Jennifer Rhodes

Life and career

She was born and grew up in Rosiclare, Illinois and became interested in theater while attending Southern Illinois University and moved to New York City soon after graduating. She studied acting and began getting cast for theatre roles. After marrying Jordan Rhodes she eventually moved to Los Angeles where she stopped acting for a while because she felt, as a stage actress, she didn't know very much about acting for television or movie roles. She eventually auditioned successfully for commercials roles, later moving on to television and film.

Her first credited role was in the 1960s television series The High Chaparral as the character Tanea. In 1980, she played a press secretary on a made-for-TV movie about Jackie Kennedy. In 1989 she appeared in the New World Pictures film Heathers as Winona Ryder's mother. Her television resume proved to be quite extensive as she appeared on the following select series: Fame, Matlock, Little House on the Prairie, L.A. Law, Quantum Leap, Knots Landing, Designing Women, Full House, Red Shoe Diaries, Party of Five, ER, Wings, Murphy Brown, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Family Matters, Friends, Popular, The Agency and Boston Public - just to name a few. She also appeared on the Disney Channel's The Suite Life on Deck.

She may be best known as Penny "Grams" Halliwell on The WB series Charmed, where she starred as the spirit of the Charmed Ones' grandmother and the tough-as-nails matriarch of the Halliwell clan. Although not a regular, she was the only actress to have guest-starred in all eight seasons of the series. Her recurring role as "Grams" is her second regular series though, her first being Nightingales as the character Effie Gardner.

Marriage

She married Jordan Rhodes and later moved to Los Angeles from New York City with him. The marriage ended in divorce. She never remarried and has no children.