Who is Jenilee Harrison?
Jenilee is an American actress, who is probably best known for her role in the sitcom “Three’s Company” in which she replaced the blonde roommate Cindy Snow. She also appeared in the TV series “Dallas” as Jamie Ewing Barnes.
Jenilee Harrison Age, Early Life, Family, and Education Background
Jenilee was born under the Gemini Zodiac sign on 12 June 1958, in Northridge, California, USA, into a middle-class household, which makes her 62 years old in 2020. Jenilee’s father was an aerospace engineer, while her mother worked as a math teacher. She is an American by nationality and belongs to white ethnicity.
Jenilee spent most of her childhood days in the San Fernando Valley, where she grew up with her two younger brothers and two older sisters. Although her parents divorced when she was 15 years old, Jenilee was very close to both of them.
Harrison was blessed with a great figure and naturally glowing skin. As a cheerful, tall girl, her looks were complemented by a slender frame that gave her a full impression of a chic girl. As a young woman, she took part in various beauty pageants and won many of them, includeng Miss Hollywood, Miss San Fernando Valley, Miss Young America, and Miss Los Angeles.
Despite her fame as a model, Jenilee didn’t forgo her studies, and continued pursuing academic excellence besides a career in modeling. Jenilee appeared in several television commercials, and used the money she got from her gigs to pay her academic fees. She studied at the University of Southern California (USC), and graduated in 1980 with an education degree, the same year that she won the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi title. It was while at USC that Harrison met with Joyce Selznick, the acting coach, who offered her plenty of tips on how to polish her acting skills.
Jenilee Harrison Professional Career and Rise to Stardom
Jenilee’s career took off in 1978 when she was selected to be part of the National Football League (NFL) members cheerleading squad for the Los Angeles’ Rams’ Embraceable Ewes; Jenilee saw this as her ticket to get into Hollywood. She could also be seen in the early moments of the Super Bowl XIV highlights film, which shows the dressing room of the Rams cheerleaders prior to the game. Jenilee was also in the second season episode of “CHiPs” when Ponch and Jon pull over a fan full of Rams cheerleaders.
Jenilee’s breakthrough came when she was cast for “Three’s Company,” an ABC hit television sitcom.
She was meant to get into the show as a replacement for the dizzy dumb blonde, Chrissy Snow, who was played by Suzanne Somers. Jenilee actually played the character of Cindy Snow, Chrissy’s cousin, and was similar to her cousin, except that she wasn’t ‘dumb’. Jenilee made her big debut in season five of the series in the seventh episode. When she entered the show, she was Janet and Jack’s new roommate, and right from the first day, Cindy proved that she was a klutz by how she knocked Jack down.
She was able to bring a lot of hilarity and mirth to this show, as well as add the show’s gags for being witty and clumsy.
Although she replaced Somers, she didn’t appear in the opening credits, but instead the end-credits as a star guest.
Jenilee reprised her character during the sixth season of “Three’s Company,” and this time she received opening credits. Although it was no longer a meaty role, fans loved her in-and-out appearance, as well as the laughter and fun she brought to the show. She had a minor role in the first episodes, however, during mid-season her character took shape, and resulted in considerably more screen time.
However, by the time the sixth season of the show came to an end, Jenilee’s character was regarded as obsolete, and wasn’t included in the next season, and her role was later scrapped from the series, and she only made a brief appearance during the 24th episode of season six in “Janet Wings Out.”
Jenilee had her next role in the hit drama series “Dallas” as Jamie Ewing Barnes in 1984; two years later, her character was killed in a mountain climbing accident.
Besides her TV appearances, Jenilee has also made her mark in films; in 1984, she appeared in the movie “Tank” as a reluctant prostitute, alongside C. Thomas Howell and James Garner.
She also appeared in “Malibu,” a television miniseries with Oscar winners Eva Marie Saint and James Coburn.
Between the mid-‘80s to ‘90s, Jenilee made guest appearances in various shows, such as “The New Mike Hammer,” “The Love Boat,” “Hotel,” “Simon & Simon,” “They Came from Outer Space,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “She’s the Sheriff.” After a long break, Jenilee got back to television in 1999, when she appeared in “That 70s Show” on FOX-TV. Since 2005, she’s appeared in infomercials as a spokesperson of many products, including the Ultimate Chopper with Chef tony.
Jenilee Harrison Personal Life, Married, and Children
Jenilee has been in romantic relationships with various men, including former baseball player and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, and L.A. Rams guard Dennis Harrah. In 1988 she tied the knot with Dr. Bruce Oppenheim, a famous Los Angeles chiropractor, becoming stepmother to Bruce’s two children, Zachariah and Ariel, from his previous union with actress Cybill Sheperd. Jenilee doesn’t have children with her husband.
Jenilee Harrison Net Worth
Jenilee gets her income from acting. As of 2020, reputable sources estimate Jenilee Harrison’s net worth to be not less than $3 million.