Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress. She has had roles in the films ''

Cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

'' (1988), ''

Red Heat The practice of using colours to determine the temperature of a piece of (usually) ferrous metal comes from blacksmithing. Long before thermometers were widely available it was necessary to know what state the metal was in for heat treating it a ...

'' (1988), '' Showgirls'' (1995), '' Bound'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' The Insider'' (1999), '' Demonlover'' (2002), '' P.S. I Love You'' (2007), '' Five Minarets in New York'' (2010), '' Killer Joe'' (2011) and '' House of Versace'' (2013). She has also had supporting roles in FX's '' Rescue Me'' and HBO's '' How to Make It in America''. She portrayed Gladys Jones on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

teen drama series '' Riverdale''.

Early life

Gershon was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, to Mickey Gershon (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Koppel), an interior decorator, and Stan Gershon, who worked in the import-export business and sales. She was raised in a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in Los Angeles's

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

. She has an older brother and an older sister. Gershon went to Collier Street Elementary School and Woodland Hills Academy (formerly Parkman Junior High). She attended Beverly Hills High School and started acting at the age of 14. After graduating from high school in 1980, she moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to attend

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

. She transferred to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, and graduated with a BFA in drama and psychology/philosophy in 1983. She has said she always wanted to be an actress, but her career began in music and dance.

Career

Theatre

Gershon attended the Circle in the Square Professional Theater School in New York, working first with David Mamet and later with Harold Guskin and Sandra Seacat, whom she has described in interviews as "a huge influence." Her first professional acting was in stage productions of ''Camille'' and ''The Substance of Fire''. She is one of the founding members of the New York-based theater group Naked Angels. She has appeared on Broadway three times: as Sally Bowles in the revival of ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

''; in the revival of the sex farce '' Boeing-Boeing''; and as Rosie Alvarez in the 2010 revival of '' Bye Bye Birdie'' at the Roundabout Theatre Company.

Film

Her break came with a

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televi ...

in ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'' (1986), which led to more substantial roles in '' Sweet Revenge'' with Nancy Allen, ''

'' with

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

and Elisabeth Shue, and John Sayles' urban drama '' City of Hope'' (1991). Also in 1991, she appeared in the action film Out for Justice opposite Steven Seagal, where she played Patti Madano, sister of the film's villain, Richie Madano ( William Forsythe). Gershon also worked in television, with a recurring role on ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, i ...

'' playing a prostitute working for a Heidi Fleiss-esque Hollywood

madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ''madam ...

. In 1996 she played Corky, an

ex-con A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convic ...

who gets mixed up in an affair with Violet (played by Jennifer Tilly) in the mobster flick '' Bound''. In 1997 she co-starred with

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...

and Nicolas Cage in '' Face/Off''. Gershon is regarded as a

gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon of some members of the LGBT community. The most widely recognized gay icons are often actresses and singers who garnered large LGBT fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Madonna, Diana Ros ...

for her roles in movies such as ''Bound'' (in which she played a butch lesbian), '' Prey for Rock & Roll'', and '' Showgirls'' (in which she played a

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

showgirl, and which is regarded as a

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

classic). She was ranked #51 on the '' Maxim'' Hot 100 Women of 2004. In 2011, Gershon appeared alongside Matthew McConaughey in '' Killer Joe'', a dark comedy/thriller featuring director William Friedkin. In 2017, Gershon starred in ''

Bad Kids of Crestview Academy ''Bad Kids of Crestview Academy'' is a 2017 American action comedy thriller film directed by Ben Browder. It is a sequel to the 2012 film ''Bad Kids Go to Hell''. The screenplay was written by Barry Wernick and James R. Hallam. It is based on We ...

'' directed by Ben Browder, '' Lost Cat Corona'' directed by Anthony Tarsitano, the romantic comedy-drama '' Permission'' opposite

Dan Stevens Daniel Jonathan Stevens (born 10 October 1982) is a British actor and writer. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series '' Downton Abbey'' (2010–2012). He also starred as ...

and Rebecca Hall directed by Brian Crano, Gershon co-starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the thriller '' Inconceivable'',

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by Jonathan Baker, That same year, she starred in ''

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

'' directed by Martin Guigui revolving around the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Luis Guzmán and

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

. The film was panned by critics and faced controversy for Sheen's history with the 911 Truth movement, a

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

. Gershon stated she was unaware of Sheen's comments during production of the film and would have spoken with Sheen and Guigui before agreeing to star. In 2018, Gershon starred in the adventure drama '' American Dresser'' directed by Carmine Cangialosi, which was critically panned. Gershon then starred in the drama film ''

After Everything ''After Everything'' (also known as ''Eternal Love'' (UK); originally titled ''Shotgun'') is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Hannah Marks and Joey Power. It stars Jeremy Allen White, Maika Monroe, DeRon Horton, Sasha L ...

'' directed by Hannah Marks and Joey Power, opposite Maika Monroe and Jeremy Allen White. The film had its world premiere at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

in March 2018, and was released in October 2018, to critical acclaim. She also had a small role in comedy '' Blockers'' directed by

Kay Cannon Kay Cannon (born August 22, 1974) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actress. She is best known for writing and producing the ''Pitch Perfect'' film series (2012–2017). She made her directorial debut with the comedy film '' ...

, which was released on April 6, 2018, to critical and commercial success. In 2020, Gershon starred in the sports film '' Cagefighter: Worlds Collide'' directed by Jesse Quinones. Gershon next starred in ''

Rifkin's Festival ''Rifkin's Festival'' is a 2020 comedy film, written and directed by Woody Allen. An American-Spanish-Italian co-production, it stars Wallace Shawn, Elena Anaya, Louis Garrel, Gina Gershon, Sergi López, and Christoph Waltz. It premiered a ...

'' directed by

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

. Following backlash for starring in the film, Gershon defended her decision to star in the film stating: "I don't believe that to be true. You should really do all of the research and read all of the articles before believing that. It's really important to make up your own mind and not go by what the masses claim. I've done extensive research and I can say with very clear conscience that I'm so happy to be working with him. This man is not a sexual predator." Gershon also called working on the film "a dream come true". Gershon will also star in ''With/In'' an anthology film set during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

directing from a screenplay she wrote.

TV and online work

She portrayed Nancy Barbato,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

's 1st wife in the made-for-TV biopic '' Sinatra'', in 1992. Gershon next had a recurring role on ''

'' playing a prostitute working for a Heidi Fleiss-esque Hollywood

. Gershon made a guest appearance as herself on ''

The Larry Sanders Show ''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO ...

''. Gershon next starred in the lead role of Glenn Hall in ABC's detective series '' Snoops'' created by David E. Kelley, which was cancelled after one season. Gershon has made numerous guest and recurring appearances on various shows including HBO's comedy series ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is an American television sitcom produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000, and created by Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. It follows David's life as a semi-retired televi ...

'', FX's comedy-drama '' Rescue Me'', ABC's ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...

'',

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

's ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened obser ...

'', A recurring role on HBO's '' How to Make It in America''. Gershon voiced the role of Six in the adult animation series ''

Tripping the Rift ''Tripping the Rift'' is an adult CGI science fiction comedy television series. It is based on two short animations published on the Internet by Chris Moeller and Chuck Austen. The series was produced by CineGroupe in association with the Syfy n ...

''. Gershon also voiced the role of

Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she is ...

in the 2007 animated series ''

The Batman Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman or The Batman may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Characters * Batman (Terry McGinnis) * Batman (Thomas Wayne) * Batman (Earth-Two) * Bat ...

''. From 2017 to 2018, Gershon voiced the role of Langwidere in '' Lost in Oz''. In 2013, Gershon starred in the television film '' House of Versace'' as Donatella Versace, which premiered on Lifetime. Gershon's performance earned praise from fashion critic Cathy Horyn. That same year, Gershon began starring in the Crackle action series '' Cleaners''. In 2015, Gershon made a guest appearance on '' Glee'' in the sixth and final season as Blaine's mother. From 2015 to 2017, Gershon had a recurring role on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

's ''

Red Oaks The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...

''. She also appeared in two episodes of '' Elementary''. That same year, Gershon had a recurring role on ''

Z Nation ''Z Nation'' is an American horror television series that aired on Syfy, created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, and was produced by The Asylum. The first season of 13 episodes premiered on September 12, 2014. ''Z Nation'' was filmed in the ...

''. In 2016, Gershon guest starred on ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

''. In 2017, Gershon guest starred on the HBO comedy series '' Crashing''. That same year, Gershon had a recurring role in ''

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural comedy television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Da ...

'' as the villainous Lt. Melanie Hawkins. Gershon was cast in the E! dark comedy pilot ''#Fashionvictim'' opposite Willa Fitzgerald, which was not picked up to series. Since 2018, Gershon has had a recurring role on

drama '' Riverdale'' portraying the role of Jughead Jones's mother, Gladys. That same year, Gershon made a guest appearance on '' Younger''. In 2020, Gershon had a recurring role on ''

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

''. Gershon has appeared in two videos on FunnyorDie.com parodying former Republican vice presidential nominee

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

, titled "Gina Gershon Strips Down Sarah Palin", and "Gina Gershon Does Sarah Palin 2". In 2016, Gershon parodied Melania Trump in a Funny or Die video "A Message from Melania Trump". Gershon additionally has played Trump on an episode of ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'', An Off-Broadway play, "The 1st Annual Trump Family Special". and in an episode of CBS All Access's ''

The Good Fight ''The Good Fight'' is an American legal drama produced for CBS's streaming service CBS All Access (later Paramount+). It is the platform's first original scripted series. The series, created by Robert King, Michelle King, and Phil Alden Robinso ...

''.

Music

Gershon played Jaw harp on " I Can't Decide", a song on the Scissor Sisters 2006 release ''

Ta-Dah ''Ta-Dah'' is the second studio album by American alternative band Scissor Sisters, released on September 15, 2006. It was produced by the band and includes collaborations with Elton John, Carlos Alomar, and Paul Williams. The album debuted at n ...

''. She also played Jaw harp on the song "I Do It For Your Love",

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

's collaboration with

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

on his album '' Possibilities'', in a duo with bassist Christian McBride on the song "Chitlins and Gefiltefish", on McBride's 2011 album '' Conversations with Christian'', and on "Maria" from her album ''In Search of Cleo''. She had a

cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr ( bass guitar), Elliot Easton ( lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboar ...

1984 music video " Hello Again" alongside

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

, and appeared in

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male R ...

's music video "Again".

Books

Gershon and her brother Dan are the authors of the children's book ''Camp Creepy Time''. Gershon's first book written for adults, ''In Search of Cleo: How I Found My Pussy and Lost My Mind'', is the true story of the hunt for her runaway cat and was released on October 11, 2012.

Personal life

From 2015 to 2018, Gershon was in a relationship with Belgian entrepreneur and former footballer, Robert Dekeyser.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Music

Podcast

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gershon, Gina 1962 births Actresses from Los Angeles American women singers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American women writers Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni Emerson College alumni Jewish American actresses Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Tisch School of the Arts alumni