Jemima Kirke

The daughter of Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke, Jemima Kirke made a name for herself with a juicy role on Lena Dunham's highly anticipated series "Girls" (HBO, 2012-17). Born April 26, 1985 in London, Kirke spent the first decade of her life there before moving to New York City. After graduating high school, she studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and later opened her own studio. Cast by her high school friend Lena Dunham in the latter's influential indie "Tiny Furniture" (2010), Kirke stole scenes with her hilarious performance as a glamorous but misguided free spirit. For her work in that film, she shared in a Best Ensemble Cast nomination from the Gotham Awards. Immediately after giving birth, Kirke reunited with Dunham for the latter's collaboration with Judd Apatow, an edgy series called "Girls" (HBO, 2012-17), in which she portrayed the beautiful world traveler Jessa Johansson, whose return to Manhattan adds the best kind of chaos to the lives of her friends (Dunham, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet and Adam Driver). Although she considered herself a painter rather than an actress, Kirke earned some of the best reviews of the ensemble cast throughout the series' six-season run. Between seasons, Kirke co-starred in horror comedy "Ava's Possessions" (2015) and Jeff Baena's indie comedy "The Little Hours" (2017), and had a cameo in an episode of "The Simpsons" (Fox 1989- ) alongside her "Girls" co-stars. She co-starred alongside younger sister Lola Kirke in indie drama "Untogether" (2017) after "Girls" came to a close.