Judy Greer

At 48 years old, Judy Greer has this physical status:

Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975), better known as Judy Greer, is an American actress, singer, comedian, and author.

She is best known as a character actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a variety of films.

She first rose to fame in the early 2000s, appearing in the romantic comedies What Women Want (2000), 13 Going on 30 (2004), and 27 Dresses (2007).

She has appeared in The Descendants (2011), Jurassic World (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Halloween (2018), and the Planet of the Apes reboot series (2014, 2017).

A Happening of Monumental Proportions (2017) was her first directorial debut. She is best known for her role in Arrested Development and Fatty Magoo in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and for voicing Cheryl Tunt in the animated series Archer since 2009.

Kidding, a Showtime film from 2018–present, is also starring (2018–present).

Early life

Greer was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 20, 1975. Mollie Ann (née Greer) is a hospital administrator, and Rich Evans, her father, is a mechanical engineer, and her father, Rich Evans, is a mechanical engineer. Her mother was once a nun, who had left the convent after eight years, but was "chastised" for her wild behavior, which included wearing a red bathing suit.

Greer was raised Roman Catholic and grew up in Redford Township and Livonia. She attended Churchill High School, where she studied for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She later adopted her mother's maiden name for her stage name, as many other actresses are named Judy or Judi Evans.

Personal life

Greer is married to Dean E. Johnsen, an executive producer of Real Time with Bill Maher. She is the stepmother to Johnsen's two children from his previous marriage. The couple lives in Los Angeles.

Greer grew up Catholic, but at the age of 10, she persuaded her parents to let her attend a Presbyterian church, arguing that she would be closer to God there. The chief reason, she said, was that the boys were cuter at that church. Greer said she is no longer a practicing Catholic during a 2014 interview.

"I had been wanting to learn how to meditate for years," she told Glamour in 2014, and she did study into the various forms of meditation. TM was the simplest, and I liked that it wasn't religious in any way."

Greer is a member of Project Chimps, a human research chimpanzee sanctuary that has been funded in large part by the Humane Society of the United States.

She is a registered Democrat.

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Career

Greer appeared in the horror film Stricken (1998), portraying a college student who was involved in a deadly prank. This was followed by a small part in the Chicago-filmed film Crime Kissing a Fool (1998). Fern Mayo, a nerdy teen who discovers her classmates' murder of their cousin, was her first major role in Darren Stein's black comedy Jawbreaker (1999). The film went on to attract a cult following. Greer continued her acting in the romantic comedy films What Women Want (2000) and The Wedding Planner (2001), opposite Jennifer Lopez. She appeared in a 2002 pilot for NBC alongside Stephen Colbert, Untitled Ken Finkleman Project (Imagine Entertainment), based on Ken Finkleman's Canadian film The Newsroom. Finkleman and Greer appeared in Colbert's version as his sister.

Greer appeared in three seasons of Fox comedy series Arrested Development (2003–2005), 2012), playing Kitty Sanchez in ten episodes and appearing in each of the series's three original seasons. Greer said in a 2009 interview that she is most well-known for her work. She played a supporting role in Adaptation (2002).

Greer co-starred in the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30, starring Jennifer Garner as a girl who wakes up one morning as a 30-year-old woman. At a fashion magazine where both work, Greer played Lucy, an untrustworthy fellow editor of Garner's. The film was a commercial success, grossing $96.5 million worldwide and receiving mainly critical feedback from critics. Greer was involved in The Village, M. Night Shyamalan's drama about a village whose people are afraid of creatures that live inside the woods beyond it. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a hit at the box office, grossing $26.7 million worldwide. The film's retrospective reviews have since been more positive, and it has been dubbed one of Shyamalan's best films. Greer then appeared in Jenna Fischer's debut, the comedy LolliLove, which premiered at the St. Louis International Film Festival to rave reviews from critics, but it was later released straight-to-DVD.

