Jennifer Tilly Biography

Jennifer Tilly is an American-Canadian actress and professional poker player famous for her breathy voice and comedic timing. She has won a Saturn Award, a Fantasporto Award, and a GLAAD Award for her work. Additionally, she won nominations for an American Comedy Award, a Gemini Award, two MTV Movie Awards, and an Academy Award. Tilly rose to widespread fame when she portrayed Tiffany Valentine in Bride of Chucky in 1998, recurring the role in multiple more installments of the Child’s Play film series and Syfy/USA’s Chucky from 2021 to 2024.

Jennifer Tilly Age

Tilly was born Jennifer Ellen Chan on September 16, 1958, in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. She is 66 years old as of 2024. Tilly celebrates her birthday on September 16th.

Jennifer Tilly Height

Tilly stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 7 inches.

Jennifer Tilly Family

Tilly was born to Patricia Tilly and Harry Chan in Harbor City, Los Angeles. Her father worked as a used car salesman while her mother was a former Canadian stage actress working as a schoolteacher. Her father has Chinese roots while her mother has Irish and Finnish roots. Tilly has an older brother named Steve, and two younger sisters named Meg and Rebecca.

Tilly’s parents divorced when she was 5 years old. As a result, she grew up alongside her mother and stepfather, John Ward, on rural Texada Island in British Columbia. Meg commented that their stepfather was a sadistic pedophile. Even though Jenniffer supported Meg’s comments, Tilly didn’t offer any commentary on the issue. When she was 16, her mother divorced again with the family relocating to Langford, a suburb of Victoria, British Columbia.

Jennifer Tilly Relationship

Tilly is divorced and has been in a relationship with professional poker player Phil Laak since 2004. Laak was born on September 8, 1972, and is 52 years old as of 2024. He is an Irish–American professional poker player and a poker commentator who holds a World Poker Tour (WPT) title, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, and has made appearances on many national TV shows.

Jennifer Tilly Husband

She was previously married to Sam Simon from 1984 until 1991. Sam was an American television producer and animal rights activist best known for developing and producing The Simpsons. They remained friends after the divorce. As of 2018, Tilly received 30% net proceeds that Simon’s estate received from the show. She has ascribed these funds to what allows her to be picky about her roles.

After being diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer in late 2012, Sam died at the age of 59 in his Los Angeles home from complications of the disease on March 8, 2015. He organized his fortune to be left to various charitable causes.

Jennifer Tilly Net Worth

Tilly has an estimated net worth of approximately $40 Million which she has earned through being an actress and professional poker player.

Jennifer Tilly Bride of Chucky

Tilly rose to widespread fame when she portrayed Tiffany Valentine in Bride of Chucky in 1998, recurring the role in multiple more installments of the Child’s Play film series including Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and Cult of Chucky as well as Syfy/USA’s Chucky from 2021 to 2024.

Tiffany is the former girlfriend of Charles Lee Ray (Chucky) who is obsessed with resurrecting him after his death. In this magnitude, she does a voodoo ritual to resurrect him and puts his soul in a doll. After arguing with him, he murders her and transfers her soul to another doll. In this way, they go on a trip to Hackensack, New Jersey where Chucky’s human remains are so that they can acquire the Heart of Damballa (a voodoo amulet). Tilly’s performance in Bride of Chucky won her a Saturn Best Actress Award nomination and a Fantafestival Best Actress Award in 2000.

Jennifer Tilly Liar Liar

Tilly starred as Samantha Cole in Liar Liar in 1997. Samantha is a client of Fletcher Reede(Jim Carrey). A gold digger, she seeks a profitable divorce settlement from her husband, Richard Cole, and seeks custody of their children so that she can get more money. Things start going awry when Fletcher is magically cursed to tell the truth for one day, making it difficult to defend her in court.

Jennifer Tilly Instagram

Tilly has an active Instagram account that has over 1M followers. CLICK to view.

Jennifer Tilly Education

Tilly studied at Belmont Secondary School where she developed an interest in Theater. This pushed her to actively partake in plays as an extra with the help of her mother. She then joined Stephens College in Missouri where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Theater.

