Rashida Jones
Encyclopedia
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public
and Karen Filippelli
on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man
and The Social Network
. Jones currently appears on the NBC
comedy series Parks and Recreation
as Ann Perkins
.
and actress Peggy Lipton
. She has an older sister, Kidada Jones
, and five half-siblings by her father's other relationships. Her father is African-American and her mother is Ashkenazi Jewish
, and Jones attended Hebrew school
. She was raised in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.
In his autobiography, Jones's father recalled how he would often find his six-year-old daughter under the covers after bedtime with a flashlight reading five books at a time. Jones also displayed musical ability from a young age and can play classical piano. Her mother told Entertainment Tonight
that Jones is "also a fabulous singer and songwriter, so she has inherited it (from Quincy), there's no question about it. Her dad's teaching her how to orchestrate and arrange too."
Jones attended The Buckley School
in Sherman Oaks, California
, where she made the National Honor Society
and was voted "Most Likely To Succeed" by her classmates. Jones's parents divorced when she was 14 years old; her sister subsequently remained with their father while she moved to Brentwood
with their mother.
In 1994, Jones garnered attention with an open letter responding to scathing remarks made by Tupac Shakur
about her parents' interracial marriage
. She later befriended Shakur, who was engaged to her sister before he was killed. After high school, Jones left California to attend Harvard University
.
At Harvard, Jones was a resident of Eliot House
and belonged to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals
, Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club
, Harvard-Radcliffe Opportunes, Black Students Association and the Signet Society
. She was initially interested in becoming a lawyer but lost interest after being disillusioned by the O.J. Simpson murder case. Instead, she became involved in the performing arts, and served as musical director for the Opportunes a cappella
group, co-composed the score for the 149th annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals
performance, and acted in several plays. In her second year at college, she performed in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
, which she said was "healing" because she was seen by many blacks as not being "black enough". She studied Religion
and Philosophy
and graduated in 1997.
, a 1997 mini-series based on the novel by Mario Puzo
. She then appeared in Myth America, East of A and If These Walls Could Talk 2
. In 2000, she guest starred as Karen Scarfolli in an episode of Freaks and Geeks
before landing the role of Louisa Fenn on Boston Public
. Between 2000 and 2002, she appeared in 26 episodes, earning an NAACP Image Award
nomination in her final year. Although she only had a minor supporting role in the series, film opportunities quickly surfaced. She had a small role in Full Frontal
, directed by Steven Soderbergh
, and starred in Now You Know
, written and directed by Kevin Smith
regular Jeff Anderson
. She also starred in short film Roadside Assistance with Adam Brody
.
After Jones left Boston Public, she appeared in Death of a Dynasty
, directed by Damon Dash
, and two episodes of Chappelle's Show
on Comedy Central
. In 2004, she was cast in Strip Search, an HBO film directed by Sidney Lumet
, but her scenes were cut from the final broadcast version. Later that year, she played Dr. Rachel Keyes in Little Black Book
and starred as Edie Miller in British drama series NY-LON
. In 2005, Jones played Karen in the Stella
pilot on Comedy Central
and special government agent Carla Merced in the TNT
police drama Wanted
.
Jones joined the ensemble cast of The Office in September 2006, playing the role of Karen Filippelli
. She appeared regularly during the third season and then returned as a guest star for two episodes in season four and another in season five. Jones had been considering leaving the acting profession and pursuing a graduate degree in public policy before she was offered the part on The Office. Jones also played Karen in the February 2007 Saturday Night Live
episode hosted by Rainn Wilson
, appearing briefly in the opening monologue's Office parody. Jones filmed cameo roles in The Ten
and Role Models
, both directed by David Wain
, with the latter appearing on the Blu-ray
release. She then co-starred in Unhitched
, the short-lived 2008 comedy series produced by the Farrelly brothers
.
In January 2009, Jones voiced several characters in an episode of the Adult Swim
show Robot Chicken
. She played Hannah in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
, an independent film by John Krasinski
that screened during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
. She also co-starred as Zooey Rice in I Love You, Man
, a Dreamworks
comedy with Paul Rudd
and Jason Segel
. Jones then accepted a role in Parks and Recreation
, a mockumentary
-style sitcom in development for NBC
. The show was created by Greg Daniels
and Michael Schur
, who she previously worked with on the American version of The Office. She has played nurse Ann Perkins
since its primetime debut in April 2009.
Jones had a small role in the Kevin Smith
film Cop Out. She appeared in The Social Network
, alongside Jesse Eisenberg
, Andrew Garfield
and Justin Timberlake
, which is set at Harvard, coincidentally the school from which she graduated in 1997. She played Marylin Delpy, a second year legal associate assisting with the defense of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
.