Greer appeared in Wes Craven's horror film Cursed, starring Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg in 2005. The film was a failure at the box office and was widely condemned by analysts, with Craven expressing disappointment in the film later. Greer appeared in The Great New Wonderful, a comedic drama that follows the lives of several New Yorkers one year after the September 11th attacks. Greer's character portrayed a woman struggling to keep her marriage together in her character's vignette. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and received mostly critical feedback. The Boston Globe's Ty Burr said the film was "an actor's playpen" and that "Greer has been so long in goofball supporting roles that she wet as hell frightens this role, as if it were prime rib." Greer appeared in Cameron Crowe's tragic-romantic comedy Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Alec Baldwin, and Susan Sarandon, following her appearance in the drama In Memory of My Father. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and attracted critical acclaim from critics.

Greer appeared in Paul Weitz' comedy American Dreamz as a personal manager to a television script writer (David Duchovny) of a television series. Critics generally gave the film a largely favorable review at the premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. "[...] Judy Greer, an Anne Heche lookalike with Lisa Kudrow's comedic timing, practically steals the movie as Mike's desperate chirpy boss," Dana Stevens of Slate wrote. Greer also appeared in Love Monkey (2006), a short-lived CBS comedy-drama series. Greer made brief appearances in The Go-Getter and the comedy The Grand in 2007 (both 2007). Greer made a regular guest star on producer Chuck Lorre's television series Two and a Half Men (2007–2015), The Big Bang Theory (2010), and Mom (2015).

Greer appeared in the independent satire Visioneers' 2009 scripts and was Katherine Heigl's closest friend. Critically, the new film was mostly critical, but it was a commercial success, grossing $162.6 million around the world. Greer appeared in Love Happens (2009), starring Jennifer Aniston. Greer also appeared in Miss Guided (2008), in which she starred as a guidance counselor at a high school. After one season, the program was cancelled. Greer debuted as a yoga instructor in the "Get a Mac" ads, which also included John Hodgman and Justin Long. Greer's voice in the FX animated adult sitcom Archer's, as well as Wendy Park in the Nick at Nite stop-motion animated sitcom Glenn Martin, DDS, is a child of Cheryl Tunt.

Greer appeared in Barry Munday's debut in which she played a woman who becomes pregnant by a lonely womanizer (Patrick Wilson). Mixed reviews had been given to the film at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2016. Greer's role was lauded by Variety's Joe Leydon, who praised the actress for bringing "some welcome emotional truth" to her "almost convincing" role. Greer appeared in the comedy-drama Peep World following his roles in the family comedy Marmaduke and Henry's Crime. Greer played Laura Meyerwitz, a pregnant wife whose husband (Michael C. Hall) has been revealed to have an obsession with pornography from his brother's thinly-veiled book about their family. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and critics praised Greer's work for praise in the wake of largely critical reviews. Both Manohla Dargis of The New York Times and Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News considered Greer's appearance to be the most "genuine" of the cast. Greer appeared in Love & Other Drugs, a commercial success that earned $102.8 million worldwide, and she played a supporting role.

Greer appeared in The Key Man, the crime drama in which the wife of a salesman who becomes embroiled in an insurance fraud. At South by Southwest, the film premiered. Greer was "underused" by Pajiba's Seth Freilich, who wanted her to be "lovefully as ever" and demanded that the film industry have her better roles, according to Seth Freilich of Pajiba, who wanted to give her more roles. Greer appeared in Alexander Payne's drama The Descendants, starring George Clooney, for the second time. Greer played Julie Speer, a woman who finds that her husband had an extramarital affair with Clooney's now-comatose wife. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival with critical acclaim. Greer's performance received particularly high praise; David Thomson of The New Republic found Greer to be "touching," while Philip Kemp of Sight & Sound praised Greer for "her few scenes [...] into a moving portrayal of undeservedly broken faith." Greer received the Screen Actor Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

Greer appeared in the comedy-drama Jeff, Who Lives at Home, directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, in which Ed Helms and she played a couple whose marriages are failing. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews, with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times calling it a "independence of [...] Helms and Greer's dissatisfaction with [...] the dissatisfaction with [...] the dissatisfaction of Helms and Greer." Greer received the John Cassavetes Award at the Denver Film Festival for her roles in both The Descendants and Jeff, Who Lives at Home, making her first female actor to be a recipient of the award. Greer appeared in the short-lived CBS sitcom Mad Love, about a group of people in their 30s attempting to find love. Greer played her role "fully" in the series, which was cancelled after one season, according to David Hinckley of New York Daily News. Greer also ran an online exercise video named Reluctantly Healthy, which Litton Entertainment later adapted Reluctantly Healthy as part of their Saturday-morning One Magnificent Morning block for The CW.

