Elizabeth Berkley (born July 28, 1972)[a] is an American actress,
philanthropist and producer. Berkley's most notable roles were as
Jessie Spano in the television series Saved by the Bell, and as Nomi
Malone in the 1995 Paul Verhoeven film Showgirls.Berkley was born and
raised in Farmington Hills, a community located among Detroit's
northern suburbs in the affluent Oakland County, Michigan. She is the
daughter of Jere, a gift basket business owner, and Fred Berkley, a
lawyer. She has an older brother, Jason. Berkley's family is Jewish.
She was raised in a Conservative Judaism household, and had a bat
mitzvah. Berkley was born with heterochromia, the condition of
differently colored irises; her right eye is half green and half
brown, and her left eye is all green. She also has a mole on her
forehead which she covers with camouflage makeup, saying it led to
name-calling while growing up. She graduated in 1990 from North
Farmington High School in Farmington Hills after previously having
attended the Cranbrook Kingswood School, a private school in
Bloomfield Hills.[citation needed]From a young age she danced, and she
practiced in a room that her parents arranged for her in the basement
of their house. She auditioned for the lead role in the film Annie,
but was turned down. As her love for dancing increased, she became
more interested in pursuing it professionally, traveling to New York
to train with other dancers and choreographers. She began to take part
in several ballets, including Swan Lake and in 1983 she appeared in
some musicals.
philanthropist and producer. Berkley's most notable roles were as
Jessie Spano in the television series Saved by the Bell, and as Nomi
Malone in the 1995 Paul Verhoeven film Showgirls.Berkley was born and
raised in Farmington Hills, a community located among Detroit's
northern suburbs in the affluent Oakland County, Michigan. She is the
daughter of Jere, a gift basket business owner, and Fred Berkley, a
lawyer. She has an older brother, Jason. Berkley's family is Jewish.
She was raised in a Conservative Judaism household, and had a bat
mitzvah. Berkley was born with heterochromia, the condition of
differently colored irises; her right eye is half green and half
brown, and her left eye is all green. She also has a mole on her
forehead which she covers with camouflage makeup, saying it led to
name-calling while growing up. She graduated in 1990 from North
Farmington High School in Farmington Hills after previously having
attended the Cranbrook Kingswood School, a private school in
Bloomfield Hills.[citation needed]From a young age she danced, and she
practiced in a room that her parents arranged for her in the basement
of their house. She auditioned for the lead role in the film Annie,
but was turned down. As her love for dancing increased, she became
more interested in pursuing it professionally, traveling to New York
to train with other dancers and choreographers. She began to take part
in several ballets, including Swan Lake and in 1983 she appeared in
some musicals.
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