Elizabeth Berkley

About Elizabeth Berkley

Elizabeth Berkley is an American television, film, and stage actress. Her notable roles are in the television series Saved by the Bell and in the 1995 Paul Verhoeven movie Showgirls. Since the movie's initial failure, she has made a comeback, starring in various movies and television shows, hosting her own dance reality show Step It Up and Dance and taking part in various different forms of charity work.

Elizabeth Berkley was born in Farmington Hills, an affluent suburb of Oakland County, Michigan and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Berkley is Jewish and is of German descent. She attended North Farmington High School and graduated in 1990. From a young age she excelled in dance and practiced every day in a small dance studio that her parents constructed for her in the basement of their home. In 1982, at only age 8, she auditioned for the lead role in the film Annie, but was turned down because she was too tall. As her love for dance increased, she became more interested in pursuing it professionally, even travelling to New York to train with other dancers and top choreographers. She began to take part in several ballets, including Swan Lake and, in 1983, she starred in some musicals.

Berkley was a teen model for Elite before pursuing an acting career. She made her screen debut in 1987 with a role in the TV movie Frog and following this, made a number of guest appearances on several television shows. In 1989, at the age of fifteen, she auditioned for the role of Kelly in Saved by the Bell, but the producers of the show could not decide whether to cast her or Tiffani Thiessen. In the end, they created the character of Jessie, a smart high school girl and committed feminist, especially for Berkley, and she played the role from 1989 to 1993 as well as in both of the show's TV movie installments. Berkley's performance received praise within the industry and she was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime or Cable Series two years in a row, but did not win. The show was so successful that the six main cast members - including Berkley - were immortalised in toy form when a 12 inch doll was made of each of their characters. Presently, the dolls are very collectable and sell for much more than they did at the time of their original production and release.