- Source of Wealth: Film, Television
- Age: 56
- Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Height: 5′ 8½” (1.74 m)
- Marital Status: Married (Ken Dixon)
- Full Name: Jennifer Beals
- Nationality: American
- Date of Birth: December 19, 1963
- Ethnicity: Irish, African-American
- Occupation: Actress, Model
- Education: Yale University
- Children: 1
A thin, naturally attractive brunette with a personable smile and the brains to match her beauty, actress Jennifer Beals was virtually propelled to overnight stardom and fashion icon status with her energetic performance in director Adrian Lyne’s 1983 dance drama Flashdance. Though her career would suffer a slight setback when it was revealed that Beals didn’t perform all of her own dance moves in the sleeper hit, the talented actress endured to make a comeback in the late ’90s.
A Chicago-native who was traveling in Europe when her publicist called her for a New York audition that the filmmakers were pitching as a “female Saturday Night Fever,” Beals booked the first flight back to the states and, despite the presence of thousands of other eager young actresses, somehow managed to stand out from the crowd to impress producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Beals’ only other film work to that point was as an extra in 1980’s My Bodyguard, so it was quite a gamble to cast a virtual unknown in the lead. Born on December 19, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Jennifer Beals is biracial, as her father was African-American and her mother is Irish-American.