Jessica Hecht
Jessica Hecht (born June 28, 1965) is an American actress and singer, who played Gretchen Schwartz on Breaking Bad, Susan Bunch on Friends and has made numerous Broadway appearances.
Jessica Hecht | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 28, 1965 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Hecht was born in Princeton, New Jersey, the daughter of Lenore, a psychotherapist, and Richard Hecht (1930-2014), a physicist.[1] 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 and in 1987, Hecht graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama.[2]
Hecht was raised in a "pretty secular" Jewish household;[3][4] she has stated that she is "Reconstructionist Jewish and ... fairly spiritual".[5]
Career
Hecht has made appearances in television shows 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).[6] She was also a featured cast member in the Jonathan Silverman sitcom The Single Guy.[7][8] 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 directed by Woody Allen, Sideways, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Hecht 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 wrapped on April 4, 2010. In 2012, she performed on Broadway with Jim Parsons in Harvey.[9] 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.[10]
Personal life
Hecht has been married to Adam Bernstein, a film director, since 1995. They have two children together, Stella and Carlo Bernstein.[3][4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Joe's Rotten World | Annie | |
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Natalie | |
| 1999 | Jump | Carol | |
| 2004 | Saving Face | Randi | |
| Sideways | Victoria | ||
| The Forgotten | Eliot | ||
| 2005 | At Last | Laura | |
| 2006 | Rabbits | Wife | Short |
| 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 |
| The Magic of Belle Isle | Karen Loop | ||
| The Composer | Piccolo Player | Short | |
| Good Sister | Helene Shuster | Short | |
| 2013 | Northern Borders | Liz Kittredge | |
| Space Cadet | Linda Agnello | ||
| The English Teacher | Principal Trudie Slocum | ||
| 2014 | Le Refuge | Gemma | Short |
| The Sisterhood of Night | Sue Parris | ||
| 2015 | Anesthesia | Jill | |
| 2018 | Write When You Get Work | Ellen Hazard | |
| 2019 | The Sunlit Night | Mirela | |
| A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood | Lila Vogel |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Seinfeld | Lindsay | "The Couch", "The Gymnast" |
| Party of Five | Amanda | "Something Out of Nothing" | |
| 1994–2000 | Friends | Susan Bunch | Recurring role; 12 episodes |
| 1995 | The Wayans Bros. | Agent Johnson | "First Class" |
| The Heidi Chronicles | Chloe | TV film | |
| 1995–96 | The Single Guy | Janeane Percy-Parker | Regular role; 22 episodes |
| 1996 | Harvey | Miss Ruth Kelly | TV film |
| The Christmas Tree | Sister Mary | TV film | |
| Intimate Betrayal | Katie | TV film | |
| 1997 | Promised Land | Marie | "Independence Day" |
| Early Edition | Abby | "A Bris Is Just a Bris" | |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Miss Kreutzer | "Uncivilized" |
| Homicide: Life on the Street | Sister Mary Catherine | "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" | |
| 2001 | What About Joan? | Betsy Morgan | Main role; 13 episodes |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Meredith Breen | "Undaunted Mettle" |
| 2004 | Century City | Rose Krell | "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Lose" |
| The Jury | Mrs. Sheridan | "Three Boys and a Gun" | |
| 2005 | ER | Stephanie Lowenstein | "Man with No Name", "Wake Up" |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Rebecca Ellis | "Heart Stopping" |
| 2008 | Eleventh Hour | Mrs. Beatrice Brown | "Cardiac" |
| 2008–09; 2013 | Breaking Bad | Gretchen Schwartz | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order | Miriam Johnson | "Chattel" |
| Jesse Stone: Thin Ice | Stephanie Morton | TV film | |
| U.S. Attorney | Dr. Amy Webber | TV film | |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Carla Browning | "Infamy" |
| Medium | Judy Bennette | "The Match Game" | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Carly Beck | "Cold Blooded" | |
| Bored to Death | Dr. Donna Kenwood | "Make It Quick, Fitzgerald!", "The Gowanus Canal Has Gonorrhea!", "The Case of the Grievous Clerical Error!" | |
| 2012 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jillian Webster | "Vanity's Bonfire" |
| 2013 | Elementary | Patricia Ennis | "The Deductionist" |
| 2013–15 | Person of Interest | Beth Bridges / Psychiatrist | "The Devil's Share", "Pretenders", "Skip" |
| 2014 | Manhattan | Miriam Rubins | "The Second Coming" |
| 2015 | Limitless | Ubient Worker | "Side Effects May Include..." |
| Jessica Jones | Audrey Eastman | "AKA 99 Friends" | |
| 2016 | The Interestings | Lois Jacobson | TV film |
| Falling Water | Miranda | "Don't Tell Bill", "Monsters, Most Familiar" | |
| 2016–17 | Red Oaks | Rebecca Horowitz | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Madam Secretary | Julia MacDonald | "Persona Non Grata" |
| 2018 | High Maintenance | Laurie | "Ghost" |
| Blindspot | Dr. Margaret Palmer | "Fix My Present Havoc" | |
| 2019 | Special | Karen Hayes | Main cast |
| The Affair | Carolina | Tv Series | |
| The Loudest Voice | Nancy Erika Smith | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Succession | Michelle Pantsil | "Hunting", "Safe Room" | |
| Dickinson | Aunt Lavinia | "There's a Certain Slant of Light", "I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain" | |
| 2020 | The Sinner | Sonya Barzel | Main cast (season 3) |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Terror T.R.A.X.: Track of the Vampire | Wendolyn |
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 |
| 1999 | Lobster Alice | Alice Horowitz | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2002 | The Fourth Sister | Wiera | Vineyard Theater |
| 2003 | Flesh and Blood [11] | 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 |
| 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 | Reagan | 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
- "Jessica Hecht Biography (1965-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- Writer, BILL KEVENEY; Courant Staff. "A SINGLE GOES DOUBLE". courant.com.
- Michael Elkin (January 14, 2010). "'Bridge' Works". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- 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
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