Elizabeth Berkley

Biography

Elizabeth Berkley ( BURK-lee) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Jessie Spano in the Saved by the Bell television franchise and Nomi Malone in the controversial 1995 film Showgirls. She had supporting roles in the box office hits The First Wives Club and Any Given Sunday, as well as in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Roger Dodger. On television, she played Julia Winston in CSI: Miami (2008–2009), Kelly Wentworth in The L Word (2009), Shannon Titus in Titus (2001–2002) and in 2020 she reprised the role of Jessie Spano in the Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock, for which she also served as a producer. In theatre, she appeared opposite Eddie Izzard in Peter Hall's West End production of Lenny and also in the Broadway comedic play Sly Fox and the Off-Broadway production of Hurlyburly, for which she received critical acclaim. She also hosted Bravo's talent show Step It Up and Dance and in 2011 she published the New York Times best-seller Ask-Elizabeth, a self-help book for adolescent girls, which drew from the workshops she conducted for her Ask-Elizabeth program. For Saved by the Bell she earned four Young Artist Award nominations and in 1996 she received a National Board of Review award for the ensemble acting in First Wives Club.

== Early life == Elizabeth Berkley was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to Jere and Fred Berkley. Her mother was a gift-basket business owner and her father was a lawyer. She has an older brother, Jason. Her family is Jewish and she was raised in a Conservative Jewish household, celebrating her bat mitzvah at Beth Abraham Hillel Moses in West Bloomfield. She was born with heterochromia iridis: her right eye is half green and half brown, while her left eye is green. At age four, Berkley began taking jazz and tap lessons with Barbara Fink of Miss Barbara's Dance Center in Detroit and later took ballet classes with the professional company Dance Detroit. She would also practice at home in a room her parents set up for her in the basement. She danced Swan Lake with principals from the American Ballet Theatre and for five years she performed in the New York City Ballet holiday production of The Nutcracker in Detroit. Her dance recital song-and-tap number Hey Look Me Over eventually convinced her she wanted to be an actress.

== Career ==

=== Theatre and early film and TV roles === While attending Cranbook Kingsbrook in Bloomfield Hills, she enrolled in acting and singing classes, making her theatrical debut as Snoopy in a Cranbrook Theatre production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She continued her training with the Detroit-based company Actors Alliance and starred in two plays, Twain by the Tale and Raft of the Medusa. Professional stage roles soon followed in regional theatre, earning her an Actors Equity card when she was still in middle school. She played Baby June in the musical Gypsy (Village Players, Birmingham) and Echo in Lee Blessing's Eleemosynary at the Ann Arbor Repertory theatre. In 1980, she auditioned for the film version of Annie but was turned down because she was too tall. She also ventured into modeling, initially doing print work for Hudson's and other regional outlets and later appearing in TV commercials for department stores in Atlanta, Milwaukee and Canada. She would use her modeling income to commute to Los Angeles and New York to train with professionals, including dancer and choreographer Joe Tremaine, vocal coach Seth Riggs and Broadway Dance Center's Frank Hatchett. After writing a personal letter to TV producer Norman Lear asking him to make her a star, she received a reply from Lear's assistant, who encouraged her to reach out whenever she was in Los Angeles. Three years later, during a family vacation in California, she contacted his office and Lear helped her setting up with talent agent Judy Savage, of The Savage Agency. That led to her television debut in one episode of Gimme a Break! and her film debut in the critically acclaimed short film Platinum Blonde, both filmed in 1986. Berkley commuted to Los Angeles on every school break and summer vacation, taking acting classes with Diana Hill and Nora Eckstein of the recently established Young Actors Space and landing roles in Silver Spoons and the WonderWorks TV film Frog. Still a teenager, she joined the New Faces division of Elite Model Management in New York (alongside other up-and-coming models like Cameron Diaz) after placing as a finalist in their Look of the Year contest. In the fall of 1988, her family eventually relocated to Los Angeles when she was still attending North Farmington High School. She signed with Elite's LA division, appeared in YM magazine's November issue as a finalist in the Cover Girl contest and guest starred in episodes of Day by Day and TV 101.

