Biography
Jody, a seasoned actress, is recognized for her portrayal of multifaceted characters. Her roles have ranged from the darkest realms of insanity to a grounded psychiatrist, a sinister nanny, a tormented yet nurturing mother, and a scatterbrained wife.
Jody’s entertainment career began over 40 years ago in Michigan. Her ancestors emigrated from Germany and Wales to New York in the 1800s before settling in Southern Illinois, where they pursued careers as teachers, nurses, lawyers, farmers, pastors, lawmen, and a few rogues. Born in Ottawa, Illinois just before her father joined the Navy Seabees during WWII, Jody’s family relocated to Ferndale, Michigan near Detroit after the war, and later to horse country in Rochester, Michigan. There, she balanced competing in Western horse shows, singing, and studying theatre acting, stage makeup, lighting, sound, set design, and directing at the Will-O-Way Apprentice Theatre and Repertory Company in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
After graduating from Rochester High School at seventeen, winning titles such as Miss Rochester and Miss Romeo Peach Queen, and placing in the Miss Michigan Pageant, Jody traveled to New York City to network and meet Lee Strasberg. He invited her to lunch and asked her to return the following year when she would be eligible to join the Actor’s Studio. However, after meeting legendary horror director William Castle at a Detroit premiere, she chose to move to California. There, her first speaking role was in The Bigot, also known as The Hunting Season, which was recently remastered and released by Troma Pictures as Deadly Daphne's Revenge (1987).
13 wins and 6 nominations
