Jenna Elfman

Her paternal uncle is Tony Butala, lead singer of the American vocal trio The Lettermen since 1958.

She is of Croatian ancestry on her father's side and was raised Roman Catholic.

Elfman attended high school at St. Genevieve High School in the San Fernando Valley for a year, before eventually graduating at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts; she then attended college at California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

She trained in ballet from age five, but later gave it up when a tendon separated from bone.

She studied at the Westside School of Ballet, receiving a full scholarship.

Jennifer Mary Elfman (née Butala, born September 30, 1971) is an American actress.

Elfman began her professional career as a dancer, appearing in music videos for Depeche Mode ("Halo", 1990), Anthrax ("Black Lodge", 1993), and Chris Isaak ("Somebody's Crying", 1995), and touring with the rock band ZZ Top on their 1994 tour as a "Legs Girl".

After appearing in television commercials, Elfman co-starred in the made-for-television movie Double Deception (1993) and guest-starred on Roseanne, NYPD Blue, Almost Perfect and Murder One.

In 1996, she was cast as a lead character alongside Molly Ringwald and Lauren Graham in the short-lived ABC sitcom Townies.

The series was cancelled after one season and 15 episodes.

The following year, she made her big screen debut appearing in the black comedy film, Grosse Pointe Blank.

She is best known for her leading role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1999, and three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

After making her film debut in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), she has appeared in Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), Dr. Dolittle (1998), EDtv (1999), Keeping the Faith (2000), Town & Country (2001), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004), and Big Stone Gap (2014).

In 1997, Elfman was cast in the ABC comedy series Dharma & Greg playing the leading role of Dharma Freedom Finkelstein Montgomery.

She received positive reviews from critics for her breakthrough performance.

Elfman also received TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy nomination in 1998, as well as three Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy nominations.

In 1998, she starred alongside Richard Dreyfuss in the comedy film Krippendorf's Tribe.

The film received generally negative reviews from critics.

The film received mixed-to-positive reviews, with some criticizing its similarity to The Truman Show (1998), but was a box office flop, grossing only $35.2 million compared to its $80 million production budget.

The following year, she starred in the romantic comedy film Keeping the Faith opposite Ben Stiller and Edward Norton (who also directed).

The film received generally positive reviews and grossed $60 million.

Elfman received Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination for her performance.

Elfman has also done voice-over work in the animated films Dr. Dolittle (1998) and CyberWorld (2000).

She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1999 for the show's second season, as well as three Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

In 1999, she starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in the satirical comedy film EDtv.

In 2001, she appeared in the romantic comedy film Town & Country, a $105 million production budget box office bomb.

The film was filmed in 1998, and after 12 release date changes, the film finally made it into theaters on April 27, 2001, nearly three years after filming began.

It received negative reviews from critics.

The show ran for five seasons until its cancellation in 2002.

During her time on Dharma & Greg, Elfman starred in a number of movies.

After Dharma & Greg, Elfman played against the type role as a psychotic woman in the made-for-television thriller film, Obsessed (2002).

She received positive review from Chicago Tribune for her performance.

In 2003, she starred in the live-action/animated comedy film, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, grossing $68.5 million worldwide on an $80 million budget.

In 2005, she starred and produced the romantic drama film, Touched.

Elfman has also played leading roles on other television comedies, including Courting Alex (2006), Accidentally on Purpose (2009–2010), 1600 Penn (2012–2013), Growing Up Fisher (2014), and Imaginary Mary (2017).

In 2006, Elfman returned to television with the leading role in the CBS sitcom, Courting Alex.

She also had a recurring role on the FX legal drama Damages in 2012, and has been a series regular on the AMC horror drama series Fear the Walking Dead since 2018.

Elfman was born Jennifer Mary Butala in Los Angeles, California.

She was the youngest of three children born to homemaker Sue Butala (née Grace) and Richard Butala, a Hughes Aircraft executive.