=== Saved by the Bell and TV fame (1989–1994) === After losing the leading role of Rennie in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, she auditioned for a regular role in the NBC Saturday-morning sitcom Saved by the Bell. During the final callback, the producers of the show could not decide whether to cast Tiffani-Amber Thiessen or her for the part of Kelly Kapowski. In the end, Thiessen landed the role but Berkley's audition was so impressive that she was ultimately given another leading character, Jessie Spano, a civil-minded student with strong feminist views. The show debuted in August 1989 and aired on prime-time for three weeks, before relocating to its designated timeslot on Saturday morning. It quickly turned into a fan-favorite among young audiences, and its six teenage leads became television stars, appearing in teen magazines and on mall tours all around the country. During the show's breaks over the years, Berkley landed guest starring roles in other popular shows like Life Goes On, Married People and The Hogan Family. In 1991 she even appeared in Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break but her small role as a surf shop countergirl was later cut. Soon after graduating from Calabasas High School, she began training with acting coach Roy London and left Saved by the Bell ahead of time during its fourth and final season, along with co-star Tiffani Amber Thiessen, to focus mainly on feature films. The transition from small to big screen turned out to be a difficult one, though, and Berkley worked mainly for television for the following two years, landing roles in Baywatch, Step by Step, Raven, Diagnosis: Murder, Burke's Law and Crossroads. She also starred in the straight-to-video film Molly & Gina and in the TV movies Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and Bandit Goes Country. In January 1993 she was featured in the Crystal Pepsi commercial that debuted during the Super Bowl XXVII. During this time, she enrolled at UCLA to study English Literature.

=== Showgirls backlash and the beginning of film career (1995) === In the spring of 1994, Carolco Pictures opened the casting for the leads in Paul Verhoeven's new film Showgirls, the script of which Berkley had retrieved months earlier while the movie was still in development. Feeling a strong connection to the main character, she conducted thorough research, visiting strip clubs in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, and interviewing strippers at venues such as Stringfellow's, Palomino and Scores. Despite resistance from her agent at Metropolitan Talent Agency, Berkley personally called Showgirls producer Charles Evans, introducing herself as Nomi. At her first audition with Paul Verhoeven she told him he might as well stop looking for other actresses because there was no one else who could play that role. During the extensive casting process, which saw many A-listers auditioning, Berkley briefly reprised the role of Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell – Wedding in Las Vegas before heading to Idaho to film the Disney Channel adventure movie White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild. While on location at Yellowstone National Park, she received the call that she had booked the lead in Showgirls. Verhoeven later remarked: "We didn't have any more hesitation when we met again Elizabeth Berkley.” Once the casting announcement was official, Berkley signed with Creative Artists Agency and began an intensive 12-week rehearsal period with choreographer Marguerite Derricks and the dance ensemble hired for the film. During this preparation phase, she ran into Demi Moore at one of the clubs in Los Angeles, where Moore was conducting research for her role in Striptease. Shooting for Showgirls commenced in Nevada in October 1994 and lasted four and a half months, concluding in March 1995. During this time, Berkley reportedly often danced for up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, never requiring a body double. In May 1995, Berkley and Paul Verhoeven attended the Cannes Film Festival to present an 8-minute preview of the film. "I was introduced at Cannes to the world as a movie actress and that was something that was very special," she recalled. The movie was given a previously agreed-upon NC-17 rating in the United States (the first big-budget film to do so) and was released to 1,388 theaters in North America on September 22, 1995. Despite the massive marketing campaign, Showgirls was a box-office bomb during its original theatrical run and was widely panned by critics, garnering a level of controversy and hostile criticism rarely seen in recent cinema. Berkley's performance was particularly targeted: Todd McCarthy described it in Variety as "harsh, graceless and quickly tiresome", and Barbara Shulgasser of the San Francisco Examiner, after comparing her to a Barbie doll, added: "That Berkley cannot act is indisputable". Only a few critics appreciated Berkley's work: Roger Ebert in The Chicago Sun Times wrote that her "fierce energy [was] always interesting", and Entertainment Weekly remarked that "the electricity of her anger" made her "a true, leonine presence". The storm of criticism that followed quickly turned into personal vilification, with reviewers labelling her a "meat puppet on a stick" or, as critic Gene Siskel stated on national television, "not sexy, not particularly appealing and not attractive". Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that Berkley displayed "the open-mouthed, vacant-eyed look of an inflatable party doll". and the Chicago Tribune opined that she was "quite convincing when asked to play a girl who is not too bright". Berkley was later awarded two Razzie Awards as Worst Actress of the Year and Worst New Star. A journalist, whose name Berkley never revealed, began his interview asking her: “How does it feel to be a failure?” Reflecting on the Showgirls backlash, Berkley later commented: "There was so much cruelty around it. I was bullied. And I didn't understand why I was being blamed. The job as an actor is to fulfill the vision of the director. And I did everything I was supposed to do. No one associated with the film spoke up on my behalf to protect me. I was left out in the cold and I was a pariah in the industry I had worked so hard for." Verhoeven often took responsibility for the way Berkley's performance was perceived and criticized. Soon after the release of the film, he stated: "Certainly I am partly, or in large degree, responsible. I asked her to do it that way." In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2015, he again made it explicit that he felt as if he was to blame for Berkley's performance: "People have, of course, criticized her for being over-the-top in her performance. Most of that comes from me. I pushed it in that direction. Good or not good, I was the one who asked her to exaggerate everything — every move — because that was the element of style that I thought would work for the movie." Film producer Scott Rudin publicly defended her, declaring: "I was impressed with her and her professional attitude about her job. I think what she's been through must be about as hard as I can imagine anything being for an actress". In the wake of the film's negative fallout, Berkley made a reportedly "tempestuous" exit from Creative Artists Agency, and spent the following week meeting with ICM, William Morris Agency, and United Talent Agency, ultimately signing with the latter. Willing to rehabilitate her image, she embarked alone on an international promotional tour across major territories, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

