narrative Feature" at the Charlotte Film Festival for writers Adam Rapp and Bruce Romans.- Cast :...
(2007); Choke
Choke (film)
Choke is a 2008 American black comedy film directed by Clark Gregg. The film stars Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. Production took place in New Jersey in 2007. It premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was purchased by Fox Searchlight Pictures for distribution...
(2008), based on the Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk
Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
novel, and The Box (2009).
In 2009, she became a regular on Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
. Jacobs comments on it in an interview in Venus Zine
Venus Zine
Venus Zine is a quarterly internationally circulated magazine covering women in music, film, art, entertainment, literature, fashion, indie culture and DIY culture.Venuszine.com is the daily updated online companion to the magazine...
's Fall 2010 Issue, "There's an absurdity to the show. We exist in a world in which anything can happen week to week, and that pushes me in so many ways."
As of early 2010, the film Watching TV with the Red Chinese was in post-production.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Building Girl | Katie | |
| 2007 | Up All Night | Marni | television film Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to... |
| Blackbird Blackbird (2007 film) Blackbird, is a 2007 American film. It was adapted from a stageplay by Adam Rapp.It played at the Edinburgh Film Festival. It won "Best Narrative Feature" at the Charlotte Film Festival for writers Adam Rapp and Bruce Romans.- Cast :... |
Froggy | ||
| 2008 | Choke Choke (film) Choke is a 2008 American black comedy film directed by Clark Gregg. The film stars Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. Production took place in New Jersey in 2007. It premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was purchased by Fox Searchlight Pictures for distribution... |
Cherry Daiquiri / Beth | |
| Gardens of the Night Gardens of the Night Gardens of the Night is a 2008 drama film, starring Gillian Jacobs, John Malkovich, Ryan Simpkins and Tom Arnold; and directed and written by Damian Harris.-Plot:... |
Leslie | ||
| 2009 | The Box | Dana | |
| Solitary Man Solitary Man (film) Solitary Man is a 2009 American film co-directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The film stars Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Mary-Louise Parker and Danny DeVito.-Plot:... |
College Student | ||
| 2010 | Helena from the Wedding Helena from the Wedding Helena from the Wedding is a 2010 American drama film. The film is directed by Joseph Infantolino, best known for executive producing Run Fatboy Run and stars Lee Tergesen, Melanie Lynskey and Gillian Jacobs as Helena. The film was released theatrically in the United States on 12 November, 2010.... |
Helena | |
| 2011 | NoNAMES | CJ | Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films and their creators. The celebration takes place annually in the city of Phoenix, Arizona... – Special Jury Award for Acting AchievementPhoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films and their creators. The celebration takes place annually in the city of Phoenix, Arizona... – Copper Wing Award for Best EnsembleNominated – Method Fest Best Actress Award Method Fest Independent Film Festival Method Fest Independent Film Festival is an independent film festival that has currently held over 8 festivals. It is held in Calabasas, California and is dedicated to support the work of those who produce, make and work in independent film and to provide educational opportunities in independent... |
| Watching TV with the Red Chinese | Suzanne | filming completed | |
| Coach | Zoe | post-production | |
| 2012 | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is an upcoming comedy with an ensemble cast. Filming began May of 2011, in Los Angeles, California.-Plot:The end of the world nears from the impending doom of an asteroid crash... |
Katie | post-production |
Television work
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Book of Daniel The Book of Daniel (TV series) The Book of Daniel is a television series broadcast on NBC. The network promoted it as a serious drama about Christians and the Christian faith, but it was controversial with some Christians. The show had been proposed for NBC's 2005 fall line-up, but was rescheduled as a 2006 midseason replacement... |
Adele Congreve | 3 episodes. |
| 2007 | Traveler Traveler (TV series) Traveler is a short-lived American television series that ran from May 10, 2007 until July 18, 2007 on ABC in the United States. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Television.... |
Kimberly | 1.01 "Pilot" |
| 2008 | Fringe Fringe (TV series) Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security... |
Joanne Ostler | 1.08 "The Equation" |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama... |
Sue Smith | 8.02 "Rock Star" |
| Royal Pains Royal Pains Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies... |
Tess Frimoli | 1.02 "There Will be Food" | |
| The Good Wife | Sonia | 1.01 "Pilot" | |
| 2009–present | Community Community (TV series) Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television... |
Britta Perry | main cast |
| 2010 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force Aqua Teen Hunger Force Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada... |
alternate Carl's wife | guest star on Larry Miller Hair System |