For eight years, Jill Eikenberry worked at the law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney, and Kuzak—which is to say, for eight years, she starred on L.A. Law as fictional attorney Ann Kelsey. Eikenberry received acclaim for her role on the drama, including five Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe win in 1989. Now, 28 years after the show ended in 1994, Eikenberry is reprising her role as Ann once again in the pilot for an L.A. Law revival series.
That said, Eikenberry's career hasn't been all about the legal drama. The 75-year-old actor has played many more characters on the big screen, the small screen, and the theater stage. Read on to learn more about Eikenberry's life today.
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She's been in many hit movies and shows.
Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesBefore starring on L.A. Law, Eikenberry had already been acting for years, with roles in the movie Arthur, the series Hill Street Blues, and the play Lemon Sky. After L.A. Law, she continued acting, More recent projects include the movies Something Borrowed and Young Adult. Her latest on-screen role was in an episode of The Good Fight in 2021.
She's also stayed active on stage. A few years ago, she was performing a musical revue alongside her husband—and L.A. Law co-star—Michael Tucker and performing in the play he wrote, Fern Hill. During the pandemic she worked on staging a virtual play.
She may be returning to TV very soon.
Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesAs reported by Deadline in March, Eikenberry is reprising her role as Ann Kelsey in the pilot of a revival of L.A. Law. The pilot stars fellow returning L.A. Law actors Blair Underwood and Corbin Bernsen, who played Jonathan Rollins and Arnold Becker on the original series. Deadline reports that Ann is now a judge in the revival.
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She works with her family.
Bruce Glikas/WireImage via Getty ImagesEikenberry and Tucker have been married since 1973 and have a son, Max Tucker. In addition to frequently working with her husband, Eikenberry has collaborated with her son.
"Max is a wonderful drummer and he is actually teaching me to drum, as you might see in the show!” Eikenberry told Hamptons.com of her musical act in 2019. She also shared with Broadway World that Max composed the music for Pittsburgh, a play that she directed and her husband wrote.
She's happier than ever at this stage of life.
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic via Getty ImagesIn a 2019 interview with Manhattan Digest, Eikenberry was asked about her personal pros and cons of aging, since Fern Hill focused on the topic.
"I feel like the biggest and best thing about getting to this age is that I keep learning about myself and getting truer to myself," she responded. "I’m not as hard on myself as I once was. I have more compassion for myself. As an actor, that’s a wonderful, new place to be. The downside? I probably tire more easily, but the enthusiasm I have for new things counteracts that tiredness."
She also spoke about her battle with breast cancer. "I had breast cancer twice. I didn’t know that I’d be here," she said, "so to be here now and feel just as alive and fantastic as I do, I just can’t find anything wrong with that!"
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