She has a starring role opposite Chris Messina
in Monogamy
, a drama directed by Dana Adam Shapiro
. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
in April 2010 and will be released theatrically in March 2011.
Jones' other 2011 films were Friends with Benefits
, starring Justin Timberlake
and Mila Kunis
, The Big Year
, with Steve Martin
, Owen Wilson
, and JoBeth Williams
, The Muppets
, with Jason Segel
, Amy Adams
and Chris Cooper
, and Our Idiot Brother, with Paul Rudd
, Elizabeth Banks
, and Emily Mortimer
. In the latter she played a lesbian lawyer named Cindy, the caring, responsible girlfriend of a flaky bisexual played by Zooey Deschanel
. Jones also has a cameo in the Beastie Boys
' short film Fight For Your Right Revisited, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
.
Jones also appeared on an episode of Wilfred
as Lisa, a hospice
volunteer. The episode aired on July 21, 2011 on FX.
and co-written with husband-and-wife writing team Nunzio DeFilippis
and Christina Weir
. In October 2009, before the first issue had been released, Jones sold the screen rights to Universal Pictures
and Imagine Entertainment
. Brian Grazer
and Eric Gitter will produce the film and Jones will co-write the screenplay with writing partner Will McCormack
. Jones sold her first screenplay, a comedy entitled Celeste and Jesse Forever, in March 2009. She co-wrote the script with McCormack and is attached to star in the film. Jones' other written work has appeared in Teen Vogue
magazine, where she worked as a contributing editor. She also wrote chapter 36 of her father's biography, Q: The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones, published in 2001.
As a singer, Jones has provided backing vocals for the band Maroon 5
. She appears on the tracks "Tangled", "Secret" and "Not Coming Home" from their debut record, Songs About Jane
, and on "Kiwi" from the follow-up album It Won't Be Soon Before Long
. Jones was a guest vocalist on the Tupac Shakur
tribute album The Rose That Grew from Concrete
, released in 2000. The track, "Starry Night", also featured her father's vocals, Mac Mall
's rapping, and her half-brother QD3's production. Jones contributed vocals to songs on The Baxter
, The Ten
and Reno 911!: Miami soundtracks. She also sang in some episodes of Boston Public and for charitable events such as the What A Pair Benefit to raise money for breast cancer research.
As a model, Jones has appeared in print campaigns for Triple 5 Soul
, television commercials for The Gap, and editorials for In Style
and O Magazine
, among others. She has been chosen as one of People
magazine's "Most Beautiful People in the World" three times, in the years 2002, 2007, and 2009, and as one of Harper's Bazaar
s "Best Dressed Women In America".
Jones has appeared in music videos for Aaliyah
, The Boy Least Likely To
song "Be Gentle With Me" and the Foo Fighters
' single "Long Road to Ruin
". In the latter she was credited as Racinda Jules and played the role of Susan Belfontaine.
Jones has appeared in several online comedy series projects. She starred in Funny or Die
's "Speak Out" series with Natalie Portman
and guest starred in two episodes of Web Therapy
with Lisa Kudrow
. She also played David Wain
in disguise for an episode of My Damn Channel
's Wainy Days
. In 2008, Jones appeared with several other celebrities in Prop 8 – The Musical, an all-star video satirising California's anti-gay marriage initiative, written by Marc Shaiman
.
In 2011, Dove
selected Jones as its spokeswoman for its Dove Nourishing Oil Care Collection.
events, EDUN
and ONE
: The Campaign to Make Poverty History and The Art of Elysium's volunteer program, which runs artistic workshops for hospitalized children. In 2007, she was honorary chair of the annual Housing Works
benefit, which fights AIDS and homelessness in New York City. She has also been involved in fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
, the EB Medical Research Foundation and New York's Lower Eastside Girls Club.
Jones campaigned for Barack Obama
during the 2008 presidential election. Along with Kristen Bell
, she visited college campuses in Missouri
to discuss the candidates and to encourage voter registration for the Democratic Party. She previously campaigned for Democratic
candidate John Kerry
during the 2004 election, speaking at student rallies and a public gallery in Ohio
.
, ending in 2000. Jones became engaged to the Grammy Award
-winning music producer Mark Ronson
in February 2003. He proposed on her 27th birthday, using a custom-made crossword puzzle spelling out "Will you marry me?" Their relationship ended approximately one year later. Jones then dated actor John Krasinski
, her co-star on The Office (their characters were also dating on the show). She dated Jon Favreau
, the Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama
. She is currently single.
Though raised Jewish, Jones, like her mother, began practicing Hinduism
in her early teens after the two visited an Ashram
in India. Today, however, she practices Judaism and told a reporter, "In this day and age, you can choose how you practice and what is your relationship with God. I feel pretty strongly about my connection, definitely through the Jewish traditions and the things that I learned dating the guy that I dated. My boyfriends tend to be Jewish and also be practicing ... I don’t see it as a necessity, but there’s something about it that I connect with for whatever reason."
