Jennifer Tilly Biography

Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly was born, Jennifer E. Chan on September 16, 1958, in Harbor City, Los Angeles, California. She took her mother’s maiden name, Tilly, before launching into her acting career. When she’s not traveling, she continues to reside in Harbor City.

Most people know Jennifer Tilly best from her acting career. She has been in the spotlight for over twenty years now landing roles in numerous television shows and movies. She started with small roles in television on Hill Street Blues and Showtime’s It’s Gary Shandling’s Show. Her major breakthrough movie was through her role as the singing waitress in The Fabulous Baker Boys. For you gambling movie junkies, she delighted in her role as Vicki in one of the best gambling comedy movies, Let it Ride (this is actually when her interest in poker began). Tilly’s work was officially recognized as she was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category in 1994 for her work in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway. Tilly gained additional popularity for her voice-over work killer doll, Tiffany, for the Child’s Play series of movies (you know the ones…with “Chucky” the posessed doll that goes around killing everyone). In addition, you may recognize her as the voice of the Griffin’s family neighbor, Bonnie Swanson, on the Family Guy TV series. Other vocal work includes, Monsters Inc., Stuart Little and Hey Arnold. Tilly also performs in the theater, winning a Theater World Award for her performance in the off-Broadway play One shoe Off. When acting, Jennifer Tilly excels at playing the dimwitted female, but off the screen and on the poker tables is where Tilly gets to prove how smart she really is.

Tilly, nicknamed The Unabombshell, has also made a name for herself in the poker world. She began playing in competitive tournaments in 2003. On June 27, 2005 she won a WSOP bracelet and $158,625 in the Ladies’ No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em event, outlasting 600 other players. She went on to win the 3rd World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament in September, 2005. She has appeared on the Celebrity Poker Showdown, GSN’s Poker Royale, and the third season of Poker Superstars. When Tilly’s not playing herself, she can often be seen supporting professional poker player, and boyfriend, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, during his High Stakes Poker matches. Tilly and Laak met in the midst of her newfound passion for poker and started dating. She has credited him with teaching her everything she knows about poker. As of 2008, her live tournament winnings exceeded $450,000. However, in the December 2008 edition of Bluff Magazine she said, “I love poker but greatness in poker is an elusive dream…I’m not giving up poker entirely….I’m just going to treat it more like a hobby and less like a career”.