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Jamie Denbo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamie Denbo
Born
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, writer[1]
Years active1997–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2004)​
Children2

Jamie Denbo is an American actress, writer, comedian and half of the comedy duo Ronna and Beverly with Jessica Chaffin. She also co-starred in the FX series Terriers and appeared in Spy, The Heat and Ghostbusters (2016).

Early life

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Denbo was born and raised in suburban Boston, in Swampscott, Massachusetts.[2] She is an only child.[2] Her mother is from Montreal, and her father is from New Jersey near Philadelphia; both parents were raised in Orthodox Jewish households.[2] Denbo attended a Jewish day school from kindergarten to sixth grade.[2] Several of her summers were spent at Camp Tel Noar in Hampstead, New Hampshire where she starred as Wendy in Peter Pan and appeared in several other plays.[citation needed]

Denbo attended college at Boston University, where she participated in improvisational comedy.[2]

Career

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Early in her career, Denbo performed comedy at the Comedy Warehouse at Disney World's Pleasure Island in Orlando, Florida. She eventually moved to New York City where she began performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCB), where she continues to perform, now at the UCB's Los Angeles division, often performing with her husband John Ross Bowie and her comedy partner Jessica Chaffin. She also teaches classes there.[1] She performed stand-up comedy for Just For Laughs in Montreal and Aspen Comedy Festival.[2] She and Chaffin were slated to star in a comedy film after their success as supporting characters in the comedy feature The Heat.[3]

Denbo was one of the stars of the sitcom Happy Hour, playing the role of Tina Difabio. She also played Susan Jones on the Goodnight Burbank video podcast. On August 5, 2007, she returned as co-anchor on the show. Her pilot Ronna & Beverly (based on the popular stage show she performs with Jessica Chaffin at the UCB) aired as a comedy special on the Showtime network in December 2009. In 2011, Denbo and Chaffin started the Ronna and Beverly comedy podcast where they interview different celebrities each week.

In 2010, she co-starred as Maggie Lefferts on the FX series Terriers. She has frequently appeared in comedy segments on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. She has made guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Happy Endings, The Life & Times of Tim, Reno 911!, Suburgatory, Bad Judge, Mike & Molly, Weeds, How I Met Your Mother, Mighty Med, Mulaney, Speechless and The Real O'Neals.

In December 2011, Denbo and Kerri Kenney-Silver made a pilot for Comedy Central called Dame Delilah’s Rabbit Hole Ranch based on a web-series they previously created and starred in. Her screenplay for Best Buds was sold to Vendome Pictures in 2010 with Natalie Portman attached to produce and star.[4] Denbo is also a contributing writer for The Huffington Post.

She is the creator of Lifetime's American Princess[5] which was cancelled after only one season, and the host of Stitcher podcast Beverly in LA.

Podcasts

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Ronna and Beverly

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Main article: Ronna and Beverly

Denbo and comedy partner Jessica Chaffin hosted a podcast, Ronna and Beverly, on the Earwolf network from 2011 until 2017 wherein they interviewed celebrity guests, interacted with one another, and dispensed advice to listeners.[6] Chaffin and Denbo developed their characters in 2006 when they were asked to host an all-Jewish 'Kosher Christmas Show' at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.[7]

Live performances from the pair were frequently advertised as "seminars" in which their characters discuss the fictional book they co-authored, "You'll Do a Little Better Next Time: A Guide to Marriage and Re-marriage for Jewish Singles." After introducing the book, either Chaffin or Denbo would often add the clarification, "It says Jewish in the name, but it's for everyone!"[6]

Episodes of their eponymous podcast were released every two weeks by Earwolf. Guests included people working in comedy, as well as actors, authors, and filmmakers. The podcast premiered on May 25, 2011.[8] In episode 161 on June 15, 2017 (not long after they started teasing the possibility of releasing weekly episodes), Ronna and Beverly suddenly announced they were taking off "for the summer." Since then, no new episodes have been released and the actresses have not appeared together in character. Jessica Chaffin has kept Ronna alive by appearing in character as a guest on other podcasts and by maintaining an Instagram account. On the April 16, 2018 episode of the Why Mommy Drinks podcast, guest Jamie Denbo confirmed that she "used to" have a podcast called Ronna and Beverly, ostensibly indicating the conclusion of the series.

Denbo's daughter, Nola, appeared on several episodes of the podcast as "Spaghettios." "Spaghettios" is the troubled 8-year-old daughter of Beverly's neighbor, Gloria "Spaghetti", whose actual last name Beverly cannot remember, but knows it's "something Italian."

On March 11, 2019, Denbo announced she will be launching a spinoff podcast titled Beverly In LA on Stitcher Premium.