, and was recognized as a 2011 Influential Multiracial Public Figure runner-up. She also contributed to the Grammy Award
-winning audio version of Q: The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones.
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
and Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man is a 2009 American comedy film originally titled Let's be Friends and written by Larry Levin before John Hamburg rewrote and directed the film...
and The Social Network
The Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
. Jones currently appears 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 Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
as Ann Perkins
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
.
Early life
Jones was born in Los Angeles, the younger daughter of media mogul and musician Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and actress Peggy Lipton
Peggy Lipton
Peggy Lipton is an American television actress. She played "Julie Barnes" in The Mod Squad, and Norma Jennings in Twin Peaks.- Personal life and background :...
. She has an older sister, Kidada Jones
Kidada Jones
Kidada Ann Jones is an American actress, model, and fashion designer.-Early life:Kidada Jones is the elder daughter of composer/arranger Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton. She was raised in Bel-Air, California, with her younger sister, actress Rashida Jones.She began working as a celebrity...
, and five half-siblings by her father's other relationships. Her father is African-American and her mother is Ashkenazi Jewish
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, and Jones attended Hebrew school
Hebrew school
Hebrew school can be either the Jewish equivalent of Sunday school - an educational regimen separate from secular education, focusing on topics of Jewish history and learning the Hebrew language, or a primary, secondary or college level educational institution where some or all of the classes are...
. She was raised in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.
In his autobiography, Jones's father recalled how he would often find his six-year-old daughter under the covers after bedtime with a flashlight reading five books at a time. Jones also displayed musical ability from a young age and can play classical piano. Her mother told Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
that Jones is "also a fabulous singer and songwriter, so she has inherited it (from Quincy), there's no question about it. Her dad's teaching her how to orchestrate and arrange too."
Jones attended The Buckley School
The Buckley School
The Buckley School is a college preparatory day school, founded in 1933 by Isabelle Buckley. It is located in Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley portion of the Los Angeles, California...
in Sherman Oaks, California
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California
Sherman Oaks is an affluent district in the San Fernando Valley area of the city of Los Angeles, California. In contrast to much of the Valley, the area is relatively urbanized, with commercial skyscrapers along Ventura Boulevard as well as scattered throughout...
, where she made the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
and was voted "Most Likely To Succeed" by her classmates. Jones's parents divorced when she was 14 years old; her sister subsequently remained with their father while she moved to Brentwood
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California
Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State...
with their mother.
In 1994, Jones garnered attention with an open letter responding to scathing remarks made by Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
about her parents' interracial marriage
Interracial marriage
Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
. She later befriended Shakur, who was engaged to her sister before he was killed. After high school, Jones left California to attend Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
At Harvard, Jones was a resident of Eliot House
Eliot House
Eliot House is one of twelve residential houses for upperclassmen at Harvard University and one of the seven original houses at the College. Opened in 1931, the house was named after Charles William Eliot, who served as president of the university for forty years .-Traditions:Before Harvard opted...
and belonged to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals
Hasty Pudding Theatricals
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, known informally simply as The Pudding, is a theatrical student society at Harvard University, known for its burlesque musicals and for its status as the oldest collegiate theatrical organization in the United States...
, Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club
Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club
The Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club, founded in 1908, is an umbrella theater organization at Harvard College with the purpose of assisting all theatrical projects at the college. It is mainly concerned with productions at the Loeb Drama Center, which it shares with the American Repertory Theater...
, Harvard-Radcliffe Opportunes, Black Students Association and the Signet Society
Signet society
The Signet Society of Harvard University was founded in 1870 by members of the class of 1871. The first president was Charles Joseph Bonaparte. It was, at first, dedicated to the production of literary work only, going so far as to exclude debate and even theatrical productions. According to The...
. She was initially interested in becoming a lawyer but lost interest after being disillusioned by the O.J. Simpson murder case. Instead, she became involved in the performing arts, and served as musical director for the Opportunes a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, co-composed the score for the 149th annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals
Hasty Pudding Theatricals
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, known informally simply as The Pudding, is a theatrical student society at Harvard University, known for its burlesque musicals and for its status as the oldest collegiate theatrical organization in the United States...
performance, and acted in several plays. In her second year at college, she performed in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf is a 1975 experimental play by Ntozake Shange. Initially staged in California, it has been performed Off-Broadway and on Broadway, and adapted as a book, a television film, and a theatrical film...
, which she said was "healing" because she was seen by many blacks as not being "black enough". She studied Religion
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and graduated in 1997.
