Jenna Fischer
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Jenna Fischer (born March 7, 1974) is an Emmy Award-nominated
American actress, best known for her role as Pam Beesly in the U.S. adaptation
of The Office. Fischer and the rest of the cast from The Office
received Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2006 and in 2007 for Outstanding Performance
by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Personal life
Fischer
was born Regina Marie Fischer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the daughter of Anne and
Jim Fischer, and was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She attended Pierremont
Elementary School, and later attended Nerinx Hall High School in suburban Webster
Groves. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Truman State University.
On October 7, 2000, Fischer married Hollywood filmmaker James Gunn, the brother
of Fischer’s lifelong friend Sean Gunn.
In May 2007, while attending the NBC upfronts for her role in The Office, Fischer
fell down a flight of stairs in a Manhattan bar and fractured her back. She
returned to the set in time for the fourth season’s first episode.
On September 5, 2007, Fischer and Gunn announced they were separating after
nearly seven years of marriage. In a radio interview during the publicity tour
of The Promotion, she said that her divorce was finalized.
Fischer talked about how a rumor of her dating actor
David Spade affected her relationship with her former in-laws in a June 2008
Emmy roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter, :
I just had it happen to me, a total and complete lie. They said I was getting
a divorce - which is true - but also that I’d gone out on a date with David
Spade. I’ve never even met him! I’d just gotten separated and told my ex-in-laws
at brunch that I wasn’t seeing anyone else. That planted a seed of doubt, and
it hurt me a lot.
Television and feature films
The Office include guest-starring roles on Six Feet Under, That ’70s
Show, Cold Case, Miss Match, Strong Medicine, Undeclared, What I Like About
You, Off Centre and Spin City.
Her film credits include Employee of the Month, Slither, Lucky 13, The Specials,
The Brothers Solomon, Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and
The Promotion.
Fischer talked about her career aspirations in an April 2005 interview
with The Index, the student newspaper at Truman State University, her alma
mater:
Honestly it would be great to get to play Pam for a long, long time … ,"
she said. "I don’t have real big aspirations to be a movie star. I would
love to be on a long-running hit TV show. You end up playing a defining role.
In a more recent interview with MySpace, Fischer commented
on her desire to focus on comedic roles:
I’m not sure I want to do a straight drama. I like finding the comedy in
people and situations and characters. But I am interested in doing something
heavier. I’ve been doing a lot of light comedy. I mean, there are so many
different kinds of comedy. Once I finish exploring all of that, maybe I’ll
move to drama.
LolliLove
Fischer wrote, directed, and starred in the mockumentary LolliLove, co-starring
her ex-husband James Gunn, Linda Cardellini, Judy Greer, Lloyd Kaufman and Jason
Segel. For her role in the film, Fischer was awarded a Screen Actors Guild Emerging
Actor Award. Her experience on the low-budget film (principal photography cost
$1500, mostly for food) discouraged her from any future directorial aspirations,
as she told a St. Louis arts and entertainment magazine:
The directing was exhausting and the writing was painful. It was very difficult
to direct and star in a movie. We also had a very small crew so I did a lot
of things a normal director doesn’t have to do, like make the props and serve
lunch. I was simultaneously getting into character, going over my lines, set
dressing the next shot, coaching an actor, and brainstorming with my D.P. I’m
good at multitasking, but that was too much for me. I couldn’t enjoy any one
part the way I would have liked. I think I’ll stick to acting.
Filmography
| Year | Movie |
| 2004 | “Employee of the Month”, “LolliLove”, “The Women” |
| 2006 | “Slither” |
| 2007 | “Blades of Glory,” “The Brothers Solomon”, “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” |
| 2008 | “The Promotion” |
In step with…Jenna Fischer
As Pam Beesly, the receptionist on NBC’s hit series The Office, Jenna Fischer
is admirably efficient and punctual—and cute and lovable. So I demanded to know
why she was late phoning me in real life. Here’s her wonderful excuse:
“I just moved and was showing my cat around the new garden,” she explained.
“He got away from me, and I knew I was supposed to call, but I was terrified
I’d lose him in a neighborhood he didn’t know. He’s 15 years old and weighs
15 pounds, and that’s why I was late.”
This is quite a gal. When I asked Jenna why she’d
just moved, she surprised me with her candor. “ My husband and I recently separated,”
she said. “It’s sad, but we remain close. My husband got the dog, and I got
the cat. But the dog and cat miss each other, so we must have a sleepover one
of these days.” Which was my cue to suggest that maybe she and her husband might
also reunite. “ Everything is possible,” she said brightly. “That would be the
best!”
Her parents, a schoolteacher mother and an engineer dad, still live in the St.
Louis area, where Jenna grew up. But her new house is in the San Fernando Valley,
convenient to where they shoot The Office.
When Jenna first moved to California and was adding increasingly
ripe roles to her resume, she continued to work as a secretary in the L.A. office
of a Boston investment firm.
“I had a great boss who covered for me whenever I had an audition,” she said.
“My husband said, ‘ Why don’t you quit?’ but I was still struggling, and I stayed
on the job. There’s not a real generosity of spirit among actors in L.A., and
my boss was so supportive. Now he delights in getting pickled while watching
me on TV
