Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s films Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) and Dirty Dancing (1987), for which Grey earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. Her television work includes her 2010 victory in season eleven of Dancing with the Stars, and starring in the Amazon Studios comedy series Red Oaks. Grey is the daughter of Academy Award–winning actor Joel Grey and former actress/singer Jo Wilder.
Jennifer Grey was born on March 26, 1960 in Manhattan, the daughter of stage and Academy Award-winning screen actor Joel Grey and former actress/singer Jo Wilder (née Brower). Her paternal grandfather was comedian and musician Mickey Katz. Grey's parents both came from Jewish families.
Grey is an alumna of the Dalton School, a private school in Manhattan where she studied dance and acting, and where she met her best friend, actress Tracy Pollan. After graduating in 1978, Grey enrolled at Manhattan's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre for two years of training as an actress. While waiting for roles, she supported herself waitressing.