Childhood & Early Life
Jennifer Finnigan was born Jennifer Christina Finnigan, on August 22, 1979, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her father, Jack Finnigan, was a popular radio personality in Canada, who worked with one of Canada’s biggest radio stations, ‘CJAD.’ Her mother, Diane Rioux Finnigan, was a homemaker.
Since her childhood, Jennifer had a keen interest in art and craft. She also attended swing dance lessons. As she grew up and completed her high-school education from ‘The Sacred Heart School of Montreal,’ she was determined to become a model.
She graduated from school in 1996 and started her modeling career soon after. Also an aspiring actor by then, she started auditioning for film and TV roles.
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Career
Jennifer made her acting debut in the year 1996, with a small role in the TV series titled ‘My Hometown.’ She appeared in one of its episodes, titled ‘I’ll Recognize You,’ playing the role of ‘Sylvia.’
She appeared in the American–Canadian children’s mystery series titled ‘The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo’ 2 years later. She appeared as ‘Christie Sayers’ in three episodes of the series, namely, ‘The Egg Mystery,’ ‘The Itchy Shorts Mystery,’ and ‘The Robot Mystery.’
In 1999, she appeared as ‘Vesper’ in an episode of the Canadian series ‘Big Wolf on Campus,’ titled ‘Muffy the Werewolf Slayer.’ Her performances had begun receiving appreciation with each passing role. The end of the 1990s proved to be extremely lucky for her, as she started getting bigger and better roles.
In 1999, she appeared as one of the main cast members of the Canadian sitcom ‘Student Bodies.’ She essayed the role of ‘Kim McCloud’ in the third season of the sitcom, which garnered critical and commercial acclaim.
In 2000, she was seen making guest appearances in series such as ‘La Femme Nikita’ and ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’
The same year, she was seen playing the lead role of ‘Laurie Show’ in the made-for-TV murder mystery film titled ‘The Stalking of Laurie Show.’ She played the titular role in the film, which was based on true incidents. The film received criticism for its unnecessary sex scenes, which critics believed were there only to titillate the audiences. However, Jennifer’s portrayal did not go unnoticed.
In 2000, she started appearing as ‘Bridget Forrester’ in the popular American soap opera ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’ Her portrayal of the character won her three ‘Daytime Emmy’ awards for ‘Outstanding Younger Actress,’ one each in the years 2002, 2003, and 2004. The role also helped her become a household name in the US, as more acting projects were offered to her.
Her stint on ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ ended in 2004. The same year, she appeared in the recurring role of ‘Dr. Devan Maguire’ in the American crime-drama series ‘Crossing Jordan.’ She appeared in 10 episodes of the third and fourth seasons of the series. The series was met with immense critical and commercial success, which further helped her find a footing in the American entertainment industry.
In 2005, she appeared as ‘Marni Fliss,’ the second lead, in the sitcom ‘Committed.’ The series was canceled after the first season. The same year, she appeared as ‘Annabeth Chase,’ one of the lead characters in the crime drama series ‘Close to Home.’ The series ran for two seasons and was canceled soon after.
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In 2006, she finally made her film debut with the American film ‘High Hopes,’ in which she played ‘Morgan.’
In the late 2000s, she appeared in many TV films, such as ‘Inside the Box,’ ‘What Color Is Love?,’ ‘Wedding for One,’ and ‘The Last Christmas.’
In 2010, she bagged yet another lead role, this time, in the sitcom titled ‘Better with You.’ She played ‘Madeleine “Maddie” Putney’ in the sitcom. The series ran for one successful season, after which it was canceled.
Her bad luck followed her well into the 2010s, as another series starring her, titled ‘Monday Mornings,’ got canceled after one season.
However, it all changed in 2014 with the series ‘Tyrant.' The political drama series featured her as ‘Molly,’ the lead character, and ran for three seasons. The series also got some positive reviews.
In 2017, Jennifer appeared in the suspense drama series titled ‘Salvation,’ playing the lead role of ‘Grace Barrows.’
While she focused more on her TV career, she also appeared in films from time to time. In the 2000s and the 2010s, she starred in films such as ‘Conception,’ ‘A Bet’s a Bet,’ and ‘The Coverup.’ She also worked as a co-director and co-producer for the film ‘The Opposite Sex,’ starring Mena Suvari. She has also produced the 2011 short film ‘Cookie’ and the 2018 movie ‘Andover.’
