Jemima Kirke

Jemima Kirke
Born 26 April 1985
London, England
Alma mater Rhode Island School of Design
Occupation Artist, actress
Years active 2005–present
Spouse(s) Michael Mosberg (m. 2009)
Children 2
Parent(s) Simon Kirke
Lorraine Kirke

Jemima Kirke (born 26 April 1985) is a British artist and actress best known for her role as Jessa Johansson on the television series Girls.[1] She made her feature-length debut in the independent film Tiny Furniture,[2] as a favor for friend Lena Dunham, although her film debut was in the indie short film Smile for the Camera.

Personal life

Born in London to English parents, Kirke was raised in New York City.[3] She is the daughter of Simon Kirke, the former drummer of the rock bands Bad Company and Free.[4] Her mother is Lorraine (née Dellal) Kirke, the owner of Geminola, a vintage boutique in New York City that supplied a number of outfits for the television series Sex and the City.[5] Her character Jessa wore a wedding dress from Geminola in the season finale of the first season of Girls; also, earlier in her career, she was featured along with her sisters in a fashion piece in Teen Vogue in which they wore clothing from the store.[6]

Her father is of English and Scottish descent and her mother is Jewish.[7][8] Her maternal grandfather, Jack Dellal, was a British businessman of Iraqi Jewish descent, and Kirke's maternal grandmother was Israeli.[9][10] Kirke has two sisters, Lola[11] and Domino Kirke, who are both involved in the music business. She is a cousin of curator Alexander Dellal and model Alice Dellal.

Kirke is close friends with Lena Dunham, who created Tiny Furniture and Girls.[1] They became friends while attending Saint Ann's School in New York City.[1] In an interview with Esquire, Kirke discussed how the characters she portrays in both were inspired somewhat by her personality.[12]

Kirke resides in Brooklyn and East Hampton with her husband, Michael Mosberg, a lawyer. They have two children: daughter Rafaella Israel (born 2010)[13] and son Memphis Kirke (born 2012).[14]

Career

Artist

Kirke majored in art as a student and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design. In late 2011, she held an exhibition titled "A Brief History" through Skylight Projects.[15]

Acting

Kirke considers herself first and foremost an artist, although she fell into acting through roles she accepted for a number of her friends. Dunham asked Kirke to take on a supporting role in her debut film Tiny Furniture.[16] Kirke and a number of other friends were called upon as a favour to Dunham since there wasn't enough money to pay professional actors. Although the film turned out to be profitable, Kirke received no payment.[16]

Filmography

In 2011, Kirke appeared in the music video "Wring It Out"[17] for the group Rival Schools. Both this music video and Smile for the Camera were directed by her friend Jordan Galland.

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Smile for the Camera Twin Singer (voice) Short film
2010 Tiny Furniture Charlotte Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2012–present Girls Jessa Johansson Main role

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rosen, Christopher (2012-04-23). "Jemima Kirke, 'Girls' Star, On Periods, Collaborations And Sex Scenes". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  2. ↑ Miller, Julie (2012-04-09). "Q&A: Girls Co-Star Jemima Kirke on Tattooing Lena Dunham and Playing It Cool Through Her Awkward Phase". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Jemima Kirke". Jemima Kirke. June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ Interviews & Reviews – Simon Kirke Official Website. Freewebs.com. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.
  5. ↑ "Geminola". Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Is that you, Jessa? Girls star Jemima Kirke channels HBO character as she models her mom's eccentric dress designs". Daily Mail (London).
  7. ↑ "Kirke's Jemima Kirke". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  8. ↑ http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/on-view-jemima-kirkes-paintings-of-girls/
  9. ↑ "Jews in the News: Jews Rock Hall of Fame, A Minyan of Marvel Heroes". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  10. ↑ Dempster, Nigel (1999-02-09). Jack the lad to become a dad. Daily Mail (London).
  11. ↑ Wunsch, Noah (2012-04-11). "She Rose Not He Roes". New York Press. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ Peele, Anna (November 10, 2010). "Jemima Kirke Will Be an Actress Yet". Esquire. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  13. ↑ Zhong, Fan (April 2012). "Naughty Girl: Jemima Kirke's Wild-Child-Role in HBO's Girls". W. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ ""Jemima Kirke Welcomes Second Child"". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Skylight Projects". artslant.com. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Vilensky, Mike (March 14, 2012). "The Art of Being ‘Girls’ Co-Star Jemima Kirke". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  17. ↑ photofinishrecords (2011-02-25). "Rival Schools- Wring It Out (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-08-21.

External links