Jessica Parker Kennedy (born October 3, 1984) is a Canadian actress.[1] She played Melissa Glaser on the CW series The Secret Circle, Max on the Starz original series Black Sails and Nora West-Allen / XS on The Flash, and has also appeared on the television series Smallville, Undercovers, Kaya and Colony.
Jessica Parker Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 Kennedy in 2013 | |
| Born | October 3, 1984 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse | |
Early life
Kennedy was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the child of an Afro-Canadian father and a Jewish European mother, part Italian and part Russian.[2] Growing up, Kennedy says there were very few people of colour around, and she was friends with the sole black girl at her school. She had gravitated to friendships with other black people later as a means of finding community.[3] Kennedy was raised Jewish.[4]
Career
Kennedy portrayed supervillain Plastique in the television series Smallville, the role of Tami in the 2008 comedy film Another Cinderella Story and the recurring character of Natalee on the 2007 television series Kaya on MTV.[5]
Kennedy was originally cast in the J. J. Abrams-produced 2010 spy drama series Undercovers as the younger sister of the female lead (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw)[6] but was later replaced by Mekia Cox.[7] Kennedy played Melissa Glaser in the CW series The Secret Circle,[8] until the show was cancelled after one season in May 2012. Kennedy was cast as the ambitious Nassau prostitute named Max on the Starz TV show Black Sails. In 2017, Kennedy joined the CW's Arrowverse, appearing primarily on the live-action series The Flash. Her character appeared throughout the fourth season and was eventually revealed as Nora West-Allen,[9] and was promoted to series regular for the fifth season using the superhero name XS.[10][11] She has since returned in recurring capacities for seasons seven and eight.[12] She appeared as a guest star in the 3rd season of the sketch comedy TV series I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson in 2023. Kennedy appeared in a guest role as Medusa in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.[13]
Personal life
She is married to Israeli-American actor Ronen Rubinstein. They reside in Los Angeles. Parker Kennedy expressed encouragement for him coming out as bisexual in 2021.[14] They married in August 2022, with a Jewish wedding ceremony.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Karma Inc. | Candy | Short |
| 2011 | 50/50 | Jackie | |
| 2011 | In Time | Edouarda | |
| 2011 | Bad Meat | Estelle | |
| 2015 | The Perfect Guy | Rachel | |
| 2017 | Gemini | Sierra | |
| 2018 | Cam | Katie | |
| 2018 | Deep Murder | Phyllis "Babysitter" Gorman | |
| 2019 | Business Ethics | Dr. Helen | |
| 2021 | See for Me | Kelly | |
| 2024 | Good Bad Things | Madi |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Santa Baby | Lucy the Elf | TV movie |
| 2007 | Decoys 2: Alien Seduction | Beautiful Girl | Video |
| 2007 | Kaya | Natalee | 10 episodes |
| 2008 | Another Cinderella Story | Tami | Television film |
| 2008 | Desperate Hours: An Amber Alert | Sandy | TV movie |
| 2008–2010 | Smallville | Bette Sans Souci / Plastique | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Exes and Ohs | Amy | Episode "You Don't Know Jack" |
| Fear Itself | Becca | Episode "The Spirit Box" | |
| Soul | Alicia | 5 episodes | |
| Valemont | Beatrice | 33 episodes | |
| 2009 | Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe | Lucy the Elf | Television film |
| 2009–2010 | The Troop | Laurel | Episodes "Forest Grump" and "Next Stop: Lakewood" |
| 2010 | V | Grace | Episode "John May" |
| Undercovers | Lizzy | "Pilot" episode | |
| Brothers & Sisters | Angie | Episode "The Rhapsody of Flesh" | |
| Lie to Me | Alison Roberts | Episode "Beyond Belief" | |
| 2011 | Fairly Legal | Jessica Nord | "Pilot" Episode |
| 2011 | Collision Earth | Brooke Adamson | TV movie |
| 2011 | Behemoth | Zoe | TV movie |
| 2011–2012 | The Secret Circle | Melissa Glaser | Main Cast |
| 2012–2013 | 90210 | Megan Rose | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Nearlyweds | Casey | Television film |
| 2014–2017 | Black Sails | Max | Main Cast |
| 2017 | Lethal Weapon | DJ | Episode "Homebodies" |
| I Love Bekka & Lucy | Bekka | Main Cast | |
| Colony | Maya | Recurring role, 5 episodes | |
| Ransom | Charlotte Walker | Episode "The Enemy Within" | |
| Tales | Unique | Episodes "F*ck the Police" and "Trap Queen" | |
| Supergirl | Mystery Girl | Episode "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1" | |
| 2018–2019; 2021–2023 | The Flash | Nora West-Allen / XS | Recurring role (season 4, 7–9); Series regular (season 5) 35 episodes |
| 2022 | The Old Man | Woman at Bus Stop | "Episode III" |
| 2023 | I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Megan | Episode "THAT WAS THE EARTH TELLING ME I’M SUPPOSED TO DO SOMETHING GREAT" |
| 2023 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Medusa | Episode: "We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium" |
References
- ^ "Jessica Parker Kennedy (as Natalee) – Kaya". MTV. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
- ^ Jessica Parker Kennedy: This Is The First TV Pirate Show Ever Archived 2015-02-22 at the Wayback Machine suntimes.com
- ^ Trapunski, Charles (August 4, 2018). "Interview: The Flash's Jessica Parker Kennedy". Brief Take. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ a b "Exclusive: 9-1-1: Lone Star's Ronen Rubinstein weds Jessica Parker Kennedy in intimate farm wedding". November 2, 2022.
- ^ "Jessica Parker Kennedy – Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ "J.J. Abrams pilot gains a Kennedy". The Celebrity Cafe. January 16, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Hibberd, James (June 14, 2010). "Mekia Cox cast in NBC's 'Undercovers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ Bricker, Tierney (March 17, 2011). "Smallville' alum Jessica Parker Kennedy joins 'The Secret Circle'". Zap2It. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ Abrams, Natalie (May 22, 2018). "The Flash boss on that Mystery Girl reveal, new season 5 threat". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (June 18, 2018). "The Flash: Jessica Parker Kennedy Will Be a Series Regular for Season 5". TVLine.
- ^ Cardona, Ian (July 21, 2018). "The Flash: Barry & Iris' Daughter Is Exactly Who We Thought (Sort Of)". CBR. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ Drum, Nicole (December 26, 2021). "The Flash Season 8 Preview Teases Timeline Trouble". ComicBook. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (October 13, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Casts Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer, Jessica Parker Kennedy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ Malkin, Marc (April 7, 2021). "9-1-1: Lone Star' Actor Ronen Rubinstein Comes Out as Bisexual, Inspired by His Work on Fox Series". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2021.