Greer made her Broadway debut in Theresa Rebeck's comedy Dead Accounts, starring Gerard Butler, Both 2012) after playing a role in the critically acclaimed romantic comedy Playing for Keeps, starring Gerard Butler. The play received critical feedback, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times chastising for failing to "transcend[ing] her character's function as a visitor-from-another planet plot device." Greer portrayed Miss Desjardin, a shy high-school teacher and outcast who secretly has telekinesis in Carrie (2013), starring Chlo Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. Critics mixed about the film, which is based on Stephen King's 1974 book of the same name and a re-make of Brian de Palma's 1976 film, with some calling it a "unnecessary" version. "The acting's good," Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune, who gave the film a favorable review, commented, "The acting's good; in comparison to Moretz and Moore, Judy Greer is a welcome presence in the [...] role of the sympathetic gym instructor."

Greer first appeared in Jamie Marks Is Dead in 2014, about a deceased boy who returns to his family as a ghost. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, receiving rave reviews. In the science fiction action film Dawn of the Apes (2014), Greer portrayed the female chimpanzee Cornelia in a motion-capture role. The film received critical feedback and was a hit at the box office, grossing $708.8 million worldwide. Greer appeared in Jason Reitman's drama Men, Women & Children, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Critics generally condemned the film, with Jason Bailey of FlavorWire criticizing Greer's plot, a single mother's advertising her daughter on a modeling website, but I can tell you that even if Judy Greer can't sell a plot point, it should not be used."

Greer made her directorial debut with the AOL short film Quiet Time, which explores how transcendental meditation can be used for stress relief. Greer confessed that she wanted to try directing and contacted AOL herself, which was inspired by her passion for meditation in a Glamour interview. Greer also wrote an autobiographical collection of essays titled I Don't Know What You Know About Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star, which details her life and work in film. "This is not a Hollywood roman à clef," Greer says, "Detroit is America's sad family member who can't get a break") and unashamed ("I used to be more ugly." Greer appeared in the FX comedy series Married (2014-2015), in which she and Nat Faxon played a long-married couple. Willa Paskin of Slate lauded Greer's chemistry with Faxon, describing them both as "charismatic, jangly, scene-stealing actors."

Greer appeared in two major film franchises, Jurassic World, and Marvel Cinematic Universe's Ant-Man entry. Greer played the mother of two of the film's protagonists, Gray and Zach, in Jurassic World. The film was a huge success at the box-office, grossing $1.670 billion around the world and receiving positive feedback. Greer played Maggie, the ex-wife of the film's titular hero, played by Paul Rudd. The film was another critical and commercial success, grossing $519.3 million worldwide. Greer reprised her role in the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Greer played a key part in Jamie Babbit's critically acclaimed comedy-drama Grandma, in which Natasha Lyonne and her sister, who work as housekeepers in a hotel, find themselves in danger after Greer mistakenly kills a visitor. Though the film itself received mainly critical feedback, Greer's performance earned accolades from critics. Greer and Lyonne [the film] with a priceless good sister/bad sister dynamic dynamic, according to FlavorWire's Jason Bailey [the film] puts a sharp little twist on every line, turning each one into a little dagger [...]"

