Jennifer was born in the bustling city of Chicago, where she was raised by her mother, Elizabeth Ciesar, a talented decorator, and her father, John, who founded his own advertising company, Beverage Marketing Inc., in the 1970s. She has a younger sister and a brother who is also a director and a writer.
As a young girl, Jennifer discovered her passion for ice skating and, at the age of 11, won a role as a princess in a show alongside Olympian Linda Frattiane. However, she soon found herself too tall to compete and was unable to complete her freestyle routines, which required double axel jumps.
Years later, at the age of 15, Jennifer was discovered by John Casablancas of Elite Models, who appreciated her 5'10" height and raw beauty, and signed her immediately. She graduated early from John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and was one of 20 girls chosen to participate in the Haute Couture Collections in Rome for Elite. After working with top photographers such as Patrick Demarchelier and Michel Comte, she appeared on the covers of several magazines, including Harper's Bazaar and Queen's, and walked the runway for Ralph Lauren in New York.
Before she turned 20, Jennifer's father expressed concerns about her busy schedule and wished for her to attend college. In 1983, she spent a year at Indiana University to appease her father, but soon returned to Paris.
In France, Jennifer appeared in the French fashion film "Portfolio" before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She moved to Los Angeles and studied at the Meissner School for two years before landing the role of Claire in the comedy "Lovers, Lovers." After appearing in several straight-to-video features, over 20 national commercials, and several MTV featured roles for bands such as ZZ Top, Jennifer returned to her passion for buying and selling rare art and writing.
In 2008, Jennifer gave birth to her son, Balthazar.