Career
Jones made her professional acting debut in The Last DonThe Last Don
The Last Don is a novel by Mario Puzo, best known as the author of The Godfather.The story alternates between the movie industry and the Las Vegas casinos, showing how the Mafia is linked to them both.-Plot:...
, a 1997 mini-series based on the novel by Mario Puzo
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
. She then appeared in Myth America, East of A and If These Walls Could Talk 2
If These Walls Could Talk 2
If These Walls Could Talk 2 is an Emmy Award-winning 2000 television movie in the United States, broadcast on HBO. It follows three separate storylines about lesbian couples in three different time periods...
. In 2000, she guest starred as Karen Scarfolli in an episode of Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
before landing the role of Louisa Fenn on Boston Public
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
. Between 2000 and 2002, she appeared in 26 episodes, earning an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
nomination in her final year. Although she only had a minor supporting role in the series, film opportunities quickly surfaced. She had a small role in Full Frontal
Full Frontal (film)
Full Frontal is a 2002 film by Steven Soderbergh, about a day in the life of people in Hollywood. The film, starring Catherine Keener, David Duchovny, Julia Roberts, Mary McCormack and David Hyde Pierce was shot on digital video in under a month using the Canon XL-1s...
, directed by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
, and starred in Now You Know
Now You Know (film)
Now You Know is a comedy film directed, written by and starring Jeff Anderson. The film was produced by the Lumberyard production company...
, written and directed by Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
regular Jeff Anderson
Jeff Anderson
Jeffrey Allan "Jeff" Anderson is an American film actor, film director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in Clerks and Clerks II...
. She also starred in short film Roadside Assistance with Adam Brody
Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C. Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs...
.
After Jones left Boston Public, she appeared in Death of a Dynasty
Death of a Dynasty
Death of a Dynasty is a comedy film first screened in 2003. It is a satire of the hip hop music industry centered around Roc-A-Fella Records, and stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Capone and Damon Dash. It also features cameo appearances by musicians, actors and celebrities such as Jay-Z, Mariah Carey,...
, directed by Damon Dash
Damon Dash
__NOINDEX__...
, and two episodes of Chappelle's Show
Chappelle's Show
Chappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedian Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in various skits. Chappelle, Brennan and Michele Armour were the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 22,...
on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. In 2004, she was cast in Strip Search, an HBO film directed by Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
, but her scenes were cut from the final broadcast version. Later that year, she played Dr. Rachel Keyes in Little Black Book
Little Black Book
Little Black Book is a 2004 satirical comedy film directed by Nick Hurran.-Plot:Stacy Holt , an associate producer on a daytime talk show , is convinced that her boyfriend Derek is the right man for her, though he has an apparent phobia of commitment, and he's vague about his past relationships...
and starred as Edie Miller in British drama series NY-LON
NY-LON
NY-LON is a British drama series that aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The series was created and written by Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri...
. In 2005, Jones played Karen in the Stella
Stella (TV series)
Stella was a short-lived television series that originally ran from June 28, 2005 to August 30, 2005 on the American television channel Comedy Central, created by and starring Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain, the three members of the sketch comedy troupe of the same name and...
pilot on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
and special government agent Carla Merced in the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
police drama Wanted
Wanted (TV series)
Wanted is a 2005 American primetime police drama television series broadcast on the TNT network. The series was created by Louis St. Clair and Jorge Zamacona, and executive produced by Aaron Spelling, E...
.
Jones joined the ensemble cast of The Office in September 2006, playing the role of Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
. She appeared regularly during the third season and then returned as a guest star for two episodes in season four and another in season five. Jones had been considering leaving the acting profession and pursuing a graduate degree in public policy before she was offered the part on The Office. Jones also played Karen in the February 2007 Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
episode hosted by Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
, appearing briefly in the opening monologue's Office parody. Jones filmed cameo roles in The Ten
The Ten
The Ten is a 2007 American comedy film, directed by David Wain and cowritten by Wain and Ken Marino, released through ThinkFilm. The film was released on August 3, 2007...
and Role Models
Role Models
Role Models is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Wain about two energy drink salesmen who are ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as punishment for various offenses. For their service, the two men work at a program designed to pair kids with adult role models. The film...
, both directed by David Wain
David Wain
David Benjamin Wain is an American comedian, writer, actor and director. He is most widely known for the feature films Role Models and Wet Hot American Summer, the 1990s' sketch comedy series The State and for producing/directing/writing the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital...
, with the latter appearing on the Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
release. She then co-starred in Unhitched
Unhitched
Unhitched is an American television comedy that aired as a mid-season replacement on Fox from March 2, 2008 to March 30, 2008. The series was originally scheduled to premiere at 9:30 pm ET, but aired 30 minutes later due to the runover of Nascar. The show is created by Kevin Barnett, Mike Bernier...
