Jenna Elfman began her entertainment career not as an actor, but as a dancer. After appearing in music videos for Depeche Mode and Anthrax, she performed at the 1991 Academy Awards and toured with rock band ZZ Top. She transitioned to acting with a guest role as a ballet dancer in a 1992 episode of “Murder, She Wrote.” Elfman’s breakthrough came when she was cast as the free-spirited Dharma Finkelstein Montgomery in the hit sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” a role that made her a household name and has kept her a consistent presence on television ever since.
Following the five-season run of “Dharma & Greg,” Elfman continued to build a diverse career in both comedy and drama. Here is a look at the trajectory of her decades-long career in Hollywood.
The success of “Dharma & Greg” opened doors for a film career, but big-screen stardom proved elusive for Jenna Elfman. Her first leading movie role was in the 1998 comedy “Krippendorf’s Tribe” opposite Richard Dreyfuss, which was poorly received by critics and earned only $7.6 million at the box office. The following year, she starred with Matthew McConaughey in Ron Howard’s “Edtv,” another critical and commercial failure that grossed $35 million against its $80 million budget.
In 2000, she co-starred with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton in “Keeping the Faith,” which became her first modest box-office hit. However, she followed this with a role in the 2001 ensemble comedy “Town & Country.” Starring Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton, the film was a notorious flop, earning just one-tenth of its $90 million budget. While Elfman was not solely responsible for these outcomes, starring in two of the decade’s most significant box-office bombs was a considerable setback.
In 2002, the same year “Dharma & Greg” concluded, Elfman shifted to television drama, starring in the Lifetime thriller “Obsessed.” Based on a true story, the film featured Elfman as a medical writer whose infatuation with a neurosurgeon spirals into a dangerous obsession. “It’s a movie about viewpoints — he said, she said,” Elfman explained in an interview, noting the film explores the conflicting perspectives of a perceived romance and an unwanted stalking.
The following year, Elfman was cast in a 2003 Broadway revival of the musical “Nine.” However, her stage debut was cut short before she ever performed for an audience. Citing an inability to meet the demands of the role, a source told the New York Post, “She can’t cut it.” Days later, Playbill confirmed that Elfman had been replaced.
Elfman returned to film in 2003 with “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” a live-action and animation hybrid that underperformed at the box office. This led her back to television, where she starred in the 2006 CBS sitcom “Courting Alex.” Elfman played a high-strung attorney, a character seemingly opposite to Dharma. “I didn’t set forth to make sure I did something different from Dharma, because I don’t think the creative process lends itself to trying not to be something,” she told the Associated Press. Although the series debuted to 14.9 million viewers, ratings steadily declined, and CBS canceled the show after eight episodes, leaving four unaired.
In 2009, Elfman made another attempt at sitcom success with “Accidentally on Purpose.” She played a film critic who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger man. The show was placed in a prime Monday night slot alongside CBS hits like “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Big Bang Theory.” While this placement initially boosted viewership, a move to Wednesdays caused ratings to plummet. The series was canceled after one season. On a personal note, life imitated art, as Elfman became pregnant with her second child that same year.
After a guest spot on “Shameless,” Elfman took a decisive turn toward dramatic roles, joining the cast of the acclaimed legal thriller “Damages” in 2012 for its fifth season. Starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, the series saw Elfman play Naomi Walling, a corporate whistleblower who is ultimately murdered. “I was excited to work on a well-written show with excellent actors,” she told SpoilerTV. Elfman noted that the early success of “Dharma & Greg” had steered her career toward comedy, and she welcomed the chance to return to drama. “I got in this business to become other characters and experience the lives of other people,” she said.
In 2012, Elfman and her husband, Bodhi Elfman, launched a podcast about their marriage titled “Kicking and Screaming.” The couple, who have been married since 1995, used the platform to discuss the ups and downs of their long-term relationship. The podcast ran for a decade, concluding in 2022. By then, Elfman had already started a new podcast, “The Jenna Elfman and Heather Dale Show: All the Things,” with her friend Heather Dale, where they humorously discussed navigating life during the pandemic.
Elfman continued her search for a television hit, joining the NBC political satire “1600 Penn” in 2012. She portrayed First Lady Emily Nash Gilchrist opposite Bill Pullman’s President Gilchrist. Like her previous sitcoms, “1600 Penn” was canceled after one season. She followed this with the 2014 series “Growing Up Fisher,” playing the ex-wife of a blind man portrayed by J.K. Simmons. Elfman viewed the role as part of a new chapter in her career as an actress in her 40s. Unfortunately, “Growing Up Fisher” met the same fate and was also canceled after its first season.
By 2017, after a string of failed network shows, Elfman was disillusioned. “I had written off network TV,” she told IndieWire. However, she was drawn to the unique concept of ABC’s “Imaginary Mary,” in which her character’s childhood imaginary friend returns. The role required her to act opposite a CGI character, a challenge she found appealing. Despite her renewed enthusiasm, the series was canceled after one season, continuing the pattern of her post-“Dharma & Greg” sitcoms.
Just months after “Imaginary Mary” was canceled, AMC announced Elfman would join “Fear the Walking Dead” as a series regular. Her role as June Dorie, a resilient ER nurse navigating a zombie apocalypse, showcased a gritty, dramatic side that resonated with audiences. The role marked a significant career comeback. “It was a total blessing for me,” Elfman told Glamour. “It helped me rejuvenate my excitement artistically and pump new life into me for a new chapter.” She embraced the show’s action sequences, developing a new skillset for choreographed zombie fights, which she aimed to keep feeling spontaneous and emotionally grounded.
Though she transitioned to acting, Elfman has never left her dance roots behind. A classically trained ballet dancer, she has served as a guest judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” and sits on the advisory board of the American Dance Movement. In an essay for Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, she wrote that she still dances constantly for fun. “My dance training has given me a strong work ethic, a stable sense of self, determination, a foundation of confidence… and dedication to goals that I need to succeed in every area of life,” she explained.
Throughout her career, Jenna Elfman and her husband Bodhi have been committed members of the Church of Scientology. While other celebrities have publicly left the organization, the Elfmans remain dedicated. She has credited Scientology with providing the tools to maintain a strong marriage of nearly 30 years and a successful career. “I use it every single day of my life and it keeps me energized and vivacious and happy,” she told People in 2018.
Following the conclusion of “Fear the Walking Dead” in 2023, Elfman’s revitalized career saw her take on roles in both comedy and drama. In 2025, she joined the ABC comedy “Shifting Gears,” starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, as a recurring character who owns a dance studio. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to come do comedy again, but it feels good,” she told TheWrap.
That same year, she also took a recurring role in the dark AMC drama “Dark Winds,” playing a morally complex FBI agent who clashes with the show’s Navajo police officers. Elfman described her character to Yahoo! Entertainment as “dripping with white entitlement and absolute social blindness,” adding to TV Insider that she is “a woman in this male-dominated environment” who has something to prove.
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