Gina Gershon

Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress and singer.

After graduating from high school in 1980, she moved to Boston to attend Emerson College.

She transferred to New York University and graduated with a BFA in drama and psychology/philosophy in 1983.

She has said she always wanted to be an actress, but her career began in music and dance.

Gershon attended the Circle in the Square Professional Theater School in New York, working first with David Mamet and later with Harold Guskin and Sandra Seacat, whom she has described in interviews as "a huge influence."

Her first professional acting was in stage productions of Camille and The Substance of Fire.

She is one of the founding members of the New York-based theater group Naked Angels.

Her break came with a bit part in Pretty in Pink (1986), which led to more substantial roles in Sweet Revenge with Nancy Allen, Cocktail with Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue, and John Sayles' urban drama City of Hope (1991).

She has starred in such films as Cocktail (1988), Red Heat (1988), Showgirls (1995), Bound (1996), Face/Off (1997), The Insider (1999), Demonlover (2002), P.S. I Love You (2007), Five Minarets in New York (2010), Killer Joe (2011) and House of Versace (2013).

She has also had supporting roles in FX's Rescue Me and HBO's How to Make It in America.

She also portrayed Jughead's mom Gladys Jones on The CW teen drama series Riverdale and Lauren Bloom's mom Jeanie Bloom on the NBC medical series New Amsterdam.

Gina L. Gershon was born in Los Angeles, to Mickey Gershon (née Koppel) an interior decorator, and Stan Gershon, who worked in the import-export business and sales.

She was raised in a Jewish family in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley.

She has an older brother and an older sister.

Gershon went to Collier Street Elementary School and Woodland Hills Academy (formerly Parkman Junior High).

She attended Beverly Hills High School and started acting at the age of 14.

Also in 1991, she appeared in the action film Out for Justice opposite Steven Seagal, where she played Patti Madano, sister of the film's villain, Richie Madano (William Forsythe).

Gershon also worked in television, with a recurring role on Melrose Place playing a prostitute working for a Heidi Fleiss-esque Hollywood madam.

She portrayed Nancy Barbato, Frank Sinatra's 1st wife in the made-for-TV biopic Sinatra, in 1992.

Gershon next had a recurring role on Melrose Place playing a prostitute working for a Heidi Fleiss-esque Hollywood madam.

Gershon made a guest appearance as herself on The Larry Sanders Show.

Gershon next starred in the lead role of Glenn Hall in ABC's detective series Snoops created by David E. Kelley, which was cancelled after one season.

In 1996 she played Corky, an ex-con who gets mixed up in an affair with Violet (played by Jennifer Tilly) in the mobster flick Bound.

In 1997 she co-starred with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in Face/Off.

Gershon is regarded as a gay icon for her roles in films such as Bound (in which she played a butch lesbian), Prey for Rock & Roll, and Showgirls (in which she played a bisexual showgirl, and which is regarded as a camp classic).

She was ranked #51 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2004.

She has appeared on Broadway three times: as Sally Bowles in the revival of Cabaret; in the revival of the sex farce Boeing-Boeing; and as Rosie Alvarez in the 2010 revival of Bye Bye Birdie at the Roundabout Theatre Company.

In 2011, Gershon appeared alongside Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe, a dark comedy/thriller featuring director William Friedkin.

In 2017, Gershon starred in Bad Kids of Crestview Academy directed by Ben Browder, Lost Cat Corona directed by Anthony Tarsitano, the romantic comedy-drama Permission opposite Dan Stevens and Rebecca Hall directed by Brian Crano, Gershon co-starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the thriller Inconceivable, thriller film directed by Jonathan Baker, That same year, she starred in 9/11 directed by Martin Guigui revolving around the September 11 attacks opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Luis Guzmán and Charlie Sheen.

The film was panned by critics and faced controversy for Sheen's history with the 911 Truth movement, a conspiracy theory.

Gershon stated she was unaware of Sheen's comments during production of the film and would have spoken with Sheen and Guigui before agreeing to star.

In 2018, Gershon starred in the adventure drama American Dresser directed by Carmine Cangialosi, which was critically panned.

Gershon then starred in the drama film After Everything directed by Hannah Marks and Joey Power, opposite Maika Monroe and Jeremy Allen White.

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest in March 2018, and was released in October 2018, to critical acclaim.

She also had a small role in comedy Blockers directed by Kay Cannon, which was released on April 6, 2018, to critical and commercial success.

In 2020, Gershon starred in the sports film Cagefighter: Worlds Collide directed by Jesse Quinones.

Gershon next starred in Rifkin's Festival directed by Woody Allen.

Following backlash for starring in the film, Gershon defended her decision to star in the film stating: "I don't believe that to be true. You should really do all of the research and read all of the articles before believing that. It's really important to make up your own mind and not go by what the masses claim. I've done extensive research and I can say with very clear conscience that I'm so happy to be working with him. This man is not a sexual predator."

Gershon also called working on the film "a dream come true".

Gershon will also star in With/In an anthology film set during the COVID-19 pandemic directing from a screenplay she wrote.