Originally from Chicago, Jennifer Beals began her career after graduating from high school when she auditioned for "Flashdance," resulting in a role that earned her a Golden Globe® nomination and an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. She went on to make an indelible impression in Carl Franklin's critically acclaimed "Devil in a Blue Dress" opposite Denzel Washington, as well as in Alan Rudolph's "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh and Matthew Broderick.
Beals was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series by the NAACP for her role in the Showtime Original Series "The L Word," alongside Pam Grier and Mia Kirschner. The story centered on a group of lesbian friends in Los Angeles, and wrapped its sixth and final season in 2009. The role earned her accolades, including the Power Up Award, the GLAAD Golden Gate Award and the Golden Satellite Award for Outstanding Actress.
Beals starred opposite Campbell Scott in Artisan Entertainment's "Rodger Dodger," winner of the 2002 Best Feature Narrative from the Tribeca Film Festival, and Best First Film at the Venice Film Festival. In 2001, she co-starred in two Showtime features: the adaptation of Anne Rice's "A Feast of All Saints," and the original film "A House Divided," for which Beals received a Golden Satellite nomination as Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries.
In recent years, Beals has had starring roles in a myriad of films, including the lead in "Twilight of The Golds" opposite Garry Marshall, Faye Dunaway, Brendan Fraser and Jon Tenney. For the controversial role, Beals won a Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress. Additional film credits include "The Grudge 2," "My Name is Sarah," "Runaway Jury," "Catch That Kid," "Last Days of Disco," "In the Soup," which won the 1992 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, "Four Rooms," "Vampire's Kiss" with Nicolas Cage, "Doctor M.," "Caro Diario" which won the Director's Prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and Samuel Fuller's "The Madonna and the Dragon."
In her most recent role Beals starred alongside Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in Warner Brother’s “The Book of Eli,” a post-apocalyptic western about a man fighting to protect a sacred book that can save mankind. Last season she had joined the cast of the Fox series “Lie To Me,” where she played the role of series lead Tim Roth’s ex-wife. Additionally, Beals can be seen next year in the Fox midseason series “Ride-Along” premiering in January 2011.
