Gina Gershon

Gina L. Gershon is an American actress and singer born on June 10, 1962, in Los Angeles. She is known for her roles in feature films such as Cocktail, Red Heat, Showgirls, Bound, Face/Off, The Insider, Demonlover, P.S. I Love You, Killer Joe, House of Versace, Blockers, and Emily the Criminal. She has also had recurring roles on television series including Rescue Me, How to Make It in America, and Riverdale.

Raised in a Jewish family in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, Gershon is the daughter of interior decorator Mickey Gershon Koppel and import-export worker Stan Gershon. She attended Collier Street Elementary School, Woodland Hills Academy, and Beverly Hills High School, where she began acting at age 14. After graduating in 1980, she attended Emerson College before transferring to New York University, graduating with a BFA in drama and psychology/philosophy in 1983. She also trained at the Circle in the Square Professional Theater School in New York.

Although she initially aimed to be an actress, her career began in music and dance. Her early acting credits include stage productions of Camille and The Substance of Fire, and she co-founded the theater group Naked Angels. She later performed on Broadway in Cabaret, Boeing-Boeing, and Bye Bye Birdie. Her breakthrough came with a bit part in Pretty in Pink (1986), followed by roles in Sweet Revenge, Cocktail, City of Hope, and Out for Justice (1991). In 1996, she played Corky in the crime film Bound, followed by Face/Off in 1997. She became recognized as a gay icon for her performances in films such as Bound, Prey for Rock & Roll, and Showgirls.

In 2011, Gershon co-starred in the dark comedy-thriller Killer Joe. Her later film projects include Bad Kids of Crestview Academy, Lost Cat Corona, Permission, Inconceivable, and 9/11 in 2017. In 2018, she appeared in American Dresser, After Everything, and the comedy Blockers. She subsequently starred in Cagefighter: Worlds Collide, Rifkin's Festival, and the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic anthology film With/In, which she wrote and directed.

On television, Gershon portrayed Nancy Barbato in the 1992 biopic Sinatra, held a recurring role on Melrose Place, and played the lead in Snoops. She has made recurring or guest appearances on series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ugly Betty, Psych, Red Oaks, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Amsterdam, and Riverdale. Her voice work includes characters in Tripping the Rift, The Batman, and Lost in Oz. Additionally, she has portrayed political parodies of Sarah Palin and Melania Trump across various media.

As a musician, Gershon has played the jaw harp on tracks by Scissor Sisters, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, and Christian McBride, and appeared in music videos for The Cars and Lenny Kravitz. She is also an author, co-writing the children's book Camp Creepy Time with her brother Dann, as well as the books In Search of Cleo and the autobiography Alphapussy.