Jenna Elfman Biography 

American actress of film and television Jenna Elfman skyrocketed to fame in the mid 90s when she appeared on the popular sitcom Dharma & Greg. Although her career has slowed somewhat, she continues to work and currently has two projects in production.

Jennifer Mary Butala, known popularly as Jenna Elfman, was born September 30, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Sue Grace and Richard Wayne Butala, a Croatian housewife and executive for Hughes Aircraft respectively. Elfman obtained her education at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she majored in dance. She graduated in 1989.

Deciding on the entertainment business as a career path, Elfman studied under Milton Katselas while at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. She originally wanted to pursue her first love, dance, but quickly switched to acting. She made her onscreen debut as an actress in 1992 with Freshman Door. The episode also featured Matthew Fox and Paige French.

Struggling to find work on television series or film, Elfman began an extensive career in commercials in order to pay the bills. It proved fruitful, as she was able to keep her head above water while she waited for a role that would really launch her career.

From the early to the mid 90s, Elfman found sporadic work on various television shows from The George Carlin Show to Roseanne with Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sara Gilbert. After this slew of one-episode appearances, Elfman did land a role in the 1996 film Her Last Chance opposite Kellie Martin. Not garnering her too much exposure, Elfman finally received her golden opportunity in 1997.

In that year, she was cast as co-lead in a new television series known as Dharma & Greg. The other main character was played by Thomas Gibson, and supporting cast included Joel Murray, Mimi Kennedy, Mitch Ryan, and Alan Rachins. Unbeknownst to Elfman, the show would prove to make her a household name.

Dharma & Greg lasted from 1997 to 2002, and for Elfman’s portrayal of the new age somewhat spacey Dharma, she was nominated for three Emmy and four Golden Globe awards. In 1999, Elfman took home the Golden Globe.

Capitalizing on her newfound popularity, Elfman balanced film work around her television schedule. Although she wasn’t credited, many may recognize Elfman as the angel in the teen comedy Can’t Hardly Wait with Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, and Seth Green.

Elfman really entered commercial film, however, in 1999 with Ron Howard’s Edtv with Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Elizabeth Hurley.

In the following year, she made another big splash with her role as Anna Riley in the very well received comedy Keeping the Faith opposite Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, who also directed the film. Anne Bancroft had a supporting role.

In 2006, Elfman earned the lead in another television sitcom, Courting Alex, but it only lasted one season before getting the executive axe.

She is currently in production for The Six Wives of Henry Lefay as well as Literary Superstar.

Outside of film and TV series, Elfman and David Hyde Pierce co-hosted the 1999 Emmy Awards.

In her personal life, she met future husband Bodhi Elfman in 1991 at an audition for a Sprite commercial. They married in February of 2005. They are still together with one child, who was born in July 2007.

The marriage made her daughter-in-law to Richard Elfman and niece-in-law to composer Danny Elfman.