=== Resurgence, independent cinema and London's West End (1996–1999) === After the controversial release of Showgirls, Berkley was met with total resistance from most filmmakers and casting directors, many of whom wouldn't even agree to meet with her. Only a handful of prominent directors stepped up, expressing interest in testing her for leading roles in their upcoming films. Among them were Milos Forman (for The People vs. Larry Flynt), Oliver Stone (for U-Turn), Luc Besson (for The Fifth Element) and Michael Bay (for Armageddon). "It was inspiring, actually comforting to have them trust me and support me and embrace my work," she shared. In her quest to find a follow-up project, the actress returned to acting classes with coach Howard Fine, starting again from level 1. She also trained under Uta Hagen. In December 1995, Sherry Lansing, chairwoman at Paramount Pictures, asked Berkley to test for a supporting role in The First Wives Club, a comedy starring Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler. After several auditions, Berkley eventually booked the part, the first one after the Showgirls backlash. The First Wives Club was released in September 1996 and was a surprise hit, grossing over $100m at the box office. Berkley's small role as naive actress Phoebe LaVelle earned her positive reviews, and the entire cast won the National Board of Review for "Best Ensemble Performance". A more substantial supporting role followed in Tom DiCillo's independent film The Real Blonde. Although DiCillo initially wanted her for the lead role of Sahara, the supermodel airhead eventually played by Bridgette Wilson, Berkley expressed her desire to play Tina, a dark-haired Madonna body-double. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before getting a limited theatrical release on February 27, 1998. She briefly returned to television when she starred in the HBO thriller Random Encounter and in one episode of the anthology series Perversions of Science. She was also tapped as a regular cast member for the unaired ABC pilot L.A. Med and voiced the title character in the animated sci-fi film Armitage III – Polymatrix. For her supporting role as a Russian girl living in Brighton Beach in Avi Nesher's independent drama Taxman, she studied with a dialogue coach at Berlitz for two months. Reviews were favorable: The Hollywood Reporter appreciated the "nicely understated Elizabeth Berkley, sporting a credible Russian accent" and The San Francisco Examiner acknowledged, "Berkley, who is called on to deliver lines in Russian, seems to be out to prove that she really can act. She can". According to Variety, "the beautiful Berkley added a few moments of relief" and Box Office admired the "convincing, well-chosen cast". Berkley then starred in the psychological drama Last Call, by Chilean director Christine Lucas and in Malcolm Ingram's road movie Tail Lights Fade, but neither film was able to find theatrical distribution in the U.S. In the fall of 1998, she landed a role in Oliver Stone's football drama Any Given Sunday as Mandy, Al Pacino's high-priced call girl. The movie received mixed reviews but it was a financial success, earning $100 million worldwide. In May 1999, Sir Peter Hall cast her as Lenny Bruce's wife in his London West End production of Lenny, starring Eddie Izzard. The play debuted at Queen's Theatre in July 1999 and had a limited 12-weeks run, due to Izzard's previous commitments. Berkley's portrayal of Honey Harlow (renamed Rusty Blaine in the play) impressed the critics. The Times dubbed her performance "a convincingly vulnerable portrayal" and the Evening Standard described Rusty as a "dejected stripper whom Elizabeth Berkley endows with lovely erotic languor and a true dancing talent." According to The Guardian, co-stars "David Ryall, Elizabeth Berkley and James Hayes lend good support" and The Independent described Berkley's performance as "impressive."

