Geri Jewell

Geraldine Ann "Geri" Jewell (born September 13, 1956) is an American actress and stand-up comedian noted for roles on the 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life and the mid 2000s western Deadwood.[1]

Geri Jewell
Jewell in 2009
Born
Geraldine Ann Jewell

(1956-09-13) September 13, 1956
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
OccupationActress, stand-up comedian
Years active1978–present
Spouse(s)Richard Pimentel, m. 1992, sep. 1999, div. 2002
Websitewww.gerijewell.com

Biography

Originally from Buffalo, New York, she is most notable for her role of Geri Tyler on the television program The Facts of Life from 1980 to 1984. This role made her the first person with a visible disability to have a recurring role on a prime-time series, as well as the first actor with cerebral palsy to be featured on a TV series.[2][3] After she dropped out of college, Jewell began her career doing stand up comedy at The Comedy Store in 1978. In 1980, she performed at the 2nd Annual Media Access Awards, when she was introduced to Norman Lear by producer, Fern Field.

Jewell appeared as the recurring character Jewel on the HBO original series Deadwood from 2004—2006 and in its 2019 film continuation.

Keynote speaker Geri Jewell takes questions from the audience.

Her autobiography I'm Walking as Straight as I Can was published in 2011 by ECW Press. The title refers to the facts that she has cerebral palsy and is a lesbian.[1][4]

Jewell's first autobiography, Geri, published in 1984, talked about her personal and professional life.

It did help children get comfortable dealing with a person who has a disability, and taught them the value of a good sense of humor, so I’m not going to knock the whole book. But it was such lighthearted fluff given that I was struggling so much at the time. Like I said, I had a manager who was a crook. People in my life were manipulating me and taking advantage of me. Then The Facts of Life did not renew my contract. Years later, they offered me one episode during the fifth season, and my new manager, Richard Lippin, who was trying to fix all the previous manager’s mistakes, turned it down. He felt that after everything that I’d done for Facts, it was a slap in the face that they would only offer me one show. If I had had it my way, I would have accepted it anyway. But I don’t blame him, because he was right. The problem was that he thought I was indispensable, and they didn’t. He figured that they would come back with something better. And—oops!—they never did. He told me not to worry about it, that I was going to find other work because I was very talented, and I was the first person with a disability to break ground in a series.[5]

Awards

She has been the recipient of many awards, including the 1992 Founders Award, the 2005 Independent Living Legacy Award, and a National Rehabilitation Hospital Victory Award (in 2006).[6][7]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1981Nice DreamsMental PatientUncredited
1991WisecracksHerselfDocumentary
2006The Night of the White PantsAunt Lolly

Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1980The Righteous ApplesTerryEpisode: "Love Has Two Left Feet"
1980–1984The Facts of LifeGeri Tyler12 episodes
1982I Love LibertyHerselfTV special
1982Two of a KindIreneTelevision film
1989The New LassieDr. Rita FrancisEpisode: "Slumber Party"
199021 Jump StreetOfficer Rebecca ScanlonEpisode: "Unfinished Business"
2004The Young and the RestlessRose9 episodes
2004–2006DeadwoodJewel23 episodes
2005Strong MedicineHollyEpisode: "Promising Treatment"
2012AlcatrazGeri TillerEpisode: "Cal Sweeney"
2014GleeTV ProducerEpisode: "The Back-Up Plan"
2019Deadwood: The MovieJewelTelevision film

Books
  • Jewell, Geri; Stewart Weiner (1984). Geri. New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-02452-1.
  • Jewell, Geri (2011). I'm Walking as Straight as I Can. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-883-8.

References
  1. "Geri Jewell: Actor, Comedienne, and Motivational Speaker".
  2. "Interview with Geri Jewell" Archived 2011-04-03 at the Wayback Machine Dara Nai, April 1, 2011, After Ellen
  3. "Geri Jewell - Entertainer, Comedienne, Diversity Intelligence" Great Women Speakers.com
  4. Actress/Comedienne Geri Jewell Releases Memoir 'I'm Walking As Straight As I Can'
  5. "Interview with Geri Jewell". ABILITY Magazine. April–May 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  6. "Bob Woodruff and Teri Garr Among Those To Receive 2006 Victory Award". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
  7. National Rehabilitation Hospital web site
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