Who Exactly Is Jami Gertz?
Jami Gertz is a Primetime Emmy-nominated American actress and businesswoman best known for recurring parts in popular comedies such as “Still Standing” and “The Neighbors.” She is also well-known for her roles in films such as “Crossroads” (1986), “The Lost Boys” (1987), and “Undercover Christmas” (2003), as well as being a co-owner of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Atlanta Hawks with her millionaire husband Tony Ressler.
Childhood, Family, And Education
Jami Gertz(Pinterest)Jami Beth Gertz was born on October 28, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois, as the third of three children to Sharyn and Walter Gertz. She is of American nationality, white ethnicity, and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, and has two brothers named Michael and Scott.
She graduated from Maine East High School in 1983 and then went on to study acting at New York University.
Career
When Norman Lear found Jami at the age of 13, she was thrust into the world of acting. Her acting debut was in the 1981 romantic comedy film “On the Right Track,” followed by a brief role in the Oscar-nominated drama film “Endless Love.” Her small-screen breakthrough came in 1982 when she was cast as Muffy Tepperman in the TV comedy series “Square Pegs,” a position she held until 1983.
Gertz starred in the TV comedy series “The Facts of Life” between 1983 and 1984, which led to her appearance in the romantic comedy film “Sixteen Candles.” Later the same year, she debuted as Martha Spino in the TV series “Dreams,” and in 1986, she had her first leading part in the suspense film “Quicksilver.”
Her breakthrough as an actress came in 1986 when she played Frances in the musical drama film “Crossroads.” Just a year later, she played Star in the 1987 horror comedy picture “The Lost Boys,” which became one of her most memorable supporting performances.
Jami played Lily Ruscio in the TV comedy series “Sibs” from 1991 to 1992. She landed the role of Dr. Melissa Reeves in the two-time Oscar-nominated thriller film “Twister” in 1996. Despite the film’s excellent reviews, Gertz received The Stinkers Bad Movie Award for Worst Supporting Actress in 1996, as well as a nomination for the ugly Golden Raspberry Award (popularly referred to as Razzie).
In 1997, Jami supposedly turned down the part of Rachel Green in the TV sitcom “Friends” to play Dr. Nina Pomerantz in the Golden Globe-winning medical drama series “ER.”
She performed the recurrent character of Kimmy Bishop in the TV legal comedy-drama series “Ally McBeal” from 2000 and 2002, for which she received a nomination for the prestigious Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Jami entered the spotlight in 2002, when she was cast as one of the key characters in the CBS TV sitcom “Still Standing” – as Judith ‘Judy’ Miller, she appeared in a total of 88 episodes across the show’s four seasons before it was canceled in 2006.
Later the same year, she participated in the comedy film “Keeping Up with the Steins,” and she played Marlo Klein in the TV comedy-drama series “Entourage” from 2009 to 2010.
Jami Gertz rose to fame in 2012 when she was cast in the lead role of Debbie Weaver in ABC TV’s Sci-Fi sitcom “The Neighbors,” a position she held until the show’s cancellation in 2014. Her most recent on-screen appearance was in an episode of the TV comedy series “Difficult People” in 2017.
Personal Life
Jami first met Tony Ressler in 1986, when she was 21 years old, and was introduced to him by her publicist, Susan Geller. They started dating after supper at his apartment – “a brunch and a dozen roses.” The pair married on June 16, 1989, after three years of cultivating their relationship. They had three sons together: Oliver Jordan in 1992, Nicholas Simon in 1995, and Theo in 1998.
Jami purportedly dated several renowned stars from the film industry before marrying Tony, including Steven Seagal, Sylvester Stallone, and John Cusack.
Anthony P. ‘Tony’ Ressler was born in the United States on October 12, 1960, as one of five children to Dorothy and Ira Ressler. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He also attended Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, where he got a Master of Business Administration degree. After working for the investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert, Tony founded his own private equity business, Apollo Global Management, in 1990.
He also co-founded Ares Management, L.P., asset management, and real estate company.
Since 2015, he and his wife have split ownership of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, which they purchased for $730 million.
Net Worth
Jami Gertz(Pinterest)According to authoritative sources, Jami Gertz’s net worth as of mid-2020 is projected to be around $2 billion, obtained through her prominent acting career as well as her marriage to an American businessman Tony Ressler, whose wealth is currently valued at $2.9 billion.