Jenny Lewis is a singer, songwriter, musician, and actress who was born in Las Vegas on January 8, 1976. As an actress, she is best known for her roles in the television series ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ and the films ‘Troop Beverley Hills’ and ‘The Wizard’. In the music industry, Lewis performs as a solo artist as well as the lead singer of ‘Rilo Kiley’ and a member of both ‘Postal Service’ and ‘Jenny & Johnny’. Although she is well known as both an actress and a singer, there are plenty of things that people do not know about this performer. Here are 10 interesting facts you didn’t know about Jenny Lewis.
1. Her Parents Were Also Performers
Lewis comes from a performing background as both her parents were entertainers. Her mother, Linda, was a professional singer. Her father, Eddie Gordon, was a singer and a musician. Before her birth and during her early childhood, Lewis’ parents performed as a duo in a Las Vegas lounge. Her father was later a member of the ‘Harmonica Gang’. Her parents separated when she was a young child and she saw very little of her father growing up.
2. She Appeared in Commercials as a Child
Jenny Lewis began her career in entertainment as a child, and her first jobs were commercials. Some of the commercials in which she appeared included ads for Kellogg’s Corn Pops, Toys ‘R’Us, Baby Skates dolls, Barbie, General Mills’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the Black & Decker Popcorn Maker. This led to her being cast as one of Lucy’s grandchildren in ‘Life with Lucy’ with Lucille Ball, and many other small roles in television series. Lewis did not appear in films until 1989 when she had roles in both ‘The Wizard’ and ‘Troop Beverley Hills’.
3. She Loved Working in Hollywood
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jenny Lewis said that she loved being on Hollywood sets when she was growing up. This was only partly because of the acting experience as it was more about the set feeling like her home and family. Her father was absent from her life and her home life was unsettled, so Lewis liked the feeling of being part of something that she got while on set. Whenever she had an actor playing her father, she would imagine that they were her real father.
4. Her Mother Was a Heroin Addict
Lewis’ mother was a heroin addict, and Lewis has many memories of her mother cooking up drugs and dealing from their home throughout her childhood. Her mother’s drug addiction led to her developing hepatitis C which was left untreated leading to liver cancer, from which her mother died. Her mother also suffered from mental health problems. Lewis reconciled with her mother shortly before her death, and Jenny spent many hours sitting at her mother’s bedside.
5. She Currently Lives in Los Angeles
Although she is originally from Las Vegas, Jenny Lewis now lives in Los Angeles in the leafy Laurel Canyon district. Her home is a 1940s property that was built by a Disney animator, and it still features many of the original features the animator added to the property, such as hand-painted flowers on the walls, original flagstones, a rose garden, and a koi pool.
6. Lewis Wrote the Score for ‘Very Good Girls’
Not only has Lewis written music for her solo work and for the groups with which she has performed, but she has also written music for films. This has included writing the music score for the film ‘Very Good Girls’, says IMDB. Most of the music she created for this 2013 Tribeca film was original, although she also included the Rilo Kiley track ‘Go Ahead’.
7. She Was in a Relationship with Jonathan Rice
Lewis doesn’t talk much about her personal life, although it is known that she was in a long-term relationship with Scottish-American singer-songwriter Jonathan Rice. The couple was in a relationship for 12 years. During that time, they formed the duo ‘Jenny and Jonny’ and released the album ‘I’m Having Fun Now’. Lewis has not discussed the reason that the relationship ended, but the breakdown of that relationship led to her crashing in a friend’s apartment in New York.
8. Lewis Has Memorabilia from ‘The Wizard’ at Home
At one point, Jenny Lewis was embarrassed by her associations with the 1989 film ‘The Wizard’ in which she appeared during her teens. However, she now has fond memories of the film and even has some of the film memorabilia in her Los Angeles home. When the film was released, it was shown in a movie theater close to where Lewis’ family were living at that time. The movie theater had a promotional cutout featuring Lewis and Savage. Lewis’ mother made her go in and ask if she could keep it, and then her older sister, Leslie, had it put in storage. Years later, her sister had it framed and delivered to Lewis’ home.
9. She Has Worked as a Voice Actress
Although she is now best known for her music, Jenny Lewis originally began her career as an actress appearing in many television series and teen films. She stepped away from her acting career in 1998 after filming ‘Don’s Plum’, which was not released until 2001. She made a brief return to the film industry in 2008 when she provided the voice for the Assistant Director in the Walt Disney Pictures animated film ‘Bolt’. For the same film, she also provided the song ‘Barking at the Moon’.
10. Her Net Worth is $6 Million
Now, Jenny Lewis has an estimated net worth of $6 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She has made this money through a combination of her work as an actress and her varied work in the music industry. As she is still active in the entertainment industry, it is possible that her net worth will continue to increase.