Greer has appeared in Tomorrowland and the comedy Entourage, both 2015, based on the HBO television series of the same name. The little-seen dramas All We Had and Ordinary World were Greer's only launches of 2016. Beep was also featured in the Netflix children's animated films Ask the StoryBots and StoryBots Super Songs that same year. The comedies Lemon and Wilson, Greer's first two films of 2017—the comedy-dramas—both had their world premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. Cornelia in the sequel War for the Apes returned to motion in Greer's role as Cornelia. The film, like its predecessor, was a critical and commercial success, grossing $490.7 million around the world. Greer played a mother whose son attends public after years of homeschooling in Netflix's Our Souls at Night. Greer was praised for her role in the premiere of the Toronto International Film Festival, and she was recognized for her role. Greer's "long-proven down-to-earth magic," according to Sherri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter, while Variety's Dennis Harvey said, "Greer is a resourceful comedienne, as usual [...]."

Greer made her feature-film directorial debut in the comedy A Happening of Monumental Proportions, which depicts one day in the lives of students and workers at a Los Angeles private school. Greer's motivations for filmmaking include: "I wanted to tell a tale in which adults behave like teenagers and kids act like adults." As we see our children's comments that we really should know ourselves, you and your adult friends start to realize that we may be be kings of behaving like idiots on occasion. As if to say, we're regressing, clawing at the walls as if to say, "I don't want to grow up." Allison Janney, Katie Holmes, Bradley Whitford, Jennifer Garner (Greer's co-star from 13 Going on 30), and rapper Common received largely critical feedback from critics.

Greer appeared as the mother of US Air Force Staff Sergeant Spencer Stone in Clint Eastwood's biographical drama The 15:17 to Paris. Greer and co-star Jenna Fischer were "trapped playing supportive-parent clichés," Tim Grierson of ScreenDaily expressed dissatisfaction with the general negative response. Greer was followed by Jim Loach's comedy-drama Measure of a Man. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt she was "wasted" in the role of a mother whose teenage son is suffering bullying. Greer appeared in Driven, a biographical drama in which she played Jason Sudeikis' wife, a man who was arrested by the FBI for attempting to smuggle cocaine and then becomes an informant. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Greer was "reliably good" in a scene where she discovers a wire on her husband, according to Guy Lodge of Variety, while Boyd Van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter found Greer to be "particularly good" in a scene where she finds a wire on her husband.

Greer co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween (2018), a direct sequel to John Carpenter's original 1978 horror film in which she played Karen Nelson, the daughter of Laurie Strode's daughter. The film grossed $25.6 million worldwide, smashing many box-office records, most notable for its second-best opening weekend in the month of October and being the company's highest-grossing film. Critics also enjoyed Halloween; Eric Kohn of IndieWire said that Greer was "underutilized" in the film, she "nevertheless" contributes to Curtis' stern resolve," while Jonathan Barkan of Dread Central considered Greer "important" to the story; she "wonderfully" played it. Multiple media outlets considered a scene in which Greer's character disguises his inability only to convince Michael Myers and shoot him to be one of the film's highlights. Greer appeared in the Showtime comedy-drama series Kidding (2018–2020), opposite Jim Cary, playing his estranged ex-wife. Karen Han of Vox attributed the show's success in part to its "uniformly strong performances, particularly Greer's [...]" Greer has also appeared in the PBS children's animated television series Let's Go Luna.

Greer played Greey Deutch in the comedy-drama Buffaloed in 2019, portraying a hairdresser whose daughter (Deutch) becomes a debt collector. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews. "Greer, who has never be counted on in any role," Kristy Strouse of Film Inquiry remarked, "is utterly deceive," she said, while Carla Renata of The Curvy Film Critic said, Greer "flips her comedy prowess to a more serious position of verve and power." Greer appeared in Richard Linklater's comedy Where'd You Go Bernadette, starring Cate Blanchett, and Playing with Fire, in which she played the love interest of John Cena's character. Neither film was particularly popular with critics or audiences. "As for Greer's turn [...] she's been given the dubious honor of reciting the most memorable – and not in a positive way – line, one dispensing child-rearing information..."