, the short-lived 2008 comedy series produced by the Farrelly brothers
Farrelly brothers
Peter John Farrelly and Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. , professionally known as the Farrelly Brothers are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones;...
.
In January 2009, Jones voiced several characters in an episode of the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
show Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. She played Hannah in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film)
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Krasinski, based on a short story collection of the same name by David Foster Wallace.-Plot:...
, an independent film by John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
that screened during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
. She also co-starred as Zooey Rice in I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man
I Love You, Man is a 2009 American comedy film originally titled Let's be Friends and written by Larry Levin before John Hamburg rewrote and directed the film...
, a Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
comedy with Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
and Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
. Jones then accepted a role in Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
, a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
-style sitcom in development for 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...
. The show was created by Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
and Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
, who she previously worked with on the American version of The Office. She has played nurse Ann Perkins
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
since its primetime debut in April 2009.
Jones had a small role in the Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
film Cop Out. She appeared in The Social Network
The Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
, alongside Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
, Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, which is set at Harvard, coincidentally the school from which she graduated in 1997. She played Marylin Delpy, a second year legal associate assisting with the defense of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is chief executive and president...
.
She has a starring role opposite Chris Messina
Chris Messina (actor)
Chris Messina is an American film and television actor.-Life and career:Messina was born in Northport, New York. He started his career as an off-Broadway actor. He has appeared in episodes of the television series Law & Order, Third Watch and Medium...
in Monogamy
Monogamy (film)
Monogamy, directed and co-written by Dana Adam Shapiro, is about the strained relationship of an engaged Brooklyn couple, Theo and Nat...
, a drama directed by Dana Adam Shapiro
Dana Adam Shapiro
Dana Adam Shapiro is an American film director, best known for his directorial work on the 2006 Academy Award nominated documentary Murderball.-Career:...
. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in April 2010 and will be released theatrically in March 2011.
Jones' other 2011 films were Friends with Benefits
Friends With Benefits (Film)
Friends with Benefits is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck and starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. The film features an ensemble cast which includes Woody Harrelson, Bryan Greenberg, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Emma Stone and Patricia Clarkson...
, starring Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
, The Big Year
The Big Year
The Big Year is a 2011 comedy film starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Rosamund Pike and Tim Blake Nelson. The Big Year was directed by David Frankel and written by Howard Franklin...
, with Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
, Owen Wilson
Owen Wilson
Owen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor and writer, known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, Shanghai Noon,...
, and JoBeth Williams
JoBeth Williams
JoBeth Williams is an American film and television actress and director, and current President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.-Early life:...
, The Muppets
The Muppets (film)
The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island...
, with Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
, Amy Adams
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
and Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper (actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
, and Our Idiot Brother, with Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
, and Emily Mortimer
Emily Mortimer
Emily Kathleen A. Mortimer is an English actress. She began performing on stage, and has since appeared in several film and television roles, including Scream 3, Match Point, Lars and the Real Girl, and Shutter Island....
. In the latter she played a lesbian lawyer named Cindy, the caring, responsible girlfriend of a flaky bisexual played by Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
. Jones also has a cameo in the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
' short film Fight For Your Right Revisited, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
.
Jones also appeared on an episode of Wilfred
Wilfred (U.S. TV series)
Wilfred is an American sitcom television series which debuted on June 23, 2011, and is based on the Australian SBS One series of the same name. It stars Elijah Wood and series co-creator Jason Gann, reprising his role of the eponymous dog Wilfred. The series was adapted for the American television...
as Lisa, a hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
volunteer. The episode aired on July 21, 2011 on FX.
Other work
Jones created Frenemy of the State, a comic book series about a socialite who is recruited by the CIA. The comics are published by Oni PressOni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read...
and co-written with husband-and-wife writing team Nunzio DeFilippis
Nunzio DeFilippis
Nunzio DeFilippis is an American writer of comic books and television. He writes with his wife, Christina Weir, whom he met while they were both students at Vassar College. The two have written for two seasons on HBO's Arli$$, and have sold story ideas to the Disney Channel's Kim Possible...
and Christina Weir
Christina Weir
Christina Weir is a writer of comic books and television. She writes with her husband, Nunzio DeFilippis, whom she met while they were both students at Vassar College....
. In October 2009, before the first issue had been released, Jones sold the screen rights to Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
and Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
. Brian Grazer
Brian Grazer
Brian Thomas Grazer is an Academy Award-winning American film and television producer who co-founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. Together they have produced many acclaimed films, including Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind .- Career :Brian Grazer began his career as a producer...
and Eric Gitter will produce the film and Jones will co-write the screenplay with writing partner Will McCormack
Will McCormack
Will McCormack is an American television and film actor.McCormack, who graduated Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, is the younger brother of actress Mary McCormack, who stars in the hit USA TV series In Plain Sight....