Personal life

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Denbo married comedy writer and actor John Ross Bowie in 2004.[9] They have a daughter, Nola and a son, Walter.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1997 Last Night at Eddie's Allison
2004 Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story Jill Watson
2005 Must Love Dogs Bertha
2009 Ronna & Beverly Beverly Kahn-Ginsberg TV movie
2013 The Heat Beth
2013 Dark Minions Carly TV movie
2015 Spy Casino Hostess
2015 Daddy's Home Doris
2016 Get a Job Sam's Mom
2016 Ghostbusters Waitress
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 The Mighty B! episode 4: writer: "Little Orphan Happy"
2010 Terriers Maggie Lefferts 13 episodes
2011 How I Met Your Mother Sheila Episode: "Field Trip"
2011 Happy Endings Gita Episode: "Grinches Be Crazy"
2011 Childrens Hospital Herself Episode: "Nip/Tug"
2013 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Hillary Episode: "Christmas"
2013 Parks and Recreation Kim Terlando Episode: "Correspondents' Lunch"
2013 Family Guy S12E5: "Boopa-dee Bappa-dee"
2013 Wendell & Vinnie Cammie Episode 17: "Of Mothers & Gardens"
2012–13 Comedy Bang! Bang! Maura Isles / Cindy Linderman Episode 6: "Paul Rudd Wears a Red Lumberjack Flannel Shirt"
17: "Andy Richter Wears a Suit Jacket & a Baby Blue Button Down Shirt"
2013 Sam & Cat Sharon Episode 5: "#TextingCompetition"
2014 Mulaney Sharisse Episode 7: "Motif & the City"
2014 Mystery Girls Rose Brack Episode: "Death Rose"
2014 The Hotwives of Orlando Whör Store Employee Episode: "Pimps and Hoo-Ha's"
2014 Chasing Life Psychic S1E5: "The Family That Lies Together"
2014 Hot in Cleveland Julie S5E11: "Undercover Lovers"
2014 Bulimia: The Musical Mother Short
2014 Just for Laughs: All-Access Beverly Episode: "Bobby Moynihan & Taran Killam"
2014 Trophy Wife Iris Episode: "The Minutes"
2014 About a Boy Fiona's Female Boss Episode: "About a Buble"
2014 The Crazy Ones Katherine Episode: "March Madness"
2014 Kroll Show Dana Hawke / Reporter "Bounce"
"Oh Armond"
2015 Bad Judge Carla Myers Episode: "Case Closed"
2014–15 Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce Cleo Stevens Rule #33: "When in Doubt, Run Away"
Rule #21: "Leave Childishness to the Children"
2015 Grandfathered Aida
2015 Mighty Med Bridget
2016 Born Again Virgin 1 episode
2016 The Real O'Neals Sam
2016 Glued Sara
2016 Sofia the First Queen Everly / Sassofras 2 episodes
2016 Serious Music Pamela "Parody Vs. Plagiarism"
"Kiss the Rings"
2016 Those Who Can't Kathleen Donovan
2016 Mike & Molly Officer Stoltz Episode: "Cops on the Rocks"
2016 Difficult People Rizzo Episode: "Italian Pinata"
2016 The Good Place Chef Patricia Episode: "Jason Mendoza"
2014–17 Orange is the New Black Shelly Ginsberg 7 episodes
2017 Return of the Mac Sam Kandor 8 episodes
2017 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Podcast Host Episode: "Who Is Josh's Soup Fairy?"
2017 Speechless Janet Episode: "H-E-R-- HERO"
2017 Wrecked Greta Liebowitz Episode: "Poison"
2017 Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later Bickering Wife Episode 3: "Tigerclaw"
2017 I'm Sorry Caroline Episode: "Butt Bumpers"
2018 Swedish Dicks Jamie Dunn Episode: "Dawn of the Dicks"
2018 GLOW Detective Gold Episode: "Concerned Women of America"
2018 F Is for Family Marie (voice) 7 episodes
2019 American Princess 2 episodes; also creator, writer, executive producer
Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ Beverly Episode: "Missing Dean"
2021 Rebel writer Episode #3: "Superhero"
2021 Kevin Can F**k Himself Diane McAntee 10 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b Denbo, Jamie (21 June 2012). "Funny Men Are from Mars, Funny Women Are From Someplace Better". HuffPost. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Denbo, Jamie (11 May 2012). "Episode 60: Jamie Denbo". The Mental Illness Happy Hour. Paul Gilmartin, host/interviewer. mentalpod.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (15 November 2013). "Paul Feig Hatches 'The Heat' Spinoff, Focusing On Jamie Denbo And Jessica Chaffin's Characters From Melissa McCarthy-Sandra Bullock Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (24 February 2010). "Portman to star in, produce Best Buds". Variety. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 24, 2018). "'American Princess': Georgia Flood To Topline Lifetime Series From Jenji Kohan & Jamie Denbo; Lucas Neff & 3 More Cast". Deadline.
  6. ^ a b "Ronna & Beverly podcast on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Meet the (fake) Jewish mothers Ronna and Beverly and the women who birthed them". Washington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "Ronna & Beverly podcast on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (6 December 2013). "Jamie Denbo & John Ross Bowie Join NBC's 'About A Boy' As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
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