Jennifer Ponton (born June 27, 1984) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer, best known for portraying Rubi in the AMC series Dietland.
Jen Ponton | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 27, 1984 Bridgewater, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Ramapo College of New Jersey |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Website | JenPonton.com |
Early life
editPonton is an only child raised in Bloomsbury, New Jersey; there she was a 2002 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, where she was active in the New Jersey Speech and Debate Forensics League, as well as drama club and musical groups.[1][2] She is a 2006 graduate of Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she earned her BA in Theatre.[3]
Career
editPonton began her career in 2010 with a guest role on the episode "Reaganing"[4] on 30 Rock opposite Kelsey Grammer.[2] She went on to make recurring appearances on Law & Order: SVU, The Heart She Holler, and The Slap, as well as guest appearances on Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,[5][6] Blue Bloods, Deadbeat and The Blacklist. In 2018 she portrayed body positive activist Rubi on the AMC drama Dietland.[7][8] Ponton also starred in the 2016 film Love on the Run opposite Steve Howey and Frances Fisher, and she has narrated Jennifer Weiner's The Littlest Bigfoot audiobook series.[9] On stage, she originated the role of Dorrie in Halley Feiffer's How to Make Friends and then Kill Them at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre.[10] She is a member of the Television Academy.[citation needed]
She is a body positivity and fat acceptance activist,[11] having spoken at length about the importance of size inclusion in entertainment.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] She was also a featured activist and speaker at the 2018 TCF Style Expo and the 2018 CurvyCon.[20][21]
Ponton is also the co-creator and star of the puppet-led web series The Weirdos Next Door.[22]
Personal life
editPonton and her husband have been residents of the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive Township, New Jersey.[23]
Filmography
edit| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Kelly | 2012 | Angela | Official selection of 2012 SXSW[24] |
| Jack & Diane | 2012 | Stacy | Official selection of 2012 Tribeca Film Festival[25] |
| Free the Nipple | 2014 | Charlie | Distributed by Sundance Selects and IFC[26] |
| Enchantments | 2015 | Nancy | |
| Wiener-Dog | 2016 | Kristy | Official selection of 2016 Sundance[27] |
| Love on the Run | 2016 | Franny | |
| Split | 2016 | Maria | |
| Occupy, Texas | 2016 | Harley | |
| Chuck | 2016 | PA | Official selection of 2016 Tribeca Film Festival[28] |
| Going in Style | 2017 | Newlywed Wife | |
| Come on In | 2018 | Beverly | Bitch Pack Best in Show, Bluestocking Film Festival 2018[29] |
| Beckys Through History | 2019 | Becky | |
| Queens of Daytime | 2019 | Sara Jo 'Addy' Adderson | TV movie |
| Pizza Party | 2020 | #1 | |
| She Came to Me | 2023 | Elodie | |
| Love Magick | 2023 | Nancy |
| Title | Year | Role | Channel | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime: What Would You Do? | 2009 | Bride | ABC | Episode: "Momzilla" | |
| 30 Rock | 2010 | Brenda | NBC | Episode: "Reaganing" | Nominated for an Outstanding Writing Emmy[30] |
| Law & Order: SVU | 2010 | Mia | NBC | Episode: "Gray" | |
| The Heart, She Holler | 2011 | Grinder | Adult Swim | 2 episodes | |
| Boardwalk Empire | 2012 | Student | HBO | Episode: "You'd Be Surprised" | |
| The Good Wife | 2014 | Emily Balsam | CBS | Episode: "We, the Juries" | |
| Believe | 2014 | Hallway Nurse | NBC | Episode: Pilot | |
| Blue Bloods | 2014 | Kasia Mazurski | CBS | Episode: "Exiles" | |
| The Slap | 2015 | Janice | NBC | 3 episodes | |
| Law & Order: SVU | 2015 | Layla | NBC | Episode: "Daydream Believer" | |
| Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | 2016 | Debbie Wells | Netflix | Episode: "Kimmy Meets a Celebrity!" | |
| Deadbeat | 2016 | Duchess Beatrix | Hulu | Episode: "The Duchess of Stourbridge" | |
| Orange Is the New Black | 2016 | Correcticon Check-In Girl | Netflix | Episode: "We'll Always Have Baltimore" | |
| The Blacklist | 2016 | Maisy | NBC | Episode: "Mato" | |
| Dietland | 2018 | Rubi | AMC | 3 episodes | |
| Helpsters | 2020 | Cindy Circle | Apple TV+ | Episode: "Scatter/Sid Square" | |
| Scratch This | 2021 | Angelica | Episode: "Ommm My God" | ||
| Dickinson | 2021 | Body Healer | Apple TV+ | Episode: "Forever - Is Composed of Nows" | |
| Three Women | 2023 | Barbara | Starz | 2 episodes |
References
edit- ^ "Phillipsburg High School grad calls latest role a 'game-changer' for film industry". Dustin Schoof. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ a b Schoof, Dustin. "Bloomsbury native Jen Ponton to appear on NBC's '30 Rock'". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "Jen Ponton". Success Stories. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ 30 Rock episode
- ^ Jusino. "Jen Ponton Talks Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt". www.themarysue.com. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "Actress Jen Ponton is Tragically Hysterical in 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-18. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ Loeb, Ashley Nguyen, Aviva. "Lily Lines: Nicole Maines to play a transgender superhero on the CW's 'Supergirl'". Retrieved 2018-12-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Petski, Denise (2018-03-29). "'Dietland': Campbell Scott, Alanna Ubach, Kelly Hu, 3 More Join Recurring cast Of AMC Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "Jen Ponton". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ "Bloomsbury native and Bergen resident Jen Ponton makes her off-Broadway debut". NJ.com. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "'Dietland' actress Jen Ponton shares why fat women are more than just 'the funny sidekick'". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ ""Dietland" Star Jen Ponton on Her New Show, Sizeism, and Why She Wants to Play a Superhero". womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ "The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Jen Ponton". Sarai Walker. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ Schumer, Celey (2016-10-07). "Breakout Star Jen Ponton Is Out to Change the Narrative". Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ Mazza, Melissa (2017-02-10). "Talking Body Love, Media Sizism and Weirdos With Jen Ponton!". Fattitude. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ "What It's Like To Shoot Sex Scenes At A Size 22". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ Tonic, Gina. "'Love On The Run' Is A Plus Size Triumph In Film". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ "TV star's first sex scene at a size 22 is relatable IRL". Revelist.com. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "Budd Lake actress ready to break out in". Daily Record. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ Italie, Leanne (10 September 2018). ""Women Celebrate Size Inclusivity at Alternative Fashion Week"". US News.
- ^ "Jen Ponton – TCFSTYLE expo". Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ "Puppet web series starring Bloomsbury native to begin its third season". NJ.com. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
- ^ Izzo, Michael. "Budd Lake actress ready to break out in Free the Nipple", Courier News, November 17, 2014. Accessed September 4, 2019. "Mount Olive – Budd Lake's Jen Ponton has had a great few years, but she says the best is yet to come."
- ^ "Meet the 2012 SXSW Filmmakers #22: Andrew Neel, 'King Kelly'". IndieWire. 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Jack and Diane: Tribeca Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "'Free The Nipple' Picked Up By Sundance Selects for North American Release". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (2016-01-23). "Sundance Film Review: 'Wiener-Dog'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Chuck | Tribeca Film Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "2018 Official Selections". Bluestocking Film Series. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "30 Rock". Television Academy. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
