Jeff was born in San Francisco, California and raised in San Jose, the
youngest of three children. His father, Bill, was a basic research
scientist (mathematician) who worked for NASA's Ames Research Center at
Moffet Field until his death in 1969. Jeff's mother, Helen, is a
Stanford graduate and retired RN who still lives in the Bay Area. His
brother, John, is also a basic research scientist (geophysicist); his
sister, Janet, is a probate attorney.
After a detour through broadcasting, Jeff went back to school and
received a B.A. in Theatre from the University of California, Santa
Cruz (1985). Additional training includes stints with
Eric Morris as well
as workshops with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company (
Tony Church,
Patrick Stewart and others). Jeff has spent considerable time on stage in plays
ranging from Shakespeare to Ackbourne to Shepherd. Over the past
several years he has begun to make his mark as a character actor in
television and film appearing in
From the Earth to the Moon (1998) and
Jeepers Creepers (2001) and working with
gifted performers such as
Steven Bauer and
Michael Winslow.
Jeff has been married to his wife, Mary, since 1980. They have two very
tall children.