Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the film Reckless (1984) and had her breakthrough in the teen comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). She earned worldwide fame starring as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the romantic drama film Dirty Dancing (1987), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. Her other feature films include Red Dawn (1984), The Cotton Club (1984), Bloodhounds of Broadway(1989), Bounce (2000), Redbelt (2008), The Wind Rises (2013), In Your Eyes (2014), Bittersweet Symphony (2019), and A Real Pain (2024). Grey's early television work includes the made-for-TV films Murder in Mississippi (1990), Criminal Justice (1990), and If the Shoe Fits as Kelly Carter / Prudence (1990). She starred as herself in the series It's Like, You Know... (1999–2001), won season eleven of the dancing competition series Dancing with the Stars (2010) and starred as Judy Meyers in the Amazon Prime Video comedy Red Oaks (2014–2017). Her voice work in film and television includes the 2018 film Duck Duck Goose and the 2008–2014 animated television series Phineas and Ferb. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jennifer Grey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 26, 1960 (66)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 40 on MovieCove · 54 credits in all
What are Jennifer Grey's films like?
Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 27
A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 11 · Dark 3
Grounded 21 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2
Gentle 9 · Charged 16 · Intense 3
Steady 18 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 4
A split, not a type: Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1
Casual 20 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 4
Resolved 24 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 5 of 16 analyzed roles.
Show the 16 rolesHide the roles
- Threshold guardianas Jeanie Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
- Heroas Baby Houseman in Dirty Dancing (1987)
- Allyas Lovey Lou in Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989)
- Shadowas Liz Carter in Criminal Justice (1990)
- Heroas Kelly Carter / Prudence in If the Shoe Fits (1991)
- Allyas Kate Bass in Wind (1992)
- Heraldas Robin Ouiseau in The West Side Waltz (1995)
- Heroas Megan Forrester in Lover's Knot (1995)
- Heroas Elaine Taylor in Portraits of a Killer (1996)
- Allyas Sally Casey in Outrage (1998)
- Allyas Janice Guerrero in Bounce (2000)
- Heroas Alice Dodgson in Ritual (2002)
- Shapeshifteras Claire Jamison in The Road to Christmas (2006)
- Mentoras Eleanor Roberts in Bittersweet Symphony (2019)
- Shadowas Gwen Shamblin in Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation (2023)
- Heraldas Mom in Wish You Were Here (2025)
Moods and endings
- Happy11
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jennifer Grey's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 27 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
Subscription and free streaming for Jennifer Grey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
54 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Wish You Were Here(2025)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
A Real Pain(2024)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Dollface(2019)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
Bittersweet Symphony(2019)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Untogether(2018)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
The Conners(2018)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows
Duck Duck Goose(2018)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Red Oaks(2014)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
In Your Eyes(2014)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Bling Ring(2011)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Keith(2008)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Redbelt(2008)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Phineas and Ferb(2007)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
John from Cincinnati(2007)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows
The Road to Christmas(2006)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Grey's Anatomy(2005)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
American Dad!(2005)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
House(2004)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
Ritual(2002)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Bounce(2000)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
It's Like, You Know... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Since You've Been Gone(1998)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Outrage(1998)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Red Meat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Lover's Knot(1995)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Portraits of a Killer(1996)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
The West Side Waltz(1995)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Friends(1994)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
A Case for Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Wind(1992)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all filmsEyes of a Witness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
If the Shoe Fits(1991)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Criminal Justice(1990)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Murder in Mississippi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Bloodhounds of Broadway(1989)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Dirty Dancing(1987)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Ferris Bueller's Day Off(1986)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
American Flyers(1985)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Cotton Club(1984)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Red Dawn(1984)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Reckless(1984)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Fashion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
ABC Afterschool Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Grief Night Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Soapbox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled Dirty Dancing Sequel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 54 titles, 51 of them dated from 1972 to 2025; peak year 1986.
Biggest box office
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Highest rated
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Most popular right now
A Real Pain (2024)
Film career
Peak 1986 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1984Screen debut· Reckless
- 1987First top-billed film· Dirty Dancing
- 1987Breakout· Dirty Dancing
- 1987Career best· Dirty Dancing
- 1987Golden Globe nomination· Dirty Dancing
- 2014Career best· Red Oaks
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
Nominated for a Golden Globe in 1988, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Jennifer Grey's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 30; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th11
- 25th to 49th10
- Below 25th8
Shape of the crowd
16 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved5
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser16
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed15
Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 27 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Jennifer Grey's work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Jennifer Grey work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jennifer Grey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Patrick Swayze shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Patrick SwayzeShared titles: I Am Patrick Swayze (2019), Dirty Dancing (1987), Red Dawn (1984)See all 3 shared titles with Patrick Swayze
- Rob LoweShared titles: I Am Patrick Swayze (2019), Outrage (1998), If the Shoe Fits (1991)See all 3 shared titles with Rob Lowe
- Alan RuckShared titles: Who Is Ferris Bueller? (2006), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Alan Ruck
- C. Thomas HowellShared titles: I Am Patrick Swayze (2019), Red Dawn (1984)See all 2 shared titles with C. Thomas Howell
Composers
- Basil PoledourisShared titles: Wind (1992), Red Dawn (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Basil Poledouris
Producers
- Kyle A. ClarkShared titles: The Bling Ring (2011), Ritual (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Kyle A. Clark
- Bob WeinsteinShared titles: Ritual (2002), Bounce (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Bob Weinstein
- Francis Ford CoppolaShared titles: Outrage (1998), Wind (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Francis Ford Coppola
- Fred FuchsShared titles: Outrage (1998), Wind (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Fred Fuchs
Mixed roles
- John HughesShared titles: Who Is Ferris Bueller? (2006), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)See all 2 shared titles with John Hughes
