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Jennifer Belander born May, 1970 is an American actress and film director.

Born Jennifer Anne Smith in Buffalo, New York, Belander began acting as a teen, landing her first professional acting job at fifteen with a small city theatre in Buffalo, New York. She attended the Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (BAVPA), a State funded arts high school. At 16 she began to work as a production assistant and actress for John Fanning's South Buffalo Theatre Group. Mr. Fanning, now deceased, was a significant figure in her life, sharing his experiences in theater and film and acting as a mentor to the enthusiastic teen. In 1988-1989, Jennifer attended the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester on scholarship.

In 1990, she was selected as a finalist at the International Modeling and Talent Association competition in New York City, winning two of three talent categories. She moved to the Los Angeles area in 1991, had a brief stint with a modeling agency as well as doing small television roles. During this time she continued to study theater stagecraft and production. By 1992 Jennifer had become a recurring lead for the Cedar Street Theatre and was hired to appear in a series of productions written and produced by actor Jerry Lyden and Nancy Nicholson.

Between 1994 and 1998, Jennifer performed roles in northern California, Arizona and Texas before settling with her family in England in 1998. She also began to do more writing, including a play accepted for production at a well-established Cambridge venue.

Starting in 2004, Jennifer began to do more film work, appearing in projects including Interference, Are You Ready for Love, and in the European version of the Tules Luper Suitcases project part 3. In 2006, she produced and directed her first film titled "By Blood and By Water." Her project previewed at the Cannes Festival Pavilion on 19 May 2007, and was shown as an Official Selection at the Salento Fear Fest in Italy on 30 May 2007. Ms Belander was interviewed about her experiences making the film in the 21 March UK Weekly edition of Stars and Stripes.

Fall 2008 marked a spectacular return to big city theater for Jennifer with a leading role in Frank Bramwell's play "Shooting Clouds" at one of London's main fringe venues. The play, and Jennifer's performance in particular, received instant critical acclaim; Britain's primary theater magazine, The Stage, called her performance "compelling" while The British Theatre Guide noted her authenticity ("a Norman Rockwell cover for the Saturday Evening Post brought to life") and "explosive performance." Finally, long-time transatlantic theater critic and patron saint Blanche Marvin named Jennifer "the standout performer" of the play, calling her "stellar as Mary, the frustrated "happy homemaker" whose family is crumbing around her."

Schoolmates at BAVPA with Jessie L. Martin and Ani DiFranco.

Took first place in the comedy and drama categories at the 1990 International Modeling and Talent Association convention in New York City.

Trivia

Jennifer Belander

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