Bio: Elizabeth Berkley was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to Jere, a gift basket business owner and Fred Berkley, a lawyer. She has an older brother, Jason (b. 1969). Her family is Jewish. By five, she was taking tap and jazz classes with Barbara Fink and ballet classes at Detroit Dance Company. She danced "Swan Lake" with principals from the American Ballet Theatre and for five years she performed in the NYC Ballet's holiday production of "The Nutcracker" in Detroit. Roles in community theatre followed in such plays as "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", "Gypsy" and "Eleemosynary". She placed as a finalist at the "Look of the Year" contest promoted by Elite Agency. At 13 she began modeling for Elite's New York division and that led to print work and TV commercials.Her first on-screen job was a small part in Gimme a Break! (1981), followed by a leading role in the critically acclaimed short Platinum Blonde (1988) and a supporting part in the TV movie Frog (1988). In 1988 her family eventually relocated to California to let Elizabeth pursuing a career in Hollywood. After guest roles in series like TV 101 (1988) and Day by Day (1988), she landed a regular role in Saved by the Bell (1989). After four seasons and a TV movie, she left the show to try to break into features films. In 1994, after several roles in television and straight-to-video films, she booked the coveted role of Nomi Malone in Showgirls (1995). Unexpectedly, the much-anticipated film bombed at the box office and was destroyed by critics. After leaving CAA, she signed with United Talent Agency and began rebuilding her film career with some small roles in major films (The First Wives Club (1996) and Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday (1999)) and leading parts in quality indies (including Taxman (1998) and The Real Blonde (1997)).In 1999 she played Lenny Bruce's wife in the acclaimed West End production of "Lenny", directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Eddie Izzard. Her performance in Dylan Kidd's Roger Dodger (2002), released in 2002 after a successful festival tour, impressed the critics. The box-office hit "Sly Fox" marked her Broadway debut in 2004 but it was her performance in the Off-Broadway production "Hurlyburly" (directed by Scott Elliott and co-starring Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey and Wallace Shawn) that earned her the best reviews of her career and a public apology from The New York Times.She appeared for several seasons in the hit series CSI: Miami (2002) as Julia Winston, and in the final season of Showtime's The L Word (2004). Thanks to television syndication of Saved by the Bell (1989), Elizabeth is a favorite among a whole new generation of teen girls. Elizabeth has been making life-changing connections with these girls over the past seven years through Ask Elizabeth, her not-for-profit organization that includes self-esteem workshops she facilitates as a volunteer in schools and for youth organizations, a thriving website (ask-elizabeth.com) that hosts digital content as a way to be of continued service to girls and, most recently, her book "Ask Elizabeth" (published by Penguin), which made The New York Times' best-seller list. This nationwide movement has affected the lives of over 100,000 girls and counting. She was also a featured contributor on Oprah.com, bridging the communication gap between mothers and daughters.Berkley is married to artist Greg Lauren and the couple has one son, Sky Cole Lauren, born in 2012. She is 5'10", and she has been a vegetarian her entire life. She enjoys yoga, dancing and singing. She attended UCLA where she studied English Literature. Berkley is active in numerous outreach programs including dance classes for young teens and physically and mentally challenged youth; volunteer work with the elderly at the Motion Pictures Home for the Aging; Women's Cancer Research Fund, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and the Humane Society.
Tivia: Has different colored eyes: right eye is half green and half brown and left eye is green. This condition is known as Partial Heterochromia.Has started her own website, www.ask-elizabeth.com, which helps young girls and young women with the problems they deal with and their experiences growing up. (2006)Once sat next to a man on an international flight who watched Showgirls (1995) on his in-seat video screen and never recognized her.After Showgirls (1995), she got a degree in English Literature from UCLA and entered into the United Talent Agency.In 2006, she founded a self help group for young girls called Ask Elizabeth, in which she helps girls discuss problems and ask questions to each other which they would usually feel uncomfortable sharing with others.The producers of Saved by the Bell (1989) created the role of Jessie Spano for her when they could not choose between her and Tiffani Thiessen for the role of Kelly Kapowski.Her husband, Greg Lauren, began his artist career as a painter. He later became a successful fashion designer. Elizabeth and Greg met each other in a dance class in 2000, introduced by mutual friend Ele Keats.Auditioned for the film Annie (1982), but was turned down because she was too tall.Was advised by her manager not to do Roger Dodger (2002). She ignored him and decided to do the film because she loved the script.Good friends with Jennifer Beals. They each appeared in a Joe Eszterhas-written film (Berkley: Showgirls (1995); Beals: Flashdance (1983)), and they appeared together in Roger Dodger (2002) and The L World.Married Greg Lauren at the Esperanza Hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Ralph Lauren (Greg's uncle) designed Elizabeth's dress--a silk sheath with pearled spaghetti straps--and Greg wore a white tuxedo jacket and black bow tie.Gave birth to her 1st child at age 37, a son Sky Cole Lauren on July 20, 2012. Child's father is her husband, Greg Lauren.Attended the prestigious Cranbrook-Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, at the same time as actress Selma Blair. Another former student was Jaime Ray Newman.Good friends with Carla Gugino.Her family is Ashkenazi Jewish (from Russia, Poland, and Austria). Her grandfather changed his surname from Berkowitz to Berkley.Her first book, entitled "Ask Elizabeth: Real Answers to Everything You Secretly Wanted to Ask About Love, Friends, Your Body... and Life in General", was released on March 22, 2011. It ties in with the self help program she founded in 2006.1997: Donned a $600 form-fitting gown made entirely of collard greens for the "Lettuce Be Lean" campaign sponsored by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. According to "People Weekly", a source claims "she had to be misted every 20 minutes, like a produce section".Auditioned for the role of Rennie in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), but lost out to Jensen Daggett.In the early 1990s, a 12-inch doll was made of her as her character, Jessie Spano, from Saved by the Bell (1989). The same was done for the other cast members.Good friends with Ele Keats, who was her roommate while filming the TV movie White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild (1996) in Idaho. Keats eventually introduced her to her future husband Greg Lauren during a dance class in 2000 and was a bridesmaid at their wedding in 2003.Getting great reviews for her performance as "Bonnie" in the Off-Broadway production of "Hurlyburly", New York. (June 2005)Good friends with Lauren Bush Lauren.Has an older brother, Jason.Attended Warner Middle School in Farmington Hills, Michigan. This is also the junior high school where actors Sam Logan Khaleghi and Brandon T. Jackson attended, although years later.