Jami Beth Gertz is an American actress and part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.
Gatekeepers News reports that Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less than Zero, and Quicksilver, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs, and 1996’s Twister.
Early Life
Gertz was born to Sharyn and Walter Gertz in Chicago, Illinois, on October 28, 1965, and lived in the suburb of Glenview.
She attended public schools, graduating from Maine East High School. She has two brothers, Michael and Scott. Gertz, who is Jewish, was raised in Conservative Judaism.
Early Career
Gretz was discovered in a nationwide talent search by Norman Lear and studied drama at NYU. As a child actor, Gertz was in one episode of Diff’rent Strokes along with Andrew Dice Clay.
After working in Paris as a scent designer for Lanvin, she returned to the United States and landed a key supporting role in the 1996 blockbuster Twister after other films including 1986’s Solarbabies and Crossroads, the 1989 film Listen to Me with Kirk Cameron, The Boyfriend School, and Jersey Girl.
She also appeared in the 1994 episode of Seinfeld, “The Stall“. In the same year, she played Sarah in the TV movie This Can’t Be Love starring Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Quinn, and Jason Bateman. Gertz later played the recurring character Dr. Nina Pomerantz during the 1997 season of ER. She reportedly was offered, but declined the role of Rachel Green, during the pre-production of Friends.
In 2009–10, she had a recurring role as Marlo Klein on HBO’s Entourage. In 2011, she returned to broadcast television with a guest role in the Modern Family episode “Slow Down Your Neighbors“.
In 2011, she earned a producer’s credit on the Academy Award-nominated film A Better Life, which was put on limited release throughout June and early July before arriving on DVD in October.
From 2012 to 2014, Gertz starred in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors.
Personal Life
Gertz married her billionaire Business Executive Tony Ressler in 1989. They have three sons: Oliver Jordan Ressler (born 1992), Nicholas Simon Ressler (born 1995), and Theo Ressler (born 1998).
Gertz and her husband are members of the investment group led by Mark Attanasio which purchased the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball. Gertz-Ressler High Academy, a member of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, is named for Gertz and her husband.
In 2015, she and her husband became owners of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