. Jones sold her first screenplay, a comedy entitled Celeste and Jesse Forever, in March 2009. She co-wrote the script with McCormack and is attached to star in the film. Jones' other written work has appeared in Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for teenage girls. This US magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events.- Description :...
magazine, where she worked as a contributing editor. She also wrote chapter 36 of her father's biography, Q: The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones, published in 2001.
As a singer, Jones has provided backing vocals for the band Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
. She appears on the tracks "Tangled", "Secret" and "Not Coming Home" from their debut record, Songs About Jane
Songs about Jane
Songs About Jane is the debut album of American pop rock band Maroon 5, released June 25, 2002 on J Records and Octone Records. The album became a sleeper hit with help of five singles that attained chart success, including the Billboard hit "Harder to Breathe" and international hits "This Love"...
, and on "Kiwi" from the follow-up album It Won't Be Soon Before Long
It Won't Be Soon Before Long
It Won't Be Soon Before Long is Maroon 5's second studio album, released on May 22, 2007. It came almost a full five years after their debut, Songs About Jane. The name was inspired by a phrase the band adopted to keep themselves motivated while on their tour. The album debuted at number one on the...
. Jones was a guest vocalist on the Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
tribute album The Rose That Grew from Concrete
The Rose that Grew from Concrete
The Rose That Grew from Concrete is an album based on the poetry of Tupac Shakur, released in 2000. This album features a large cast of celebrities reading Shakur's poetry and writing, much in the spirit of a traditional spoken word album....
, released in 2000. The track, "Starry Night", also featured her father's vocals, Mac Mall
Mac Mall
Mac Mall, is a West Coast rapper who became known in the mid/late 1990s, as one of the local artists putting the Bay Area on the hip hop map. Mac Mall was signed to Young Black Brotha Records....
's rapping, and her half-brother QD3's production. Jones contributed vocals to songs on The Baxter
The Baxter
The Baxter is a 2005 film written by, directed by and starring American comedian Michael Showalter. A “Baxter”, as defined by the film, is the nice, dull guy in a romantic comedy who is dumped at the end of the story for the protagonist....
, The Ten
The Ten
The Ten is a 2007 American comedy film, directed by David Wain and cowritten by Wain and Ken Marino, released through ThinkFilm. The film was released on August 3, 2007...
and Reno 911!: Miami soundtracks. She also sang in some episodes of Boston Public and for charitable events such as the What A Pair Benefit to raise money for breast cancer research.
Triple 5 Soul
Triple 5 Soul is a clothing company in the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan. It was founded in 1989 at 151 Ludlow Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City by designer Camella Ehlke....
, television commercials for The Gap, and editorials for In Style
In Style
InStyle is a monthly women’s fashion magazine published in the United States by Time Inc. Along with advertising, the magazine offers articles about beauty, fashion, home, entertaining, charitable endeavors and celebrity lifestyles. Launched in 1993 , InStyle currently has a circulation of 1.7...
and O Magazine
O, The Oprah Magazine
O: The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation.-Overview:...
, among others. She has been chosen as one of People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine's "Most Beautiful People in the World" three times, in the years 2002, 2007, and 2009, and as one of Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
s "Best Dressed Women In America".
Jones has appeared in music videos for Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
, The Boy Least Likely To
The Boy Least Likely To
The Boy Least Likely To is an English indie pop duo, composed of composer/multi-instrumentalist Pete Hobbs and lyricist/singer Jof Owen.Owen and Hobbs both grew up in the village of Wendover in Buckinghamshire. They met when they were still in school and started writing songs together. They began...
song "Be Gentle With Me" and the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
' single "Long Road to Ruin
Long Road to Ruin
"Long Road to Ruin" is the second single from the Foo Fighters' sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace . The music video was released on November 1, 2007, with the single released on December 3, 2007...
". In the latter she was credited as Racinda Jules and played the role of Susan Belfontaine.
Jones has appeared in several online comedy series projects. She starred in Funny or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
's "Speak Out" series with Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
and guest starred in two episodes of Web Therapy
Web Therapy
Web Therapy is an improvised online television series starring Emmy award winning actress Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who has conceived of a new form of therapy: the titular "web therapy".-Synopsis:...
with Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
. She also played David Wain
David Wain
David Benjamin Wain is an American comedian, writer, actor and director. He is most widely known for the feature films Role Models and Wet Hot American Summer, the 1990s' sketch comedy series The State and for producing/directing/writing the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital...
in disguise for an episode of My Damn Channel
My Damn Channel
My Damn Channel is an entertainment website.- History :My Damn Channel was founded by Rob Barnett. It launched July 31, 2007.Named one of the 50 Best Websites of 2011 by TIME Magazine...
