Jean Louisa Kelly

Jean Louisa Kelly (born March 9, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her long-running role as Kim Warner on the television sitcom Yes, Dear.

Career

Before attending college she already had roles in the original Broadway cast of Sondheim's Into the Woods and as Tia Russell in the film Uncle Buck with John Candy. She also took roles in college productions, including with the Barnard College Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

After graduation from college, Kelly became well known in the mid-1990s for a series of television commercials she did for MCI long distance, in which she played a telephone operator who challenged AT&T. In 1995, she starred as Louisa in the musical film The Fantasticks with Joey McIntyre and Joel Grey, although the film was shelved until 2000. The same year, she appeared in her most prominent role since Tia, as Rowena Morgan, the muse for the title character of Mr. Holland's Opus. Other films followed in the 1990s. Later starring roles in films have includedLandfall (2001), Little Red Light (2003) and Aspects of Love (2005). Kelly appeared Off Broadwayat the York Theatre as the title role in Paul McKibbins and B.T. McNicholl's The It Girl, based on the 1927 movie It. She also appeared in the York's "Mufti" series as Lois Lane in It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman.

In 1996, Kelly voiced the title role in 10 episodes of the animated Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders. After several made-for-TV movies, Kelly's broadest exposure came from her roles in situation comedies, first guest starring in such shows as Mad About You, and then as a cast member of the short-lived NBC version of Cold Feet. From 2000 to 2006, she starred as Kim Warner on the long-running sitcom Yes, Dear. On April 30, 2006, she guest starred in the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy and has continued to guest star in television dramas.

Kelly was cast in the 2010 ABC Family TV series Pretty Little Liars, based on the book seriesby Sara Shepard.

Personal life

Her father was a high school English teacher and her mother taught piano. Kelly graduated in 1994 from Columbia University's Columbia College with a B.A. in English.She was born in Boylston, Massachusetts.

She married James Pitaro in 1997. They have two children together.

As of 2010, Kelly resides in Los Angeles. She is close friends with Jennifer Garner and was the host of her baby shower for daughter Violet Anne Affleck. She also interviewed Garner for Self magazine in 2005.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1989	Uncle Buck	Tia Russell
1991	American Shaolin	Maria
1994	One More Mountain	Mary Graves
	Breathing Lessons	Daisy
1995	Mr. Holland's Opus	Rowena Morgan
	Tad	Julia Taft
	The Fantasticks	Luisa Bellamy
1996	Harvest of Fire	Rachel
1997	Stolen Women: Captured Hearts	Sarah White
1998	The Day Lincoln Was Shot	Lucy Lambert Hale
	Ruby Bridges	Jane Coles
	Stranger in the Kingdom	Athena Allen
	Origin of the Species	Laura
1999	The Cyberstalking	Holly Moon
2001	Landfall	Marguerite Harris
2003	Little Red Light	Amanda Meyer
1995	Aspects of Love	Jenny Dillingham
2009	The Three Gifts	Cherie Green
2010	Public Access	Nancy	completed
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders	Princess Gwenevere (voice)	10 episodes
1997	Homicide: Life on the Street	Sarah Langdon	1 episode
1998	Law & Order	Coral Galvin	1 episode
	Mad About You	Diane	3 episodes, 1998–1999
1999	Cold Feet	Shelley Sullivan	4 episode aired, 4 didn't air
2000–2006	Yes, Dear	Kim Warner	122 episodes
2001	Ally McBeal	Lisa	1 episode
2006	Grey's Anatomy	Rose Ward	1 episode
2008	Ghost Whisperer	Jennifer Quinlan / Nora Sutherland	1 episode
	Gary Unmarried	Beth	1 episode
	Eli Stone	Julie Lazer	1 episode
2009	Surviving Suburbia	Melissa Mann	1 episode
2010	The Glades	Becky	1 episode
	Pretty Little Liars	Unknown	TV series- filming
	Burn Notice	Emily	1 episode
	Hero Factory	Natalie Breez/Operator (voices)

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