Jennifer broke into the movie business when she played singer Blanche “Monica” Moran in Steven Kloves’ The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), opposite brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges. A few years later, Jennifer earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of the aspiring actress Olive Neal in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway (1994). She has become well known to filmgoers for both major studio and independent films. In Tom Shadyac’s blockbuster Liar Liar (1997) she kept pace with Jim Carrey. In 1996, her steamy performance opposite Gina Gershon helped make Larry Wachowski’s and Andy Wachowski’s Bound a breakout indie success at the Sundance Film Festival and at the box office. It also expanded Jennifer’s already significant gay and lesbian following.

She successfully cultivated another fan base with the revitalization of the Child’s Play horror comedy franchise. For Ronny Yu’s Bride of Chucky (1998), the filmmakers turned to Jennifer to create a character who would spark the series in a new direction. She met the challenge and established a new horror icon in Tiffany. In Rogue Pictures’ Seed of Chucky (2004) Jennifer continued to take the popular series to the next level.

In 2001 Jennifer found a talent in voiceover when she gave a voice to Cecilia in the Pixar blockbuster Monsters, Inc. She continued to shine in the 2004 Disney hit Home on the Range, where Jennifer voiced a new-age bovine. Jennifer also gave a chilling performance from the neck up as Madame Leota in Disney’s The Haunted Mansion (2003).

Over the years Jennifer has made memorable appearances on some of television's best series, including Hill Street Blues (1981), Cheers (1982), Moonlighting (1985), It’s Garry Shandling’s Show (1986), and Frasier (1993). She has been a favored guest on many talk shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Her many films include Neil Jordan’s High Spirits (1988), Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), Richard Benjamin’s Made in America (1993), Roger Donaldson’s The Getaway (1994), Joe Pytka’s Let It Ride (1989), P.J. Castellaneta’s Relax...It’s Just Sex (1998), Michael Radford’s Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000), and Peter Bogdanovich’s The Cat’s Meow (2001).

In addition to her television and film success Jennifer also continued to act on the stage. She won a Theater World Award for her performance in off-Broadway’s One Shoe Off and starred on Broadway in the 2001 revival of The Women (which was later taped for, and broadcast on, PBS).