Jessica Hecht
Jessica Hecht | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 28, 1965 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Connecticut College (attended) New York University (BFA) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Jessica Hecht (born June 28, 1965) is an American actress and singer, who played Gretchen Schwartz on Breaking Bad, Susan Bunch on Friends, and Carol on The Boys. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances.[1]
Early life and education[]
Hecht was born in Princeton, New Jersey, the daughter of Lenore, a psychotherapist, and Richard Hecht, a physicist.[citation needed] When she was three, Jessica moved with her parents and her sister to Bloomfield, Connecticut. Following the divorce of her parents, her mother remarried when Jessica was twelve and her sister Elizabeth was fourteen. They were brought up by her mother and her step-father Howard Iger, a psychiatrist, who had custody of his children, Andrea, age five, and Russell, age three. Hecht attended Connecticut College for a year and a half before graduating from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1987, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama.[2][3]
Hecht was raised in a culturally Jewish family, with a secular father who was a Socialist, but expressed interest in religion and had undergone a bar mitzvah.[4][5] She has stated that she is Reconstructionist Jewish and "fairly spiritual".[6]
Career[]
Hecht has made appearances in numerous television series, such as Dickinson, Bored to Death, Red Oaks, Jessica Jones, The Loudest Voice, and Succession. In 2020, she played Sonya Barzel on The Sinner and was nominated for an Emmy in 2019 for her role as Karen in the Netflix series Special. Hecht is known for her roles as Gretchen Schwartz on Breaking Bad (in 5 episodes) and Susan Bunch, the wife of Ross Geller's ex-wife, Carol Willick on Friends (in 12 episodes).[7] She was also a featured cast member in the Jonathan Silverman sitcom The Single Guy.[8][9]
Hecht had the supporting role of Amy Burns in the comedy-drama Dan in Real Life (2007), with Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche. She also appeared in Whatever Works, Sideways, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress for her role in A View from the Bridge on Broadway with Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber, which closed on April 4, 2010. In 2012, she performed on Broadway with Jim Parsons in Harvey.[10] In 2016, Hecht performed the role of Golde in the 2015 Bartlett Sher-directed revival of Fiddler on the Roof at the Broadway Theatre and The Price, opposite Mark Ruffalo, in 2017. In 2018 she won an Obie for her performance in Admissions at Lincoln Center.
With producer Jenny Gersten, she runs The Campfire Project, a theatre based wellness project that creates plays in refugee camps.[11]
Personal life[]
Hecht has been married to director Adam Bernstein since 1995. The couple have two children together, Stella and Carlo Bernstein.[4][5]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Joe's Rotten World | Annie | |
| 1995 | Kicking and Screaming | Airline ticket saleswoman | |
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Natalie | |
| 1999 | Jump | Carol | |
| 2004 | Saving Face | Randi | |
| Sideways | Victoria Cortland | ||
| The Forgotten | Eliot | ||
| 2005 | At Last | Laura | |
| 2006 | Rabbits | Wife | Short film |
| 2007 | Starting Out in the Evening | Sandra Bennett | |
| Dan in Real Life | Amy Burns | ||
| 2008 | Quid Pro Quo | Edie | |
| Calling It Quits | Cynthia | ||
| 2009 | The Winning Season | Stacey | |
| Reunion | Beth | ||
| Whatever Works | Helena | ||
| 2010 | Helena from the Wedding | Lynn | |
| Fair Game | Sue | ||
| My Soul to Take | May Hellerman | ||
| 2011 | J. Edgar | Emma Goldman | |
| The Sitter | Sandy Griffith | ||
| 2012 | The Arm | Mrs. Bearmush | Short film |
| The Magic of Belle Isle | Karen Loop | ||