Greer was first featured in the comedy-drama Uncle Frank in 2020 about a gay man living in the 1970s who confronts his past. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, receiving raves. Greer appeared in the musical romantic comedy Valley Girl, a revival of the 1983 film of the same name in which she played Julie Richman's mother in a role originated by Colleen Camp. In an episode of the Hulu horror anthology series Into the Dark, Greer's next guest appeared. Greer's "Good Boy" episode brought Maggie, a woman who adopts an emotional support dog that murders people who increase Maggie's anxiety. Matt Donato of Slashfilm said it was one of the "strongest" episodes in the series, pleading that Greer "sells her character's midlife and future loverstruck relationship with Reuben [...] Greer "seek[s] [Greer] into an ancillary role," adding that Greer "elects her characters' characterization and eventual lovestruck relationship with Reuben [Greer] as she tiptoes around police probes and s

Greer appeared in Lady of the Manor, alongside Melanie Lynskey, Ryan Phillippe, and Justin Long, who made his debut in the film in 2021. Greer played Lady Wadsworth, a ghost who lives in a historic mansion, where Lynskey's character is based. At the Gasparilla International Film Festival, the film premiered. Greer's appearance earned accolades despite most critics dismissing the comedic arts. Greer's chemistry with Lynskey was "warm and genuine," according to Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter, although Screen Rant's Sarah Bea Milner said, "Greer plays against form, mainly because he is the straightforward character to Lynskey's over-the-top antics." Martha Washington appeared in Netflix's adult animated comedy America: The Motion Picture, which received critical feedback from critics.

Greer later reprised her role as Karen Nelson in Halloween Kills, which takes place on the same night as its predecessor. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, grossing $131.6 million worldwide. The film was regarded as a step back in the franchise by Brian Truitt of USA Today, but Greer's success was nevertheless encouraging, "with Karen proving herself deserving of the Strode name." Greer's films of 2022, "Three Months, Family Squares, and Hollywood Stargirl," were all released in direct streaming services and were well received by critics. Greer played Ana Carraway, the mother of young singer Susan "Stargirl" Carraway, after she had to replace actress Sara Arrington. Courtney Howard of Variety lauded Greer for adding "depth and dimension to Ana," assuaging a vague sense of parental guilt in balancing dreams with pragmatic reality. Greer also contributed to the Netflix animated film My Father's Dragon, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival.

Greer, who appeared in two miniseries The Thing About Pam and The First Lady, received accolades for her respective roles. Greer portrayed Leah Askey, the Lincoln County prosecutor who tried Russ Faria twice for the murder of his wife, Betsy, which was unintentionally committed by neighbor Pam Hupp, who was portrayed by Renée Zellweger in The Thing About Pam. Greer "fully played [Askey] with spiteful ineptitude," according to Liam Matthews of TVGuide, although Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. agreed. Greer's debut was described as "uncharacteristically wily [...] refusing to admit that she may have fingered the wrong man and assembling a number of plausible theories to make the accusation stick. The series received good viewership for NBC, and Greer was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series by the Hollywood Critics Association. Greer portrayed First Lady Betty Ford's personal confidance in Showtime's The First Lady. Though the series received mixed reviews, Meghan O'Keefe wrote an article on Decider claiming that Greer "almost] single-handedly" saved the film, and that "Greer may be the only actor in the entire cast who can make the didactic, revealing dialogue sound natural and amusing."

Greer appeared in the Hulu comedy series Reboot (2022–present), replacing Leslie Bibb as Bree Marie Jensen, a former sitcom actress who later reprises her role as the series is revived. Greer received a lot of praise for her appearance on the premiere, with Greer getting a lot of flak over her work. "All the actors are in fine form, but Greer continues to stand out, creating a Bree that's self-involved and silly but also a little bit sexy and warm," The Detroit News' Tom Long said. "While Greer's all-consuming warmth and vitality gave even the dullest [...] film a lifeline, she's consistently underused," Greer writes about "not being confident and alert, fast-talking in her signature high, comforting voice, and bouncing off her co-stars."

Greer will appear in the sports drama film Flint Strong. Greer also appeared in the HBO miniseries The White House Plumbers, which depicts the Watergate fiasco. Fran Liddy, G. Gordon Liddy's wife, was portraying in the film (Justin Theroux).

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