Afterwards, she landed a role in the film The Young Runaways (1978). At the age of 14, she attended acting workshops, taught by Lee Strasberg, and the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in Loch Sheldrake, New York.
Leigh had a nonspeaking role at the age of nine for her film debut Death of a Stranger (The Execution) (1973). Film director Reza Badiyi became Leigh's stepfather when he married Leigh's mother, Barbara.
Badie acted alongside Leigh in The Anniversary Party. Leigh also has a half-sister, actress Mina Badie (born 'Badiyi' – from her mother's second marriage). Her older sister, Carrie Ann Morrow, who was credited as a "technical advisor" on her 1995 film Georgia, died in 2016. Leigh is the middle child of three sisters. Leigh's parents were Jewish her father's family was from Russia and her mother's from Austria. She changed her surname early in her acting career, taking the middle name "Jason" in honor of actor Jason Robards, a family friend. Leigh's birth name was Jennifer Leigh Morrow. Her father, Vic Morrow (born Victor Morozoff), was an actor, and her mother, Barbara Turner, was a screenwriter. Leigh was born in Los Angeles, California. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1998, when she became the replacement for the role of Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. Leigh starred in the science-fiction horror films, Annihilation (2018) and Possessor (2020).įor her stage work, Leigh was nominated for a Drama Desk award for her off-Broadway performance as Beverly Moss in Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party.
From 2017 to 2021, she starred in the Netflix comedy-drama series Atypical. In 2015, she received critical acclaim for her voice work as Lisa in Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa, and for her role as Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She had a recurring role on the Showtime comedy-drama series Weeds as Jill Price-Gray. In 2007, she starred in the family drama film Margot at the Wedding. In 2002, Leigh appeared in the neo-noir crime drama film Road to Perdition. In 2001, she co-wrote and co-directed a film with Alan Cumming titled The Anniversary Party. She starred in a 1995 film written by her mother, screenwriter Barbara Turner, titled Georgia. Leigh was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Dorothy Parker in Mrs. She later received critical praise for her performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Miami Blues (1990), Backdraft (1991), Single White Female (1992), and Short Cuts (1993). She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow on February 5, 1962) is an American actress, writer, and producer.