Jill Susan Eikenberry (born January 21, 1947) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey on the NBC drama L.A. Law (1986–94), for which she is a five-time Emmy Award and four-time Golden Globe Award nominee, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 1989. She received an Obie Award in 1986 for the Off-Broadway plays Lemon Sky and Life Under Water, and was nominated for a 2011 Drama Desk Award for the Off-Broadway musical The Kid. Her film appearances include Hide in Plain Sight (1980), Arthur (1981) and The Manhattan Project (1986).
Life and career Eikenberry was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and was raised in Madison, Wisconsin, and St. Joseph and Kansas City, Missouri. She began studies in anthropology at Barnard College of Columbia University, but in her second year she auditioned for and was accepted into the Yale School of Drama.
She met Michael Tucker at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where they appeared together in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail (1970) and Moonchildren (1971), the latter of which transferred to Broadway in 1972. She married Tucker in 1973 and they settled in New York City. She has a son, Max, and a stepdaughter, actress Allison Tucker (by Michael's first marriage).
Her first role in film was a minor role in the television film, They've Killed President Lincoln (1971). Among her early feature films was Between the Lines (1977), directed by Joan Micklin Silver. She and Michael Tucker had small roles in Lina Wertmüller's 1978 success A Night Full of Rain, and she also appeared in An Unmarried Woman starring Jill Clayburgh the same year.
Throughout the 1970s, Eikenberry's main focus was on theater. She made her Broadway debut in 1974 in All Over Town, and later appeared Off-Broadway in Uncommon Women and Others, which was later filmed for American public television. She also starred in the musical Onward Victoria (1980), which closed on opening night.
The 1980s saw a number of television films to her credit, and a major film success, Dudley Moore's star vehicle Arthur (1981). In 1986, she and Michael Tucker scored a major success by each securing major parts in the successful television series L.A. Law. They were given the roles by producer Steven Bochco, who had been impressed by the pair when he used them for two episodes on his earlier hit Hill Street Blues. For her performance, Eikenberry received five Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, and four Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, winning in 1989. Jill and Michael moved to Hollywood at this time, and it was in this period that Jill discovered she had breast cancer, which was successfully treated over the next two years.
The event was significant in her life. In 1989, she co-produced a documentary for NBC television called Destined to Live, which featured interviews with cancer survivors like herself, including Nancy Reagan. She remains an activist for breast cancer research and early detection.
Eikenberry continued to appear in television films over the next decade, while continuing her role on L.A. Law. With the financial success accruing from their L.A. Law work, Jill and Michael produced a number of television films as vehicles in which they appeared together. They include Assault and Matrimony (1987), The Secret Life of Archie's Wife (1990), A Town Torn Apart (1992) and Gone in a Heartbeat (1996).
Since L.A. Law'''s run ended in 1994, her film and television appearances have been sporadic. One of her more recent roles was in the comedy Manna from Heaven (2003), in which she appeared with Cloris Leachman and Shirley Jones.
She has sung on stage and in films, and in recent years, she and her husband have written a number of songs. They currently reside in New York and Umbria.
After meeting artist Emile Norman, Eikenberry and Tucker purchased land from him to become his neighbors in Big Sur, California. Becoming friends with him, they produced a 2008 PBS documentary, Emile Norman: By His Own Design. Eikenberry guest starred on Numb3rs in 2008, Law & Order in 2009 and Body of Proof (Episode: "Broken Home") in 2011. She played mothers on lead characters in films Suburban Girl (2007), Something Borrowed (2011) and Young Adult (2011). In March, 2015 Eikenberry co-starred with Tucker in The M Spot, a play written by Tucker and presented at the New Jersey Repertory Company.
In 2022, Eikenberry returned to her Ann Kelsey role in the ABC revival pilot of L.A. Law''.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1977Between the LinesLynn19781978Claire1978Rush ItMerrill1979Butch and Sundance: The Early DaysMary Parker1979Rich KidsJuilliard Student1980Hide in Plain SightAlisa Hacklin1981ArthurSusan Johnson1986The Manhattan ProjectElizabeth Stephens1993Chantilly LaceVal1994On Hope Woman at ChurchShort film2002Manna from HeavenDottie2007Penny Somerset2007Suburban GirlMarlene Eisenberg2011Something BorrowedBridget Thaler2011Young AdultHedda Gary2015Keep in TouchBarbara2017Humor MeJill Eikenberry 2018In RealityAunt Doreen2022Chantilly Bridge
Television Year Title Role Notes1971They've Killed President Lincoln!Anne SurrattTV film1977Carole EskanaziTV film1977Sarah LathropTV miniseries1979Great PerformancesKate QuinEpisode: "Uncommon Women... and Others"1979Orphan TrainEmma SymmsTV film1980Swan SongAnnaTV film1982NurseEpisode: "On the Line"1983SessionsMaggieTV film1984Hill Street BluesSarah Fimpel2 episodes1985Kane & AbelSusan LesterTV miniseries1986–1994L.A. LawAnn KelseyMain role (169 episodes)1987Assault and MatrimonySylviaTV film1987Family SinsKate WilliamsTV film1988Mickey's 60th BirthdayMia LoudTV film1988ABC Afterschool SpecialClare FosterEpisode: "A Family Again"1988SusanTV film1989My Boyfriend's BackDeborah McGuireTV film1989Cast the First StoneDiane MartinTV film1990BunnyTV film1991Pauline MendelsonTV miniseries1991Living a LieJoanneTV film1992Ellen KreigerTV film1993Chantilly LaceValTV film1993Tracey Ullman Takes on New YorkJessica SternTV film1994Aaahh!!! Real MonstersMerf / MichelleVoice, episode: "Where Have All the Monsters Gone?"1994Parallel LivesLula SparksTV film1994Without ConsentMichelle MillsTV film1994Rugged GoldMartha MartinTV film1995Tessa BryanTV film1995Dare to LoveAlicia WellsTV film1996My Very Best FriendBarbara WilkinsTV film1996Gone in a HeartbeatJan HaleTV film1999Chicken Soup for the SoulEpisode: "No Less a Starfish"1999Batman BeyondMrs. WilsonVoice, episode: "Hidden Agenda"2000Strong MedicineCouncilwoman Evelyn BarrettEpisode: "Do No Harm"2000Judging AmySheila TownsendEpisode: "Waterworld"2001Stop at NothingTV film2002Roughing ItLivy ClemensTV film2002L.A. Law: The MovieAnn KelseyTV film2008Numb3rsSusan DoranEpisode: "Atomic No. 33"2009Law & OrderIrene MatsonEpisode: "Anchors Away"2011Body of ProofLillian ParksonEpisode: "Broken Home"2021The Good FightSharon BoothEpisode: "And the Firm Had Two Partners..."2022LA LawJudge Ann KelseyPilot2024ElsbethPhyllis Pearson Episode: "I See... Murder"
Awards and nominations + Awards Year Award Category Production Result1986Obie AwardPerformanceLemon Sky and Life Under Water1987Primetime EmmyOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesL.A. Law1988Primetime EmmyOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesL.A. Law1988Golden GlobeBest Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – DramaL.A. Law1989Primetime EmmyOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesL.A. Law1989Golden GlobeBest Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – DramaL.A. Law1990Primetime EmmyOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesL.A. Law1990Golden GlobeBest Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – DramaL.A. Law1991Golden GlobeBest Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – DramaL.A. Law1994Primetime EmmyOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesL.A. Law2011Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Featured Actress in a MusicalThe Kid
References
External links
The Official Website for Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker
Bio from Hollywood.com BroadwayWorld.com interview with Jill Eikenberry, June 5, 2007