Regina Marie “Jenna” Fischer was born on March 7, 1974, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Anne, is a history teacher, and her father, James E. Fischer, is a plastic engineer. She attended Nerinx Hall, a private Catholic high school for girls, in Webster Groves, Missouri. Fischer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, with a minor in Journalism, from Truman State University, graduating in 1996.
Before achieving mainstream success, Fischer worked in various part-time jobs while pursuing her acting career. She performed in theatre productions and took improv classes with the comedy troupe The Second City.
Fischer’s breakthrough role came in 2005 when she was cast as Pam Beesly in the NBC mockumentary sitcom The Office. She portrayed the receptionist-turned-office administrator for all nine seasons of the show, earning widespread recognition and critical acclaim. Her performance garnered her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. She also shared two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with the rest of the The Office cast.
While working on The Office, Fischer appeared in several films. Some of her notable film roles include:
Following the conclusion of The Office, Fischer continued to work in television. She starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015). She also had a recurring role in the HBO series