The American-Canadian actress and professional poker player Jennifer Tilly is the second child of mother Patrica Tilly and father Harry Chan, born on September 16, 1958, in Harbor City, California.
Her father, Harry Cahn, was of Chinese origin and worked as a salesman. Jennifer’s mother, Patrica Tilly, was a school teacher and stage actress.
Key Takeaways
- Tilly’s sister Meg Tilly, a writer and actress, was born on February 14, 1960, and her younger sister Becky Tilly is a painter and poet.
- Tilly used to play poker with her family every Friday night as a fun game.
- Tilly believes her inclination toward playing poker might have been inherited from her father.
When Tilly was five, her mother divorced Harry Cahn and remarried John Ward (Hippie).
Tilly and her siblings were raised on Texada Island, the largest of the Northern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, by her mother, Patrica, and stepfather, John.
Tilly’s ex-husband, Sam Simon, a producer and writer, died on March 8, 2015, at the age of 59. Jennifer and Sam began dating in 1983 and married in 1985. However, she divorced him after seven years of marriage.
Jennifer’s current partner is Phil Laak, an Irish-American professional poker player and poker commentator, born on September 8, 1972, in Dublin, Ireland.
Phil currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Tilly has been in a relationship with him since 2004.
Jennifer Is Hugely Influenced By Her Mother, Patrica, To Pursue an Acting Career
Tilly’s mother, Patrica, inspired all four of her children to love and respect art.
Jenifer Tilly has three siblings. Her older sisters are Meg Tilly and Rebecca Tilly (aka Becky Tilly).
Tilly’s sister Meg Tilly, a writer and actress, was born on February 14, 1960, and her younger sister Becky Tilly is a painter and poet.
Her brother, Steve Tilly, a professional actor, was born on 22 October 1956 in Marin Country, California.
Rather than being a scholar, Tilly was an artistic child. Because of her artistic talent, she regularly experienced bully from her school friends while attending Belmont High School in Canada.
However, her mother hugely inspired her to pursue an acting career. As a kid, she accompanied her mother, Patrica, during theater performances.
She started drifting toward theater during her high school days. Because of Tilly’s inclination toward theater, she actively participated in plays as an extra, with her mother’s assistance.
Birthday celebration for my Mom and my sister Becky who were born on the same day! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/N2SMgvBhhR
— Jennifer Tilly (@JenniferTilly) August 2, 2016
Jennifer, known for her cheerful onscreen persona, has always been interested in performing arts. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
After graduation, she immediately entered the acting field. In New York, she became a part of the theatre scene, but this proved insufficient to provide her with enough bread and butter.
After this big realization, she moved to Los Angeles, which she had avoided for a long time.
Tilly made her TV debut in the short-lived series Boone and her film debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair.
Jennifer caught the spotlight by performing in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway (1994). Tilly, who was cast as Olive in this film, earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
In 2022, actress Jennifer Tilly won the Saturn Award for Best Guest-Starring Performance in a Network/Cable Television Series Chucky TV for the character named Tiffany Valentine.
Tilly’s Pursuit As A Poker Player Is Genetic
The Unabombshell Jenny’s father was a gambler and a poker player. He gave her a video game called the World Series of Poker, which he used to play.
As a sixties kid, Tilly used to play poker with her family every Friday night as a fun game. She further explained that there was no television for entertainment when she was a kid.
Tilly believes her inclination toward playing poker might have been inherited from her father.
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On June 27, 2005, she went to the World Series of Poker for the first time. Fortunately, Tilly won a World Series of Poker Ladies in the Ladies No-limit. She got a gold bracelet and a $158,625 pot.
When she moved to Hollywood, she met her current boyfriend, Phil Laak, a poker player.
Tilly and her boyfriend, Phil, appeared in the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions 2007 Edition video game.
She called out to quit her poker career in 2008 because of its complicated variants despite her addiction.
However, she resumed her career in 2010. In 2014, she was nominated for PokerListings’ Spirit of Poker Living Legend Award.
FAQs
1) How Much Does Jennifer Telly Make By Playing Poker?
Professional poker player Tilly’s winnings are estimated to be over $900,000.
2) Who is Sam Simon?
Sam Simon is well-known for one of the longest-running and most popular TV series ever, “The Simpsons.”
3) Besides Acting And Poker Playing, What Does Jennifer Do?
In addition to acting in theatre and movies, she is a voice actor and has voiced Bonnie Swanson on the popular animated series Family Guy.