's Wainy Days
Wainy Days
Wainy Days is an internet video series starring David Wain that is hosted on the website, My Damn Channel. It is currently running in its fourth season. The web series follows a fictionalized version of Wain through his everyday life as he tries to form relationships with numerous women and...
. In 2008, Jones appeared with several other celebrities in Prop 8 – The Musical, an all-star video satirising California's anti-gay marriage initiative, written by Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. He is perhaps best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical version of the cult John Waters film Hairspray, for which Shaiman won Tony and Grammy...
.
In 2011, Dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
selected Jones as its spokeswoman for its Dove Nourishing Oil Care Collection.
Philanthropic efforts
Jones has worked to promote Peace First (formerly Peace Games), a nonprofit that teaches children to resolve conflict without violence. She has been a board member since 2004 and holds several annual benefits to raise money for the organization. Jones has participated in Stand Up to CancerStand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation established by media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders who have been affected by cancer. SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts...
events, EDUN
EDUN
EDUN was launched in Spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and her husband, U2 singer Bono as a for-profit fashion brand with a mission to encourage trade with Africa and raise awareness of the possibilities there....
and ONE
ONE Campaign
The ONE Campaign is an international, nonpartisan, non-profit organization which aims to increase government funding for and effectiveness of international aid programs....
: The Campaign to Make Poverty History and The Art of Elysium's volunteer program, which runs artistic workshops for hospitalized children. In 2007, she was honorary chair of the annual Housing Works
Housing Works
Housing Works is a New York City based non-profit fighting the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. The charity is well-known for its operations, which have recently included outreach to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake....
benefit, which fights AIDS and homelessness in New York City. She has also been involved in fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a leading pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a nonprofit medical corporation chartered as a 501 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.In...
, the EB Medical Research Foundation and New York's Lower Eastside Girls Club.
Jones campaigned for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
during the 2008 presidential election. Along with Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
, she visited college campuses in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to discuss the candidates and to encourage voter registration for the Democratic Party. She previously campaigned for Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
during the 2004 election, speaking at student rallies and a public gallery in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Personal life
Jones had a 3½ year relationship with actor Tobey MaguireTobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
, ending in 2000. Jones became engaged to the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning music producer Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
in February 2003. He proposed on her 27th birthday, using a custom-made crossword puzzle spelling out "Will you marry me?" Their relationship ended approximately one year later. Jones then dated actor John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
, her co-star on The Office (their characters were also dating on the show). She dated Jon Favreau
Jon Favreau (speechwriter)
Jonathan "Jon" Favreau is Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama. Favreau attended the College of the Holy Cross, graduating as valedictorian. In college, he accumulated a variety of scholastic honors, and took part in and directed numerous community and civic programs...
, the Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. She is currently single.
Though raised Jewish, Jones, like her mother, began practicing Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
in her early teens after the two visited an Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
in India. Today, however, she practices Judaism and told a reporter, "In this day and age, you can choose how you practice and what is your relationship with God. I feel pretty strongly about my connection, definitely through the Jewish traditions and the things that I learned dating the guy that I dated. My boyfriends tend to be Jewish and also be practicing ... I don’t see it as a necessity, but there’s something about it that I connect with for whatever reason."
Awards
Jones was nominated for an NAACP Image AwardNAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
, and was recognized as a 2011 Influential Multiracial Public Figure runner-up. She also contributed to the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning audio version of Q: The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Myth America | ||
| 2000 | East of A | Emily | |
| 2001 | Roadside Assistance | Lucy | |
| 2002 | Full Frontal Full Frontal (film) Full Frontal is a 2002 film by Steven Soderbergh, about a day in the life of people in Hollywood. The film, starring Catherine Keener, David Duchovny, Julia Roberts, Mary McCormack and David Hyde Pierce was shot on digital video in under a month using the Canon XL-1s... |
||
| Now You Know Now You Know (film) Now You Know is a comedy film directed, written by and starring Jeff Anderson. The film was produced by the Lumberyard production company... |
Kerri | ||
| 2003 | Death of a Dynasty Death of a Dynasty Death of a Dynasty is a comedy film first screened in 2003. It is a satire of the hip hop music industry centered around Roc-A-Fella Records, and stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Capone and Damon Dash. It also features cameo appearances by musicians, actors and celebrities such as Jay-Z, Mariah Carey,... |
Layna Hudson | |
| 2004 | Little Black Book Little Black Book Little Black Book is a 2004 satirical comedy film directed by Nick Hurran.-Plot:Stacy Holt , an associate producer on a daytime talk show , is convinced that her boyfriend Derek is the right man for her, though he has an apparent phobia of commitment, and he's vague about his past relationships... |