| The Composer | Piccolo Player | Short film | |
| Good Sister | Helene Shuster | Short film | |
| 2013 | Northern Borders | Liz Kittredge | |
| Space Cadet | Linda Agnello | ||
| The English Teacher | Principal Trudie Slocum | ||
| 2014 | Le Refuge | Gemma | Short film |
| The Sisterhood of Night | Sue Parris | ||
| 2015 | Anesthesia | Jill | |
| 2018 | Write When You Get Work | Ellen Hazard | |
| Banana Split | Susan | ||
| 2019 | The Sunlit Night | Mirela | |
| A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | Lila Vogel |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Lois & Clark | Female Staffer | Episode: "Madame Ex" |
| Seinfeld | Lindsay | Episodes: "The Couch", "The Gymnast" | |
| Party of Five | Amanda | Episode: "Something Out of Nothing" | |
| 1994–2000 | Friends | Susan Bunch | 12 episodes |
| 1995 | The Wayans Bros. | Agent Johnson | Episode: "First Class" |
| The Heidi Chronicles | Chloe | Television film | |
| Aphrodisia | Rachel's Friend | Episode: "Dominatrix" | |
| 1995–1996 | The Single Guy | Janeane Percy-Parker | Main role; 22 episodes |
| 1996 | Harvey | Miss Ruth Kelly | Television film |
| The Christmas Tree | Sister Mary | Television film | |
| Intimate Betrayal | Katie | Television film | |
| 1997 | Promised Land | Marie | Episode: "Independence Day" |
| Early Edition | Abby | Episode: "A Bris Is Just a Bris" | |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Miss Kreutzer | Episode: "Uncivilized" |
| Homicide: Life on the Street | Sister Mary Catherine | Episode: "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" | |
| 2001 | What About Joan? | Betsy Morgan | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Meredith Breen | Episode: "Undaunted Mettle" |
| 2004 | Century City | Rose Krell | Episode: "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Lose" |
| The Jury | Mrs. Sheridan | Episode: "Three Boys and a Gun" | |
| 2005 | ER | Stephanie Lowenstein | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Rebecca Ellis | Episode: "Heart Stopping" |
| 2008 | Eleventh Hour | Mrs. Beatrice Brown | Episode: "Cardiac" |
| 2008–2013 | Breaking Bad | Gretchen Schwartz | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order | Miriam Johnson | Episode: "Chattel" |
| Jesse Stone: Thin Ice | Stephanie Morton | Television film | |
| U.S. Attorney | Dr. Amy Webber | Unaired pilot | |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Carla Browning | Episode: "Infamy" |
| Medium | Judy Bennette | Episode: "The Match Game" | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Carly Beck | Episode: "Cold Blooded" | |
| Bored to Death | Dr. Donna Kenwood | 3 episodes | |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | Mimi | Episode: "Enough Rope" |
| Spring/Fall | Unknown | Unaired pilot | |
| 2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jillian Webster | Episode: "Vanity's Bonfire" |
| 2013 | Elementary | Patricia Ennis | Episode: "The Deductionist" |
| 2013–2015 | Person of Interest | Beth Bridges / Psychiatrist | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Manhattan | Miriam Rubins | Episode: "The Second Coming" |
| 2015 | Limitless | Ubient Worker | Episode: "Side Effects May Include..." |
| Jessica Jones | Audrey Eastman | Episode: "AKA 99 Friends" | |
| 2016 | The Interestings | Lois Jacobson | Television film |
| Falling Water | Miranda | 2 episodes | |
| 2016–2017 | Red Oaks | Rebecca Horowitz | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Madam Secretary | Julia MacDonald | Episode: "Persona Non Grata" |
| Blindspot | Dr. Margaret Palmer | Episode: "Fix My Present Havoc" | |
| The Tap | Sophie Butler | Unaired pilot | |
| 2018 | High Maintenance | Laurie | Episode: "Ghost" |
| Quantico | Elizabeth Nutting | Episode: "The Blood of Romeo" | |
| 2019 | The Loudest Voice | Nancy Erika Smith | 2 episodes |
| Succession | Michelle Pantsil | 2 episodes | |
| The Affair | Carolina | Episode: "505" | |
