Jessica Rothe

Jessica Rothe, born Jessica Ann Rothenberg on May 28, 1987, in Denver, Colorado, has established herself as a notable presence in the entertainment industry. She pursued her artistic interests from a young age, beginning ballet lessons at eight and participating in theatre groups and workshops. Rothe attended Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Boston University in 2009. During her university years, she expanded her skills to include playing the violin, tap dancing, and ceramic pottery. Her grandmother, Colleen Rothenberg, a theatre artist, significantly influenced Rothe’s passion for acting.

Rothe began her acting career with stage performances, notably in ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at the Huntington Theatre and ‘Kevin Moriatry’s Hair’ at the Hangar Theatre Company. Her early screen work, credited as Jessica Rothenberg, included minor roles in television shows like “America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back” (2010), “The Onion News Network” (2011), “Gossip Girl” (2012), and “Blue Bloods” (2013). She transitioned to lead roles in independent films such as “Lily & Kat” (2015), where she played the title character, and garnered attention for her role as Beatrix Carver in the Netflix pilot “Parallels” (2015).

A significant milestone in Rothe’s career was her role as Alexis in Damien Chazelle’s Academy-Award winning musical film “La La Land” (2016). This was followed by her breakthrough as Tree Gelbman in the horror-thriller “Happy Death Day” (2017) and its sequel “Happy Death Day 2U” (2019), which solidified her status as a “scream queen.” She has continued to take on varied roles, including the romantic drama “Forever My Girl” (2018), the musical remake “Valley Girl” (2020), and the Amazon Prime Video series “Utopia” (2020). Rothe’s career demonstrates a consistent progression from early stage and minor screen appearances to leading roles in both commercially successful and critically acclaimed projects.