Dr. Rachel Keyes | |
| 2007 | The Ten The Ten The Ten is a 2007 American comedy film, directed by David Wain and cowritten by Wain and Ken Marino, released through ThinkFilm. The film was released on August 3, 2007... |
Hostess Rebecca Fornier | Also Producer |
| 2009 | Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (film) Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Krasinski, based on a short story collection of the same name by David Foster Wallace.-Plot:... |
Hannah | |
| I Love You, Man I Love You, Man I Love You, Man is a 2009 American comedy film originally titled Let's be Friends and written by Larry Levin before John Hamburg rewrote and directed the film... |
Zoey | ||
| 2010 | Cop Out | Debbie | |
| The Social Network The Social Network The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits... |
Marylin Delpy | Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble of the Year Hollywood Film Festival The Hollywood Film Festival is an annual Film festival which is located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Festival was established in 1997 by Carlos de Abreu and his wife, model Janice Pennington.... Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble Broadcast Film Critics Association The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada , representing approximately 250 television, radio and online critics.... Nominated – Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble |
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| Monogamy Monogamy (film) Monogamy, directed and co-written by Dana Adam Shapiro, is about the strained relationship of an engaged Brooklyn couple, Theo and Nat... |
Nat | 2010 Tribeca Film Festival Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival... |
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| 2011 | The Big Year The Big Year The Big Year is a 2011 comedy film starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Rosamund Pike and Tim Blake Nelson. The Big Year was directed by David Frankel and written by Howard Franklin... |
Carol | |
| Friends with Benefits Friends With Benefits (Film) Friends with Benefits is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck and starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. The film features an ensemble cast which includes Woody Harrelson, Bryan Greenberg, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Emma Stone and Patricia Clarkson... |
Maddison | uncredited | |
| Our Idiot Brother | Cindy | 2011 Sundance Film Festival Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new... |
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| The Muppets The Muppets (film) The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island... |
Veronica Martin, puppeteer for "Dolores" | 2011 | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Johanna | Miniseries Miniseries A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term... |
| 2000 | If These Walls Could Talk 2 If These Walls Could Talk 2 If These Walls Could Talk 2 is an Emmy Award-winning 2000 television movie in the United States, broadcast on HBO. It follows three separate storylines about lesbian couples in three different time periods... |
Feminist | Television movie, segment: "1972" |
| Freaks and Geeks Freaks and Geeks Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season... |
Karen Scarfolli | 2 episodes | |
| 2000–2002 | Boston Public Boston Public Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place... |
Louisa Fenn | 26 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | Chappelle's Show Chappelle's Show Chappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedian Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in various skits. Chappelle, Brennan and Michele Armour were the show's executive producers. The series premiered on January 22,... |
Pam | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Strip Search | Television movie, scenes deleted | |
| NY-LON NY-LON NY-LON is a British drama series that aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The series was created and written by Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri... |
Edie Miller | 7 episodes | |
| 2005 | Stella Stella (TV series) Stella was a short-lived television series that originally ran from June 28, 2005 to August 30, 2005 on the American television channel Comedy Central, created by and starring Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain, the three members of the sketch comedy troupe of the same name and... |
Karen | 1 episode |
| Wanted Wanted (TV series) Wanted is a 2005 American primetime police drama television series broadcast on the TNT network. The series was created by Louis St. Clair and Jorge Zamacona, and executive produced by Aaron Spelling, E... |
Detective Carla Merced | 13 episodes | |
| Our Thirties | Liz | Television movie | |
| 2006–2011 | The Office The Office (US TV series) The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company... |
Karen Filippelli Karen Filippelli Karen Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically... |
24 episodes |
| 2008 | Unhitched Unhitched Unhitched is an American television comedy that aired as a mid-season replacement on Fox from March 2, 2008 to March 30, 2008. The series was originally scheduled to premiere at 9:30 pm ET, but aired 30 minutes later due to the runover of Nascar. The show is created by Kevin Barnett, Mike Bernier... |
Kate | 6 episodes |
| 2009–Present | Parks and Recreation Parks and Recreation Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and... |
Ann Perkins Ann Perkins Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:... |
Current, Main Cast |
| 2011 | Wilfred Wilfred (U.S. TV series) Wilfred is an American sitcom television series which debuted on June 23, 2011, and is based on the Australian SBS One series of the same name. It stars Elijah Wood and series co-creator Jason Gann, reprising his role of the eponymous dog Wilfred. The series was adapted for the American television... |
Lisa | 1 episode |
| Web Therapy Web Therapy (TV series) Web Therapy is a web/television comedy series starring Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who has conceived of a new form of therapy: the titular "web therapy". It is based on the Internet series of the same name. In April 2010, Showtime announced plans to run the online episodes of Web... |
Hayley Feldman-Tate | ||