| 2019–2021 | Dickinson | Aunt Lavinia | 4 episodes |
| Special | Karen Hayes | Main role; 16 episodes | |
| 2020 | Little America | Professor | Episode: "The Cowboy" |
| High Fidelity | Rob's Mom | Episode: "Fun Rob" | |
| The Sinner | Sonya Barzel | Main role; 7 episodes | |
| The Boys | Carol Mannheim | 5 episodes | |
| 2021 | Younger | Susan Abbott | Episode: "Fallout" |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Terror T.R.A.X.: Track of the Vampire | Wendolyn | |
| The Dark Eye | Unknown |
Theatre[]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Othello | Bianca | Classic Stage Company |
| 1997 | Plunge | Val Nyquist | Playwrights Horizons |
| The Last Night of Ballyhoo | Lala Levy | Helen Hayes Theatre | |
| 1998 | Stop Kiss | Callie | The Public Theater |
| The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told | Mabel | Williamstown Theatre Festival | |
| 1999 | Lobster Alice | Alice Horowitz | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2002 | The Fourth Sister | Wiera | Vineyard Theater |
| 2003 | Flesh and Blood [12] | Susan | New York Theatre Workshop |
| 2004 | After the Fall | Louise | American Airlines Theater |
| 2006 | The House in Town | Amy Hammer | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater |
| 2005 | Julius Caesar | Portia / Ensemble | Belasco Theater |
| 2007 | Howard Katz | Jess | Laura Pels Theater |
| 2009 | Brighton Beach Memoirs | Blanche Morton | Nederlander Theater |
| The Torch-Bearers | Mrs. Ritter | Williamstown Theatre Festival | |
| 2010 | A View from the Bridge | Beatrice | Cort Theater |
| 2011 | Three Sisters | Olga Prozorov | Classic Stage Company |
| 2012 | Harvey | Veta Louise Simmons | Studio 54 |
| 2013 | The Assembled Parties | Julie Bascov | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre |
| 2014 | Stage Kiss | She | Playwrights Horizons |
| King Lear | Regan | Delacorte Theater | |
| 2015 | Fiddler on the Roof | Golde | Broadway Theater |
| 2017 | The Price | Esther Franz | American Airlines Theater |
| 2018 | Admissions | Sherri Rosen-Mason | Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater |
References[]
- ^ Schaffstall, Katherine (August 30, 2019). "Emmys: 46 of This Year's First-Time Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ Writer, BILL KEVENEY; Courant Staff. "A SINGLE GOES DOUBLE". courant.com.
- ^ Lefkowitz, David (January 18, 2000). "PLAYBILL ON-LINE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Jessica Hecht". Playbill. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Michael Elkin (January 14, 2010). "'Bridge' Works". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Curt Schleier (April 16, 2013). "Jessica Hecht Talks Broadway vs. Hollywood – The Assimilator – Forward.com". Blogs.forward.com. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ "Jessica Hecht on Broadway's 'The Assembled Parties' – Speakeasy – WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. April 17, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- ^ (May 21, 2010). Jessica Hecht Buys Flat in Landmark Building, The New York Times
- ^ Kolson, Ann (September 28, 1997). Up & Coming: Jessica Hecht; Working All the Time Is Her Idea of Fun, The New York Times
- ^ Keveney, Bill (February 1, 1996). Jessica Hecht's Got Double Vision, Star-News
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (June 14, 2012). "Hope Is a Thing With Long, Fuzzy Ears: 'Harvey,' With Jim Parsons, at Studio 54". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Campfire Project". The Campfire Project.
- ^ "Flesh and Blood". New York Theatre Workshop. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
External links[]
- 1965 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from New Jersey
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- Jewish American actresses
- People from Princeton, New Jersey
- Tisch School of the Arts alumni
- American stage actresses
- Connecticut College alumni