=== Critical affirmation and Broadway (2000–2007) === After a recurring role in the seventh season of NYPD Blue and a co-starring part in the E! original comedy Becoming Dick, Berkley booked a supporting role in Woody Allen's period-comedy The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival in 2001. That same year, it was announced that she would take on the role of Roxie Hart in the Broadway musical Chicago but it ultimately didn't happen for undisclosed reasons. She managed to exhibit her musical talents anyway, by taking part in the 2001 Divas Simply Singing annual benefit concert at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, where she sang a rendition of the song "Fever". After playing Shannon Titus in three episodes of the sitcom Titus, she co-starred in the independent black comedy Roger Dodger, opposite Campbell Scott and a debuting Jesse Eisenberg. The movie won the inaugual Tribeca Film Festival and the Best First Film prize at the Venice Film Festival, before opening in selected theatres to rave reviews. Berkley's performance was unanimously praised. Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: “Berkley registers here with an affecting, natural performance. She is the big revelation. See for yourself: She's very, very good.” Both USA Today and Richard Roeper of Ebert & Roeper called her performance “terrific”, the New York Times appreciated her “sharp supporting turn”, US magazine applauded her “pitch perfect supporting turn”, Time Out New York described her performance as “lively and nuanced” and Lou Lumenick of the New York Post wrote that she was “excellent”. Other well-reviewed roles came afterwards in the Lifetime original drama Student Seduction and the Canadian dramedy Moving Malcolm, which got a Special Mention from the First Film Jury at the Montreal World Film Festival. In October 2004, she landed a role in her first Broadway show, the comedy Sly Fox. Directed by Arthur Penn and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Eric Stoltz, the production opened in Broadway in April 2004, after an out-of-town tryout at the Shubert Theatre in Boston and 22 previews at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York. The following year, she replaced Catherine Kellner as Bonnie in the 2005 off-Broadway production of David Rabe's Hurlyburly, appearing with Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey, and Bobby Cannavale. Berkley had three days to learn the part and received praise for her performance, with Charles Isherwood of The New York Times even going as far as publicly apologizing to her for his past criticisms of her ability, stating that the fact she held "her own among this skilled company of scene-stealers is a testament to how much her talent has grown." Between 2004 and 2007, she lined up some high-profile guest starring roles in the shows Without a Trace, Threshold and Law & Order: Criminal Intent and played a black widow in the TV movie Dark Beauty. In 2005 and in 2006, she appeared in the annual 24 Hour Plays in Broadway, in which six writers, six directors and 24 actors have 24 hours to write, direct, and perform six 10-minute plays. Both her comedic stints impressed critics: among them, Jason Zinoman of The New York Times ("an appealingly daffy Elizabeth Berkley Lauren" in an "excellent all-star cast"), Roger Friedman of Fox News (“she held her own live on stage with Tony-winner Cady Huffman, Andrew McCarthy and Cheyenne Jackson. She's ready for SNL!”), the New York Daily News (“Berkley did a Meryl Streep-worthy Spanish accent in the hilarious Toccata and Fugue”) and Theatre Mania (“Among the evening's top acting efforts, a ridiculously Spanish-accented Elizabeth Berkley”). In 2006, she also starred in Douglas Carter Beane's critically acclaimed The Cartells: A Prime-Time Soap Opera, Live at Comix, opposite Joanna Gleason, Brian d’Arcy James, Pedro Pascal and David Rakoff.