Jennifer Tilly Career

Tilly gained minor roles and had a recurring guest role on Hill Street Blues as Gina Srignoli in 1983. She also starred as Candi Pearson on an episode of Cheers SN 4 and played a similar character on Frasier SN 11. She starred as Garry’s girlfriend on Showtime’s It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. Further, she joined the cast of Key West as a high-end prostitute. In 1989, she had a big role in Let It Ride. However, her breakthrough came when she briefly portrayed a waitress who miserably fails when auditioning to be a singer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. Steve Kloves wrote the character with her in mind.

In 1994, Tilly won an Academy Best Supporting Actress Award for starring as Olive Neal in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway. That same year, she had a minor role in The Getaway opposite Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. In 1996, she starred as a lesbian in the Wachowskis’ Bound. The following year, she starred as Samantha Cole in Liar Liar. In 2000, she played the role of a part-time dominatrix and stripper in Dancing at the Blue Iguana. The following year, she starred as Louella Parsons in The Cat’s Meow.

Tilly gained more popularity starring as serial killer Tiffany Valentine in multiple Child’s Play horror movie series. Her character was first introduced in Bride of Chucky followed by appearances in Seed of Chucky,  Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky, and the Chucky TV series. In Seed of Chucky, she plays two roles including voicing Tiffany and an exaggerated version of herself. These performances won her nominations for the Fangoria Chainsaw Best Actress Award and the MTV Movie Best Scared-As-Shit Performance Award. She recurs the role in each subsequent appearance.

2001 to 2009

In 2001, Tilly played the role of Crystal Allen in the Broadway revival of The Women. The following year, she starred as Fanny Minafer in The Magnificent Ambersons. She voices Bonnie Swanson, the Griffin family’s neighbor, in Family Guy. She has had voice roles in Monsters, Inc., Stuart Little, Home on the Range, and Hey Arnold! She stars as Madame Leota in Disney’s The Haunted Mansion. Active in theatre, she won a Theater World Award for her role in One Shoe Off.

Tilly starred in Out of Practice opposite Henry Winkler and Stockard Channing. In around 2006, she began splitting her time between her film career and professional poker. By the end of 2008, she had resumed her TV and film career. In 2009, she debuted in a Chinese film as Mrs. Landdeck in Empire of Silver.

Return to Broadway to present;

In 2012, she returned to Broadway, appearing in Don’t Dress for Dinner which won her a nomination for an Audience Choice Award. The following year, she starred in Grasses of a Thousand Colors which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2009. The play later moved to the Joseph Papp Theater in 2013. She had a regular role in Celebrity Autobiography. A 2024 announcement revealed that she would appear in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the housewives during the fourteenth season.

Poker career

Tilly’s father was a gambler and a poker player. He gave her the World Series of Poker video game. Next, her boyfriend taught her the real game by her boyfriend when she moved to Hollywood. She beat 600 players in the Ladies’ No-Limit Texas Hold ’em event, earning a World Series of Poker bracelet and $158,625 on June 27, 2005. She then won the 3rd World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament d at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens on September 1, 2005.

Tilly made an appearance in the GSN Poker Royale series and played in the Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo, securing 3rd place after Bravo’s Ida Siconolfi beat her. Additionally, was involved with the Poker After Dark show. In 2007, she appeared in the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions Edition video game with her boyfriend.

Retirement

During a TV interview in 2005, Tilly said that she was more interested in pursuing poker than acting at one point in her life. By December 2008, she shared that she would retire from poker as a career, elaborating that she wasn’t giving up poker entirely but she’d treat it more like a hobby and less like a career. In January 2010, she resumed her poker career. She won a 2014 PokerListings’ Spirit of Poker Living Legend Award nomination. As of July 2019, her live tournament winnings surpassed $1 million.

Jennifer Tilly Movies and TV Shows

Tilly has starred in several movies and TV shows during her career such as

• No Small Affair
• Moving Violations
• Inside Out
• Key West
• Bella Mafia
• Scruff
• He’s My Girl
• Remote Control
• Johnny Be Good
• Rented Lips
• High Spirits
• Shadow of the Wolf
• Made in America
• Embrace of the Vampire
• Do Not Disturb
• Dancing at the Blue Iguana
• Jericho Mansions
• Perfect Opposites
• Love on the Side
• The Civilization of Maxwell Bright
• Bart Got a Room
• An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong
• Empire of Silver
• The Making of Plus One
• Monsters at Work
• Return to Babylon
• The Secret Lives of Dorks
• A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits
• Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror
• Ray Meets Helen
• 7 Days to Vegas
• High Holiday
• The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula