Jennifer Rhodes (born Janice Wilson, August 17, 1947) is an American actress.
, jennifer-rhodes.com; accessed August 15, 2015.

Life and career

The daughter of Bennie and Clara Wilson, she was born and grew up in

Rosiclare, Illinois Rosiclare is a city in Hardin County, Illinois, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,160 at the 2010 census, down from 1,213 at the 2000 census. History Some of the earliest settlers of the Rosicare area were outlaws mainly counterfeiters ...

and became interested in theater while attending

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

and moved to New York City soon after graduating. She studied acting and began getting cast for theatre roles. After marrying Jordan Rhodes, she eventually moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

where she stopped acting for a while because she felt, as a stage actress, she didn't know very much about acting for television or movie roles. She eventually auditioned successfully for commercials roles, later moving on to television and film. Rhodes' first credited role was in the 1960s television series ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions ...

'' as the character Tanea. In 1980, she played a press secretary on a made-for-TV movie about

Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

. In 1988, she appeared in the

New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...

film ''

Heathers ''Heathers'' is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, and ...

'' as

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

's mother. She appeared on the following select series: '' Fame, Matlock,

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

, Knots Landing,

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason ...

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...

Red Shoe Diaries ''Red Shoe Diaries'' is an American anthology erotic drama series that aired on Showtime cable network from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas. It is a spinoff of an earlier film by the same name, also directed by Za ...

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...

, ER,

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, Murphy Brown, 3rd Rock from the Sun,

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers, ...

, Friends,

Popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

, The Agency,'' and ''

Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school in the Boston Public Schools district. It feature ...

''. She also appeared on the Disney Channel's ''

The Suite Life on Deck ''The Suite Life on Deck'' is an American teen sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''. The series follows twin b ...

''. Rhodes may be best known as Penny "Grams" Halliwell on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

series '' Charmed'', where she starred as the ghost of the Charmed Ones's grandmother and the tough-as-nails

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general En ...

of the Halliwell clan. Although not a regular she did appear frequently throughout all 8 seasons of the original series. Her first regular series role was in '' Nightingales'' as the character Effie Gardner.

Marriage

She married Jordan Rhodes and later moved to Los Angeles from New York City with him. The marriage ended in divorce. She never remarried and has no children.

Filmography

Film

* ''Stand Up and Be Counted'' (1972) - (uncredited) * ''Big Rose: Double Trouble'' (1974, TV Movie) * ''

The Towering Inferno ''The Towering Inferno'' is a 1974 American disaster film directed by John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen, featuring an ensemble cast led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was adapted by Stirling Silliphant from the novels '' The Towe ...

'' (1974) - Janet - Secretary (uncredited) * ''

The Death of Richie ''The Death of Richie'' is a 1977 American made-for-television drama film based on ''Richie'', a non-fiction book by Thomas Thompson about the 1972 death of George Richard "Richie" Diener Jr. at the hands of his father, who was ultimately not ch ...

'' (1977, TV Movie) - Elaine * ''Red Light in the White House'' (1977) - Carrie Russell * '' Night Creature'' (1978) - Georgia * '' Halloween'' (1978) - Psych Ward Nurse (uncredited) * ''Sketches of a Strangler'' (1978) - Eileen * ''

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

'' (1981, TV Movie) - Press Secretary * ''I'm Going to Be Famous'' (1983) * ''

Ghost Fever ''Ghost Fever'' is a 1987 horror-comedy film directed by Lee Madden and written by Oscar Brodney. The film stars Sherman Hemsley, Luis Ávalos, Jennifer Rhodes, Deborah Benson, Diana Brookes and Myron Healey. The film was released on March 27, 19 ...

'' (1986) - Madame St. Esprit * '' The Eleventh Commandment'' (1986) * ''

Body Count A body count is the total number of people killed in a particular event. In combat, a body count is often based on the number of confirmed kills, but occasionally only an estimate. Often used in reference to military combat, the term can also r ...

'' (1987, TV Movie) * ''

Slumber Party Massacre II ''Slumber Party Massacre II'' is a 1987 American black comedy slasher film written and directed by Deborah Brock, and produced by Roger Corman. It is the second installment in the original ''Slumber Party Massacre'' trilogy, and stars Crystal B ...

'' (1987) - Mrs. Bates * ''

'' (1988) - Veronica's Mom * '' Nightingales'' (1988, TV Series) - Effie Gardner * ''Twenty Dollar Star'' (1990) - Renee * ''Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up'' (1992) - Brook's Landlady * ''Exiled in America'' (1992) - Sister Mary Catherine * ''The Baby Doll Murders'' (1993) - Mrs. Landers * ''There Was a Little Boy'' (1993, TV Movie) - Dr. Blum * '' Doorways'' (1993, TV Movie) - Mother * ''

Night of the Demons 2 ''Night of the Demons 2'' is a 1994 American horror film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring Amelia Kinkade, Cristi Harris, Rick Peters, Jennifer Rhodes and Christine Taylor. It is the sequel to '' Night of the Demons'' and was release ...

'' (1994) - Sister Gloria * ''Killing Obsession'' (1994) - Ella * ''Skeletons'' (1997, TV Movie) - Mrs. Gallway * ''The Killers Within'' (1997) - Hanna * ''Cold Case'' (1997, TV Movie) - Miranda Allison * ''Chasing Tchaikovsky'' (2007) - Mrs. Winnington * ''

Let the Game Begin ''Let the Game Begin'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy from Twisted Light Productions, directed by Amit Gupta. The film stars '' CSI: Miami'' actor Adam Rodriguez and Stephen Baldwin. The film was released in Australia on May 5, 2010, and was ...

'' (2010) - Hope * ''

Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

'' (2010, TV Movie) - Judge * ''Dispatch'' (2011) - Mrs. Gordon * '' The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone'' (2013) - Ms. Sally * '' Lovesick'' (2013) - Mother

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Jennifer Living people American film actresses American television actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Illinois People from Hardin County, Illinois 1947 births 21st-century American women