Jennifer Bassey

Birthday: 22 July 1942, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Birth Name: Joan Bassey

Emmy Award-nominated Jennifer Bassey became a contract player on ABC TV's All My Children (1970) in the summer of 1998, after having portrayed borderline nymphomaniac "Marian Colby", si ...Show More

Emmy Award-nominated Jennifer Bassey became a contract player on ABC TV's All My Children (1970) in the summer of 1998, after having portrayed borderline nymphomaniac "Marian Colby", since the early eighties. Jennifer was born in Chicago. Her first job in entertainment was as a singing Playboy bunny in the very first Playboy Club. She left her bunny ears behind and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she got the lowest entrance marks in the history of the academy. Three years later, she graduated from the RADA with honors, finishing just below classmate and future Academy Award-winner, Sir Anthony Hopkins. Jennifer went on to the Big Apple, where she appeared in several Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Some of which included Neil Simon's "California Suite"; "Not Now Darling", directed by George Abbott; "In Praise of Love" with Rex Harrison and "The Homecoming" (The Original Royal Shakespeare Production).Her most recent off-Broadway credits include Molière's "Tartuffe" and Wendy Wasserstein's "Isn't It Romantic", both staged at the Tribeca Playhouse. Prior off-Broadway appearances included playing "Katherine" in "The Taming of the Shrew" at the Roundabout Theatre; "Lady Macbeth" in "Macbeth" at the Stratford Theatre and "Love Letters", in which she co-starred with Ken Kercheval.In 1983, Miss Bassey won the role of "Marian Colby" on All My Children (1970), initially signing for a five-month stint. Due to the incredible popularity of the character, Marian is still going strong nearly 20 years later. Beyond her other dramatic successes, she has enjoyed a flourishing film career that includes such feature films as Waxwork (1988), Twogether (1992), which also featured both the performing and directing talents of Nick Cassavetes, and Dunston Checks In (1996), where in a scene-stealing, skin-revealing moment, she received an orgasmic massage from an orangutan! Jennifer has achieved prime-time success, most recently as a guest star on Law & Order (1990).Other notable appearances include L.A. Law (1986), Falcon Crest (1981), Murphy Brown (1988), Silk Stalkings (1991), Matlock (1986) and Coach (1989). In addition to her Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress, she also received two Soap Opera Digest Awards, the second of which was shared with her co-star, David Canary, for Favorite Couple. Ms. Bassey shares her life with her longtime companion, Luther Davis, the famous playwright and screenwriter who wrote the book for the shows "Kismet" and "Grand Hotel". He also wrote and produced "Timbuktu", starring Eartha Kitt. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys outdoor activities and is an aspiring writer, whose latest effort is a new night-time series called "Nightfall", which is currently under consideration for production by HBO. Hide